PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) announced today that Wyndham has extended its title sponsorship of the Wyndham Championship, one of the TOUR’s longest-running tournaments, for four years through 2016.
The 2011 Wyndham Championship will be contested August 15-21 at the Donald-Ross designed Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. with 10-time international winner Arjun Atwal set to defend his maiden PGA TOUR title. The Wyndham Championship is the 37th and final tournament in the PGA TOUR Regular Season and plays a pivotal role in the race to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. The event offers the final opportunity for players to improve their seeding heading into the Playoffs, or in some instances, move into the top 125 to qualify for the first Playoff event, The Barclays.
“We are delighted to continue our relationship with Wyndham Worldwide, especially given the critical role the Wyndham Championship has played in the schedule as the final event in the PGA TOUR Regular Season,” said Tim Finchem, PGA TOUR commissioner. “Thanks to Wyndham Worldwide’s partnership, the Wyndham Championship has received tremendous support in the region, and our players have embraced the event, its leadership and the golf course at Sedgefield Country Club. These factors have all played a large impact on the increases in the tournament’s charitable giving since Wyndham signed on as title sponsor in 2007.”
In the five years since Wyndham Worldwide joined the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event, the Wyndham Championship has provided more than $1 million in charitable impact annually to organizations including the tournament’s official charity, Wishes By Wyndham. Other charitable organizations that have benefited from the Wyndham Championship include Victory Junction, The First Tee of the Triad, the Kevin Harvick Foundation, the American Junior Golf Association Ace Grant, the Crosby Scholars Community Partnership, Multiple Sclerosis of Central North Carolina and the Piedmont Triad Partnership, the organization that promotes central North Carolina regionalism.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with the PGA TOUR and extend the legacy of the Wyndham Championship in the Piedmont Triad,” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide. “The PGA TOUR and Wyndham Worldwide remain a great fit, as both hold a commitment to excellence, a dedication for others through philanthropy and a great appreciation for the time to enjoy one’s passions.”
“We are proud to extend our agreement with our wonderful partners at Wyndham Worldwide,” said Bobby Long, Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Board of Directors chairman. “On behalf of the entire region, we are very appreciative of Wyndham Worldwide’s continued support and the stability it provides our PGA TOUR event. Steve Holmes, Franz Hanning, Geoff Ballotti, Eric Danziger and the many wonderful people from Wyndham Worldwide are such fun to work with and have become great friends. We couldn’t ask for better partners in our quest to make the Wyndham Championship A++ in every way.”
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 services and products across various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of world-renowned brands. Wyndham Worldwide encompasses approximately 7,380 franchised hotels and vacation ownership resorts with approximately 633,700 rooms worldwide. Wyndham Exchange & Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8 million members, access to approximately 97,000 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 vacation ownership resorts serving nearly 815,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs approximately 26,000 employees globally.
For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit the Company’s website 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 2011, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 29 states and in 12 countries and territories outside of the United States. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to approximately 500 million households in 224 countries and territories in 29 languages.
Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2010, tournaments on the three Tours generated more than $120 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.6 billion. The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
About Wyndham Championship
Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC, the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the seventh-oldest event on the PGA TOUR. Tickets are available at wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Flow Automotive, Harris Teeter, McConnell Golf, Sunbrella® and VF Corporation for their continued support. Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570. For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.
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Media Contacts
Joel Schuchmann Alyson R. Johnson Rob Goodman
PGA TOUR Wyndham Worldwide Wyndham Championship
(904) 273-4707 (973) 753-6759 (336) 299-4321
joelschuchmann@pgatourhq.com alyson.johnson@wyn.com rob@3-gsports.com
