HONDA CLASSIC EXPANSION GROWS TOURNAMENT BRAND
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL – The Honda Classic is adding a series of events and initiatives in 2007-08 intended to expand the presence of The Honda Classic brand and create a diverse sports and entertainment festival for the Palm Beach County community.
For more than 36 years, the Honda Classic has existed solely as a PGA Tour sporting event held in Broward and Palm Beach Counties in late February and early March. The additional events and initiatives, designed to make the Classic a diverse, year-round festival of events, will include a Celebrity Shootout the day after the final round of the tournament, a Junior Championship in December, presentation of the PGA TOUR Wives Golf Classic during tournament week, a Family Cup event in January, a private fundraising dinner event at an exclusive car museum, a kickoff party at the Gardens Mall, and a year-round local golf radio show.
“Our goal is to become more of a year-round and diverse sports and entertainment fixture in the local community, very much the way the Orange Bowl and Junior Orange Bowl festivals have been able to make an impact in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale areas,” Honda Classic Executive Director Kenneth R. Kennerly said. “We want people to be aware of The Honda Classic all year round and also benefit in some way from its presence here in Palm Beach County.”
The Honda Classic Celebrity Shootout, which is being presented by longtime local sports business consultant Rick Horrow and Horrow Sports Ventures, will be played Monday March 3, 2008 on PGA National’s Champion Course using the same pin locations from Sunday’s final round of the PGA TOUR event. Each participating foursome will be paired with a sports or entertainment celebrity in an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Packages are $1500 and $2250 per person.
The Honda Classic Junior Championship will be held December 15-16, 2007 at PGA National’s Haig Course. The event will give all young players in Florida an opportunity to test their skills in a competitive environment and will enhance their connection to the professional tournament. Players over the age of 12 will play 18 holes broken into age groups of U18, U16, and U14. The U12age group will have the option of playing nine or 18 holes. The U10 and U8 age groups will compete over nine holes. The entry fee is $150.
HONDA CLASSIC BRAND EXPANSION – 2
The Honda Classic Family Cup, an 18-hole scramble event in which youngsters can pair themselves with any adult family member, will be held at a 2008 date TBA at PGA National. The entry fee will be $150 per team.
The PGA TOUR Wives Golf Classic, formerly played in Phoenix, will now be hosted by The Honda Classic on Tuesday of tournament week on PGA National’s Haig Course. The caddies will get the day off February 26, 2008 and the PGA TOUR pros will carry the bag, rake bunkers and tend the flags for their wives as they compete in a nine-hole shootout for charity.
The Honda Classic presents Cars of Dreams, a fundraising event to be held January 18, 2008, will not simply be a gala, black tie affair, or typical charity fundraiser. It will be an experience at the private car museum of local businessman John Staluppi. The museum features meticulously restored vintage cars and period pieces amid a backdrop of a nostalgic village equipped with some of America’s best-loved icons that reflect the golden age of the cars. Staluppi is opening his private collection for one night only of live music, dancing, food and drink. The event will carry a Frank Sinatra theme with entertainment provided by Bob Hoose and his 16-piece orchestra. Tickets will be $250 per person.
The Honda Classic is also planning an evening kickoff party at the new Grand Hall at the Gardens Mall on February 21 which will have a Beatles theme.
The Honda Classic brand expansion is extending toward the media arena as well. The tournament will soon be launching a locally-based year-round golf radio show and also recently launched a new interactive website, www.thehondaclassic.com. The website contains all tournament-related information and mechanisms for ticket sales and volunteer applications.
The Honda Classic, Palm Beach County’s largest sporting event, awarded more than $505,000 to area children’s charities in 2007, allowing the tournament to surpass the $14 million mark in charitable contributions during American Honda’s 26-year tenure as title sponsor.
The 2008 Honda Classic golf tournament will be played February 25-March 2.