Champions Tour president Mike Stevens said Tuesday that the future of the Legends of Golf in Savannah — in question since title sponsor Liberty Mutual Insurance’s contract expired this year — could be resolved by the end of the week.
Stevens said it is not “100 percent sure” that Savannah will keep or lose the April event, hosted since 2003 by the Westin Savannah Golf Resort & Spa and played at The Club at Savannah Harbor.
“Savannah is still very high on the list. I’d be lying if I didn’t say other (markets) are being considered,” Stevens said. “There’s a good possibility we’ll return. I can’t say definitely.”
Stevens did say with certainty that the 36-year-old event — owned and operated by the PGA Tour through the Champions Tour — will be on the tour schedule for players 50 and older. A company that he declined to identify “has a very significant interest” in being the title sponsor.
“We’re hoping to have some kind of announcement in the later part of this week, but you can’t force these things,” Stevens said in a telephone interview from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, home this week to the tour’s Shaw Charity Classic. “These things don’t happen overnight. They take quite a bit of time.”
He said there are three scenarios for the tournament. It stays in Savannah with a new title sponsor; or it stays in Savannah next year without one but with increases from other revenue sources; or a new title sponsor moves the event to another market.
“Our event can still be successful without a title sponsor,” Stevens said of the second option. “If it’s the Champions Tour doing it on its own, we’d be somewhat foolish not to stay in Savannah.”
Toward that end, Stevens said he has asked Westin general manager Mark Spadoni to reserve the usual block of rooms and the golf course for next year’s tournament week as well as follow agronomy procedures for course preparation. Spadoni could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
While not revealing the specifics of a Savannah sponsorship, the tour’s chief said costs generally range from $2.5 million to $6.5 million depending on the sponsorship packages, and each is unique.
The tour had hoped to secure a title sponsor by now, and had been preparing for the possibility for the past two years, Stevens said. The process includes research and marketing in vetting potential sponsors.
He noted that while there are three to five other potential suitors for Savannah, they also could be interested in sponsoring tour events in Atlanta and Hickory, N.C., as well as a PGA Tour stop in Tampa.
“We try to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to title sponsorships,” he said.
Boston-based Liberty Mutual has not been just any tour partner but the longest-running title sponsor in professional golf. The Legends of Golf originated in Austin, Texas, in 1978, and the insurance company came on board in 1980.
The event has been mobile over the years, having been played at eight different courses in five cities. And it has changed formats from two-man teams to individual stroke play and back to teams. But Liberty Mutual has been a constant. Stevens said the tour knew officially in July that Liberty Mutual would not renew the option to extend its contract.
“We’re disappointed, but it’s not unexpected,” he said, noting the corporation’s growing commitment to raise its international profile through sports marketing.
Liberty Mutual is an official sponsor of the 2014 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and for the 2016 teams for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The company has a presence in the Russia and Brazil markets.
As for Savannah, Stevens said the city has advantages such as a hotel within walking distance of the course; a multitude of restaurants and other attractions just across the river in the Historic District downtown; the balmy climate; and numerous high quality golf courses for corporate outings and individual play — all for a title sponsor to reward and entertain clients.
“When you put Savannah up against potential golf markets, Savannah is very attractive,” he said.
The tour will announce its 2014 slate sometime around the 2013 season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in San Francisco, Stevens said. He also said the Legends of Golf would be open to a date change to help scheduling, possibly to before Masters week in early April, but definitely not later than its usual April position after the Heritage in mid-April.