Wyndham Worldwide Extends Title Sponsorship through 2012
Wyndham Championship will continue as final tournament of Regular Season
GREENSBORO, NC – The PGA TOUR, the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation and
Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) today announced a two-year title
sponsorship extension for the Wyndham Championship, through 2012.
Wyndham Worldwide’s original four-year agreement was through this week’s
tournament at Sedgefield Country Club. The first year of Wyndham Worldwide’s
title sponsorship coincided with the debut of the FedExCup in 2007. The
Wyndham Championship has played a pivotal role in the FedExCup as the final
tournament of the Regular Season, determining the final seedings for the PGA
TOUR Playoffs.
“The Wyndham Championship has generated significant drama and considerable
coverage as the final Regular Season tournament by finalizing the starting
field for the Playoffs, particularly since the Playoffs were trimmed last
year from a starting field of 144 players to 125,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim
Finchem said. “Beyond the importance of the tournament and its long history
with the PGA TOUR, Wyndham Worldwide has been a terrific partner of the PGA
TOUR and the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation, and we are delighted that
this partnership has been extended through 2012.”
The Wyndham Championship is one of the longest-standing tournaments on the
PGA TOUR, dating back to 1938. World Golf Hall of Fame member Sam Snead won
the inaugural event, the first of his record eight titles in Greensboro with
the last coming in 1965, just two months shy of his 53rd birthday. In honor
of Snead, the Wyndham Championship winner receives the Sam Snead Cup.
“We are thrilled to extend our commitment to this historic tournament and to
continue our partnership with the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation and
PGA TOUR,” said Stephen P. Holmes, Wyndham Worldwide chairman and chief
executive officer. “We’re particularly pleased to continue our extremely
rewarding relationship with Victory Junction as the official charity of the
Wyndham Championship. As committed as we are to serving our guests, we’re
equally committed to supporting the communities in which we live, work and
play.”
Victory Junction is a year-round camping facility that serves children with
chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses by providing camping
experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering in a safe and medically
sound environment. The Camp was opened in 2004 by Pattie and Kyle Petty in
honor of their late son Adam.
“Extending our sponsorship with Wyndham is wonderful news for the entire
Piedmont Triad,” Bobby Long, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Charitable
Foundation Board, said. “Our relationship with Wyndham is more than a title
sponsorship, it’s a friendship. Their staff shares our vision of what we
want for our PGA TOUR event. We all want our tournament to achieve an
unparalleled level of excellence, and extending our relationship with
Wyndham is a big step in that process. We are grateful for their continued
support and look forward to continuing our work together.”
From a business standpoint, the Wyndham Championship has provided Wyndham
Worldwide with a valuable platform to reach business and leisure travelers
throughout the world. The company has activated around the tournament with
various marketing and advertising campaigns since the inaugural year of its
sponsorship.
In regard to being the final Regular Season event, last year’s Wyndham
Championship saw five players move into the top 125 based on their
performance at Sedgefield Country Club, with co-runner-up Kevin Stadler
making the biggest jump, from 133rd to 76th. Ryan Moore, who won a three-way
playoff, went from 76th to 22nd in the standings. Entering the tournament,
players outside the top 96 in the FedExCup standings were not assured a spot
in the Playoffs and a number of these players entered the Wyndham
Championship to secure their place in the Playoffs and to improve their
seeding.
“We look forward to another great week at Sedgefield Country Club,” Holmes
said. “The Wyndham Championship is positioned at a pivotal point on the
schedule, providing players with a final opportunity to qualify for the
Playoffs. This week, we have nearly all players ranked 110 through 150 in
points, while several of the top 30 points leaders are playing with a chance
to improve their seeding.”
In 2008, the Wyndham Championship returned to Sedgefield Country Club, one
of the two original host courses for the tournament. It last was held there
in 1976, when Al Geiberger defeated Lee Trevino by two strokes, before
moving to and remaining at Forest Oaks Country Club through 2007.
About Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide
offers individual consumers and business-to-business customers a broad suite
of hospitality products and services across various accommodation
alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of
world-renowned brands. Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses approximately 7,090
franchised hotels and approximately 593,300 hotel rooms worldwide. Wyndham
Exchange and Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8 million
members, access to over 65,000 vacation properties located in approximately
100 countries. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells
vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners
through its network of over 155 vacation ownership resorts serving over
820,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South
Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs
approximately 25,000 employees globally.
For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit the Company’s web
site at www.wyndhamworldwide.com
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring
professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA
TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour. The PGA TOUR’s mission is to
entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners,
create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable
and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial
opportunities for TOUR players.
In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in
12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to
nearly 600 million households in 225 countries and 30 languages.
Virtually all tournaments are organized as nonprofit organizations in order
to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours
generated $108 million for local charitable organizations. The TOUR’s
all-time total of charitable contributions is approaching $1.5 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM
site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.