Sports Illustrated Golf Group Named New Title Sponsor of World Amateur Handicap Championship
For the Sports Illustrated Golf Group it is a homecoming and an opportunity to broaden its appeal to amateur golfers.
For Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and the World Amateur Handicap Championship it is an opportunity to partner with one of golf and sports leading brands.
For World Amateur players a new title sponsor provides the knowledge that the game’s leading media company is dedicated to improving golf’s largest single-site tournament.
Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday officials announced Wednesday at Pine Lakes Country Club that the Sports Illustrated Golf Group, which includes Golf Magazine, Golf.com and Sports Illustrated’s Golf Plus, is the new title sponsor of the World Amateur Handicap Championship.
The two-year deal, which includes a mutual option for a third, takes effect immediately and the tournament will be called the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. The press conference was a homecoming for SI Golf Group officials, who returned en masse to Pine Lakes for the first time since the magazine’s founding at the course in 1954.
While events throughout golf and sports are struggling to find title sponsors, the SI Golf Group’s commitment to the World Am speaks to the strength of the tournament’s brand and the loyalty of its players. The World Am began as a small event in 1984 and has grown into a one-of-a-kind tournament, annually attracting more than 3,000 golfers from all 50 states and 25 foreign countries.
“We are extremely excited to welcome the Sports Illustrated Golf Group to the World Am family,” tournament director Dave Macpherson said. “The SI Golf Group will allow us to tell the story of the event to a larger audience with more frequency than we’ve had the opportunity to do so in the past.
“It speaks to the event’s size and the respect it has earned within the golf community that an international company that is universally recognized throughout the game has chosen to join us, even during difficult economic times.”
“We are excited about working with our friends at Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday to take the GOLF.COM WORLD AMATEUR HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP to unprecedented heights,” said Dick Raskopf, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED GOLF GROUP Publisher. “This tournament is one of golf’s crown jewels, and the opportunity to bring SPORTS ILLUSTRATED back to Myrtle Beach where it all began is exciting.”
Heading into its 27th year, the Golf.com World Am, a 72-hole stroke play event that is played on more than 50 Myrtle Beach area golf courses, won’t see any changes to the tournament format, but the experience for players at the World’s Largest 19th Hole could be enhanced considerably.
The SI Golf Group is closely aligned with the game’s leading brands and stars, which could give the tournament an opportunity to attract prominent personalities and instructors to speak at the Golf.com World Am. The SI Golf Group has close working relationships with game’s top equipment manufacturers as well, opening up the possibility for a more interactive experience at the 19th Hole.
“We are looking at adding a lot exciting elements (to the 19th Hole), including having our editors participate, and collecting your input about the game,” Raskopf said. “The demo alley is going to be phenomenal this year. We are looking forward to making sure (players) all have a good time.
While SI Golf Group and Golf.com are new to the tournament as a title sponsor, World Am players are very familiar with the franchise. In annual post-event surveys, one of the most popular components of the 19th Hole has long been World Am Live, home of the event’s live entertainment and sponsored by Golf Magazine.
“World Am Live has always been one of the most highly rated 19th Hole activities and it has been Golf Magazine’s investment, their leadership, their activity,” Macpherson said. “They know the event, and we hope what they can do for the entire tournament is what they’ve done for World Am Live.”
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Teriffic news. Welcome to or back to World Amateur. Neat, clean logo.
I think this is wonderful news. Ever since we lost Dupont as a sponsor, the 19th hole has been lacking diversity.
With the SI group running the event, there is an opportunity for many types of vendors to reappear at the 19 hole.
Looking forward to it.
Great news on having Sports Illustrated as a new sponsor
Are they going to change the date? I think you would get a lot more participation if you held it in May or October. Having the tournament during hurricaine season has caused a lot of rain delays and cancellations. You should really think about changing the date.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
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I missed last year for the first time in the last 4 years. (except the year I broke my ankle). I attended 4 or 5 tournments when dupont was the sponsor. What a difference when Dupont left. I am hoping that we can get back to the level we had before. Don't get me wrong, you folks always try to do things in a first class way, but without Dupont and what they brought to the party it just wasn't the same. I am very excited about the new sponsor and hope we can go back to where we were in days gone by. Also, the final night use to be more like a huge auditorium with presentations and the awarding of a car or something of great value and you had to be present to win. I also believe you had to participate in the entire event to qualify for the drawing ( no one whimping out after a couple of bad days or they had no chance to win ). I know you guys will do it up big but lets bring back part of the old excitement, flair, excitement, and get more guys saying, I'll never miss another one. Mark me as a go and I will be anxious to see how the new Sponsor affects the show. I know it is not politically correct but Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year. If you are ever looking for someone to add to your Board, please give me a call. John Raymond 11731 Bollingbrook Dr., Richmond, VA 804-378-7384(H #).
AWESOME! I Am psyched.
