PALM BEACH GARDENS (Fla.) — The Honda Classic will not be leaving.
After this year’s Honda Classic, it will no longer be the Honda Classic. It will instead be the PGA National event on Feb. 23. There will be a classic. It is still being determined what it should be called.
Andrew George, executive director, stated that “The (PGA Tour) has no interest dropping us off the schedule.”
“We are really excited about what 24 and beyond will look like. We are excited about a new title (sponsor), and 42 years of building blocks with Honda. Let’s go up another notch.
Honda Motors will end its longest-running title sponsorship agreement for a PGA Tour event after this year’s tournament. However, that does not mean the event is over.
It could be moved to make the tournament more attractive and boost the field. Yes. It is quite possible.
Early commitments: Top twenty players, five past champions of the 2023 Honda field
It is vital to move it or change the schedule to accommodate Honda. It would be a huge boost to the field and result in a field that we haven’t seen since the 1987 PGA Championship.
This also means that we may have a future PGA Tour event here in the area from mid-January to mid-April.
One thing is certain: when the 2023 Honda Pilot Trailsport will be floating in the lake by 18th green this week it will be the last Honda to sit atop the glistening water.
Every day, we tour to find sponsors
The PGA Tour and George’s staff, as well as the Honda Classic board, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus – the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, has been the main charitable beneficiary of this tournament since 2007. They are currently working towards signing a new title sponsor.
These talks began before Honda announced that it was ending its contract three months ago.
George stated, “It’s a comfort to know that there’s a group at PGA Tour that focuses only on sponsorship and time.” They wake up each day wondering how they will replace the Honda Classic. They started with a great plan.
George stated that 40-50 companies were originally on the list, but this number has been reduced to five. Despite the fact that the tournament has had difficulty attracting strong field in recent years, primarily due to the PGA Tour schedule, it is still one tour can sell because the event’s location, market, growth, and philanthropy. Honda has been a sponsor of more than $50,000,000 in donations to local and national charities, including a record $6.45 Million last year.
George said, referring to the 17 years of Honda being held at PGA National. “It’s because Jack and Barbara have a great relationship, and the South Florida location is why it works.”
This tournament was once again a highlight of the tour’s schedule thanks to Ken Kennerly, the long-serving executive director, and George, who was appointed Kennerly’s successor in may. The Honda Classic field was one of the most powerful on the tour, outside of the majors.
Seven of the nine top-ranked golfers in the world took on The Champion Course challenge in 2014. In the next two years, more than half the top 20 were present on the Champion Course.
Honda is named title sponsor in 1982
The Jackie Gleason Inverrary Championship was established in 1972. It is played at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill. Honda was a sponsor of the tournament in 1981. It was then moved to Eagle Trace, Coral Springs, and renamed The Honda Classic three years later.
After moving to Weston Hills Country Club, Heron Bay and Heron Bay, the event relocated to Palm Beach County in 2003. Mirasol was home for four years until it moved across PGA Boulevard to PGA National.
This sponsor will not be named by the tour in a hurry. They clearly got the first one right, so they have established a precedent for a long-lasting relationship with the right partner.
George stated, “We would sacrifice timing to get the right partner,” “We will plan for the tournament in the same way as before so that the sponsor (title) doesn’t hold us back. We are confident that we can turn keys. We’ll still have a great showcase for anyone who signed up in September.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the tour to give the tournament an extra boost. It is a great way for the tour to show its support for an event that has been in the worst spot on the PGA Tour schedule over the years. Tell potential sponsors that it will be elevated in 2024.
