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PGA Tour drops annual Disney tournament from 2013 schedule

Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill March 18-24 will be Orlando's sole PGA event

By Orlando Sentinel Staff

11:36 AM PST, December 10, 2012

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The PGA Tour has dropped the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic hosted annually at Disney World from its 2013 schedule.

The event also lost its title sponsor and its future is unclear.

“It was a mutual decision between us and the Tour,” said Tony Morreale, the sports public relations manager at Disney World. “Really over the years, our sports business and our golf business has changed a lot so that’s kind of where it came from.”

Sponsorship deal didn’t play a factor in the decision according to Morreale, who also said that this past tournament was the last. 

“We’ve come to an agreement with the tour that this past year was the final year with the tour,” Morreale said. “We enjoyed our great 40 year-plus relationship with them. There have been some great moments through the years. Obviously, we wish them all the best.”

The Disney tournament was traditionally the last stop for players hoping to make enough money to earn their PGA Tour cards for the following year, providing some drama to the event late on the calendar. However, in 2013, the PGA is moving to using FedEx Cup points as the measuring stick for those who retain their cards rather than the money list. 

As a result of the decision to drop the Disney tournament, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill from March 18-24 will be Orlando's sole PGA Tour event.

Disney first began hosting a PGA golf event in 1971. The event has primarily been played on the Disney Palm and Magnolia golf courses.

Here is the full 2013 PGA Tour schedule:

Hyundai Tournament of Champions     Dec. 31-Jan. 7
Kapalua Resort (Plantation), Kapalua, Hawaii     TV: Golf Channel

Sony Open in Hawaii     Jan. 7-13
Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii     TV: Golf Channel

Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation     Jan. 14-20
PGA West (*Palmer, Nicklaus)/La Quinta CC, La Quinta, Calif.     TV: Golf Channel

Farmers Insurance Open     Jan. 21-27
Torrey Pines (*South, North), San Diego, Calif.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Waste Management Phoenix Open     Jan. 28-Feb. 3
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium), Scottsdale, Ariz.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am     Feb. 4-10
Pebble Beach/Spyglass Hill/Monterey Peninsula (Shore), Pebble Beach, Calif.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Northern Trust Open     Feb. 11-17
Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship     Feb. 18-24
Ritz-Carlton GC (Dove Mountain), Marana, Ariz.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

The Honda Classic     Feb. 25-March 3
PGA National (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship     March 4-10
Doral Golf Resort (TPC Blue Monster), Doral, Fla.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com     March 4-10
Trump International Puerto Rico, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico     TV: Golf Channel

Tampa Bay Championship     March 11-17
Innisbrook Resort & GC (Copperhead), Palm Harbor, Fla.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard     March 18-24
Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

Shell Houston Open     March 25-31
Redstone GC (Tournament), Houston, Texas     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

Valero Texas Open     April 1-7
TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks), San Antonio, Texas     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

Masters Tournament     April 8-14
Augusta National GC, Augusta, Ga.     TV: ESPN/CBS

RBC Heritage     April 15-21
Harbour Town GL, Hilton Head Island, S.C.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Zurich Classic of New Orleans     April 22-28
TPC Louisiana, New Orleans, La.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Wells Fargo Championship     April 29-May 5
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

THE PLAYERS Championship     May 6-12
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

HP Byron Nelson Championship     May 13-19
Four Seasons Las Colinas (TPC Four Seasons), Irving, Texas     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial     May 20-26
Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance     May 27-June 2
Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

FedEx St. Jude Classic     June 3-9
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

U.S. Open #     June 10-16
Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.     TV:ESPN/NBC

Travelers Championship     June 17-23
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

AT&T National     June 24-30
Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Md.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

The Greenbrier Classic     July 1-7
The Greenbrier (The Old White TPC), White Sulphur Springs, W.V.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

John Deere Classic     July 8-14
TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

British Open #     July 15-21
Muirfield, East Lothian, Scotland     TV: ESPN

True South Classic     July 15-21
Annandale Golf Club, Madison, Miss.     TV: Golf Channel

RBC Canadian Open     July 22-28
Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville, Ontario, Canada     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational     July 29-Aug. 4
Firestone Country Club (South), Akron, Ohio     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Reno-Tahoe Open     July 29-Aug. 4
Montreux Golf & CC, Reno, Nev.     TV: Golf Channel

PGA Championship #     Aug. 5-11
Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, N.Y.     TV: TNT/CBS

Wyndham Championship     Aug. 12-18
Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.     TV:Golf Channel/CBS

FedExCup Playoffs
The Barclays     Aug. 19-25
Liberty National Golf Course, Jersey City, N.J.     TV: Golf Channel/CBS

Deutsche Bank Championship     Aug. 26-Sept. 2
TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

BMW Championship     Sept. 9-15
Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Ill.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola     Sept. 16-22
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.     TV: Golf Channel/NBC

The Presidents Cup
Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin Ohio     TV: Golf Channel/NBC     Sept. 30-Oct. 6