Andrew George will leave the tournament, formerly known by the name Honda Classic, after 15 years. He served as executive director from 2023 to 2023.
George will join TMRW Sports, and TGL (the new golf league created by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and others), as senior vice president. He is also excited for the future of his former golf tournament, which will be run by PGA Tour Championship Management and have Cognizant serve as the new title sponsor.
George, who was a candidate to remain as the tournament’s executive director, said that “new title will infuse additional excitement.” “They have a list of ideas on how to improve the event. “As I looked at where they wanted to take this, I became excited about the different possibilities.”
George is excited about the chance to “start from scratch and create something new.”
He will oversee TMRW Sports’ live events and operations, including the TGL. The TGL will be held on the campus at Palm Beach State College, in Palm Beach Gardens. The TGL has been postponed one year, to January 2025, after the roof of the venue collapsed a few weeks ago.
George stated that “the planning does not slow down.” “I was planning to make many quick decisions (for the planned opening on Jan. 9, 2024). We have the time now to pause, and ensure that we are doing things not only the most efficiently but also the best.
We’ll make sure to do everything right every day from now until 2025.
George’s duties for TMRW Sports are similar to those of his role as executive director of PGA Tour, which takes place five miles west of TGL.
The biggest difference is that the event will take place one day per week for 15 weeks, instead of just one week.
He said: “I am excited to have a chance every week to tweak and improve all the things we are putting together on site, rather than having a 4-day event and a year to think about and stew over it.”
Soon, it is expected that the Honda Classic will be renamed and other changes made. The venue will remain the same at PGA National, with a five-year deal starting in 2024.
George stated that “the main thing was to keep this event in South Florida, and Palm Beach County as the number one priority,”. “Knowing this was in place… that was the focal point.”
The event will take place from February 29 to March 3. The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, the main beneficiary since 2007, will continue to be the charity.
George replaced Ken Kennerly as executive director of the Honda Classic, which had been held by Ken Kennerly since the tournament moved to PGA National.
George joined the Honda Classic as an intern in 2009, coming to work for the tournament after earning a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. While working for Honda he gained experience in many areas, including launching the Birdies for Children Program, serving as director of corporate sponsors and director of operations, before becoming tournament and executive director.
George described the move as “the perfect storm” of an opportunity.
