The pull out of sponsors for professional golf tournaments is truly concerning and on the most part are part of a bigger picture that can be focused on most corporations not understanding the tangible values of begin a sponsor of a PGA or LPGA event. The sagging economy is just a convenient excuse to jump on that they can assure will rationalize their reason for reporting sagging profits. The truth is, their pull out of these highly promoted events is what is really a case of them shooting themselves in the foot (or ass in some cases)and is what is causing their sag in profits.

From my studies for the past 3 years, over 85% of the corporate sponsors who pull out of PGA or LPGA events claim they are not getting an ROI..duh! That is because everyone one of them have no idea how to use the professional golf events to produce a return.
These pull outs of sponsors for these long running golf tournaments are seen by the small business world as indications of what they should do. Nothing could be further from the opposite of what they need to do. Their reaction to pull out of golf because they saw in WJ that a Fortune 100 pulled out is done without attempting to understand the true reason why they are pulling out. The reations in most cases I reviewed has most telling me they are pulling out of having anything to do with golf..including playing golf anymore.
Truly, there is a very big problem with these corporations understanding of golf and professional golf events which if something is not done could jepordize golf as we know it today...open to everyone to play.

The PGA and LPGA are doing what they can to approach these corporations to salvage these events, but they are looked at by these corporations as the 'Wolf asking for the Keys to the Henhouse'. Naturally the PGA is going to not want to stop generating their member's a paycheck..including their own so corporate America (or World)sees their attempts as just attempts of self preservation.

What has to take place in order to keep golf on TV so people can enjoy what we watched during the 2008 US Open is there has to be a re-education of corporate America on how to obtain the ROI their non-golfing C Suite Executives and stockholders demand.

Hummm..I wonder who could do this for the PGA and LPGA?
Great blog and great points of view here,it up.

Scot - Many thanks for the comment. I know how much news like this stings your soul!! And I agree that many corporations don't leverage their sponsorships to their fullest advantage, insofar as generating business is concerned. However the Atlanta tournament had a pretty savvy sponsor in AT&T who are still involved with the Pebble Beach Pro Am (so far). Their withdrawal may or may not be for valid business reasons but the lack of another corporation stepping up is, I still believe, an indication of severe economic weakness in the regional market in the U.S. South. Anyway, U.S. jobless numbers out today show a slower than expected increase, so maybe we'll be out of the Woods soon!