As a participant in all of the previous 26 World Ams, I am excited about the new title sponsor. I am sure the 27th Golf.Com World Amateur will be better than ever. Congratulations to the staff of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday!
GREAT news. Seems that we needed something to add a little spark to an already good event. Thanks SI from a participant for more than 17 years.
I am very impressed with such an amazing support system that is in place for funneling new potential golfers into the sport and having a chance at being noticed. I am a senior, 64 years of age from Sarnia, Ontario, where Mike Weir is from and would like to know if there is a senior's amateur golf tour. I started to golf this year after many years and have fallen in love with the game. I even bought a beautiful set of TaylorMade Burners and the staff bag to go along with them. What incredible exercise it is and I'm sure this game will extend my life. I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
This is great and welcomed news. This should allow what is already a great tournament and time to only get better. Congradulations, and thanks to the Sports Illustrated group.
If you ran the event in early fall or late spring, you would get more golfers. Mid season in the heat, when everuone is playing in the US makes the trip less apealing to most.
I hope that this will bring in more vendors as it once did. In this economic time other vendors are struggling too. I have not missed this tournament since I started playing golf. I do not plan to miss any either. Will I keep my ID number?
I am looking forward to it.
Glad to see SI become the title sponser. That could bring me back next year.
This sounds great and hopefully the tournament will be done as well as last year! Sponsors in these economic times are hard to come by and this will continue a great tradition I hope the Dunes is still the championship round...great venue. I also hope Martin's PGA Superstore is still heavily involved as there is no match for Martin's. Pine Lakes is where the Sports Illustrated group first got together back in the '40's(?), and there is a long history there. Pine Lakes is even better after the refurbishing back to the original design, but the Dunes is the class course of the area!
I would hope the new sponsors embrace this history and keep the Dunes as the Championship round. Played well enough to make it this year to the final and it was a first class event! I have been in Pro-Am's with the tour and this was run just as well or maybe better.
Jim B
That's great news that you were able to replace the sponsor so quickly, and with such a fine sponsor. Having participated in 22 of the 26 years, it was disappointing to miss the '09 event. With the economy as it is, many of my World Am friends skipped this year. Perhaps some exciting news, such as the new sponsor will bring them all back for '10. I know I'll be there.
Can't wait to see what the drawing grand prize will be next year.
Larry Black
Georgia
SPT. ILLUS. THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP. HAD NOT BEEN W AM SINCE DUPONT, ATTENDED 09,BECAME VERY ILL BUT FINISHED ALL ASSIGNED ROUNDS AND ENJOYED VISIT. PLAN TO ATTEND 2010, LOOKS AND SOUNDS EXCITING. KEEP UP GOOD WORK.
I have played in the last two events as my first and second time and had a great experiance, met some great guys. I am glad to see a new sponsor as I was starting to think that there was not going to be an event in 2010. Please advise the date for 2010
Good job guys and gals. Good sponsor, hope the DuPont atmostphere comes back. I'll be back for my 18th year. I hope all those b___ers & m__ers stay away and we have a great time playing golf and renewing old friends. Keep up the good work, look foward to seeing you all at the 19th hole.
thanks now back as it was with dupont. need to move date out of the 100 degree heat, see you there.
It is great to have a new major sponsor. Pga golf did a good job in the last few yeare and hope thay stay around to help out.
IT can do nothing but good to have a large sopnsor in these times , have played every year
from 1997 - 2009 and hope to be able to return this year. But it would realy help if the dates were set so that we could start planning.
once again lets thank golf .com for all the help that are going to give to keep the best tourament in the US going strong.
Ron Hubert
Vermont
I'm really excited to have a great a sponsor as SI. what a great name for a great golf tournament. congratulations world am staff. this will be my 13th year, thanks for all the great times i've enjoyed at myrtle beach and the great courses i've played in all these years.
late august is perfect time for event, less crowded, lower hotel and golf rates allow for reasonable entry fee for tournament. these dopes complaining do not understand spring and fall are peak price points for myrtle beach area.played pine lakes 2 weeks ago, great job
This is great news for all SC and NC golf courses near Myrtle Beach! We can all benefit from the exposure and tourists!
Let me add my thanks to everyone else's. This is great news. I have only been a participant for two of the last three years (missed due to a broken ankle) but I have already been making plans for this years. Now I will do everything I can to bring some more of my golfing buddies with me. This should get them excited.
Thanks and keep up the great work.
Phil Candela
Michigan
Great news,just happens I started getting SI. about a month ago.First Mark Ingram wins the Hem.I'm from Flint and now this good news.Thanks SI.
OUTSTANDING NEWS!
I hope SI Golf Group will take this opportunity to put the "personal touches" on the event like DuPont did. There seemed to be so many more vendors and players attending the event when DuPont was the sponsor. I was seriously considering not attending the 2010 World Am. Thanks to SI stepping up, I have already made my reservations to attend!
Thank you SI Golf Group for really coming through in these economic times! I'm sure you will do an outstanding job!