Thursday, November 30
2000: Business - First Tee program moves to the next level with Life Skills for young golfers
With the development of courses for juniors well under way, The First Tee is looking to do something far more ambitious.
2000: Business - Conferences to chart golf’s future
Some 200 attendees at Golf 20/20: Vision for the Future – including a steering committee of industry leaders who met in June and September – are expected not only to help establish goals but to figure out how to achieve them.
2000: Kuchar, Baddeley turn professional
The speculation has ended regarding two of the game’s more interesting young pro prospects, Matt Kuchar and Aaron Baddeley.
2000: Adams helps mini-tour out of tight lie
Scott DeSerrano, a former Oklahoma State University standout, played in 1992 on what was then the Nike Tour, but was unable to retain his playing privileges.
2000: PGA Tour’s ‘bullpen’ closes biggest deals
Sound like a sales pitch? It is – for the PGA Tour. And one of its chief salesmen is Tom Wade, senior vice president for corporate marketing and business development for the Tour.
2000: Tourney groups bridge needs of tours, events
Tournaments, players, sponsors and charities all have varying needs, objectives and challenges. Luckily, they can all turn to one group for the answers – the tours’ tournament or sponsor associations.
2000: Players earn riches with logos
It should not surprise anyone with even the slightest knowledge of golf that Tiger Woods does just as well off the course as he does on it.
2000: Brand-building power draws nongolf firms
At first blush, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense for an international energy company to spend more than $10 million a year on professional golf endorsements and sponsorships.
2000: Buy.com official: ‘We feel like it’s working’
The Buy.com Tour’s first visit to Dothan, Ala., proved profitable for native son Spike McRoy. His second tournament victory of the year was worth $99,000 and restored him to the PGA Tour.
2000: Marketers ‘covet’ upscale, savvy audience
Golf is so attractive to sponsors and advertisers because you have to have some money to play. And those who play largely are those who watch.
2000: Sponsor turnover an annual problem
JCPenney announced in October it was ending its relationship with the LPGA Tour.
2000: Sponsors can’t resist Tour luster
In a crass sense, golf and American commerce have taken an old Madison Avenue cliché – “sex sells” – and tweaked it to describe the uniqueness of their own relationship.
2000: Deere’s work full of devilish details
To some observers, being a golf title sponsor might seem as simple as cutting an annual $2 million to $3 million check for prize money and another $2 million to $3 million for television advertising.
2000: Golf emerges as brand elixir
Kevin Ilges, director of sponsorships and events at Shell Oil Co., likes to work efficiently. Which explains why, when it comes to marketing, his sport of choice is golf.
2000: Love upsets notion of Woods-Garcia duel
Davis Love III charged from behind with an 8-under 64 on Dec. 3 to overtake Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia and win the Williams World Challenge.
2000: Wittenberg, Janangelo ride to Polo titles
A week that began with doubt ended in joy for the champions of the Polo Golf Junior Classic Nov. 25 at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magnolia Course.
2000: Smith braves a visit to old demons
As a spectator at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, he was revisiting his demons and reaffirming his triumph over the forces of evil. “The Q-School is a dangerous place to be,” said Jerry Smith, who has played in enough of them to know.
2000: Business - Ping earns ISO global certification
Ping announced its quality control measures have been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – making it the first U.S. golf equipment company to earn the designation.
2000: Investors give Mammoth Sports a second chance
Scientists theorize a massive meteor annihilated the woolly mammoths. Similarly, the monetary meteor that recently smacked the Internet sector threatened to financially obliterate Mammothgolf.com.
2000: Business - Steel shafts have dynamic history, future
The most popular iron shaft among today’s touring pros was invented way back in 1941. Yes, the Dynamic steel shaft by True Temper is about to celebrate its 60th birthday.
2000: TearDrop future may be decided next month
Gen-X Sports leading contender in bankruptcy auction
2000: Business - E-tailers seek holiday cheer
Key season ahead for online sales
2000: Globetrotting Woods, Duval wrest World Cup
It began in Manassas, Va., at the Presidents Cup, moved to Orlando, Fla., continued on to Atlanta, and from there included stops in Spain, London, Thailand, Hawaii, California and finally here in the Southern Hemisphere.
2000: No Supreme Court intervention with Rudies vote
All the votes are in at Florida headquarters. We have counted and recounted ballots, butterfly and otherwise. Then we counted again by hand and, finally, did whatever we wanted.
2000: Gen-X Sports intends to buy TearDrop
T earDrop Golf announced plans Oct. 18 to merge with a privately held Toronto company – Gen-X Sports
2000: Wall St. high on ELY plans
There was only a hint of caution in Wall Street’s assessment of Callaway Golf Co.’s decision to market a nonconforming driver in the United States.
2000: Ely: Arnie can’t be bought
Ely Callaway, the feisty patriarch of Callaway Golf, does not know Robert Erb. “I’ve never heard of this guy,” Callaway snorted as he sat in his office.
2000: Callaway Golf’s rivals take their shots
Callaway’s decision to sell nonconforming drivers in the United States raised the hopes of retailers seeking a sales spike and drew hisses from competitors.
2000: Sign it twice: Ireland’s Harrington gets his second win of the year
Padraig Harrington said he wasn’t accustomed to a seemingly comfortable final-round lead, but he sure took advantage of the situation.
2000: LPGA - Webb marches toward $2 million earnings mark
Karrie Webb beat Dottie Pepper on the first playoff hole Oct. 22 to win the AFLAC Champions tournament and clinch LPGA player of the year honors for the second consecutive year.
2000: Friday PM: U.S. storms back
Turnabout was fair play if you were an American on a beautiful, sun-splashed Friday afternoon at the Presidents Cup Oct. 20.
2000: Friday AM: Internationals stage uprising
On the team bus returning from the course after the United States had pitched a shutout in Thursday’s foursomes, Ernie Els demanded the attention of his International teammates.
2000: Molder, Clemson take Pate center stage
It was show time at the Old Overton Club. And what a show this three-act performance proved to be.
2000: Presidents Cup - A very civil war
U.S. wrests Presidents Cup in peaceful Bull Run blowout
2000: College coaches gain with Grost’s return
Gregg Grost announced in March that after 15 years as men’s golf coach at the University of Oklahoma he was retiring at the end of the season.
2000: You go, girls!
This year in women’s NCAA Division I golf, a record number of players will compete in postseason play.
2000: Championship architecture
Florida Southern College is alive with the past, yet breathes the future.
2000: Yoga-relaxed Romero wins in a rout
While the rest of the European Tour was chasing Ryder Cup points, Romero ran away with the tournament.
