L.A. Open May Look for a Word From a Sponsor

The Los Angeles Open, which will begin today--weather permitting--with a celebrity pro-am at Riviera Country Club, is just about the last holdout when it comes to corporate America’s venture onto the PGA Tour.

The Bing Crosby National Pro-Am succumbed to the lure of AT&T; this year and, in so doing, lost the Crosby from its name. Now, this 60th edition of the L.A. Open may be the last in which the L.A. Junior Chamber of Commerce is the only sponsor.

Most other tournaments include in their names the names of one or more widely known corporations, and there are reasons it may have to happen here:

--A bigger purse. Although the purse has been increased to $450,000, the increase brings the tournament prize money only to minimum standards. Except for tournaments run at the same times as three major tournaments, prize money for the L.A. Open is tied for the lowest until the tour starts tailing off in September. The tournaments with the high purses all have corporate sponsorship.

--Major television coverage. A tour event needs major network television. There will be no CBS coverage of the tournament this year. ESPN, a cable network, will televise two hours daily, but that coverage will not reach the vast audience that the major networks do.

--A combination of the two. Added money and television would probably bring in more of golf’s big names. Missing when the 72-hole event officially begins Thursday, will be Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Masters champion Bernhard Langer and last year’s leading money winner, Curtis Strange.

That’s not to say the field isn’t an impressive one. It does include defending champion Lanny Wadkins and most of the golfers who have started the new season with a bang. Corey Pavin, the former UCLA star and winner of last week’s Hawaiian Open, is here. So are other winners, Calvin Peete, Donnie Hammond and Bob Tway.

Such local favorites as Craig Stadler, Tony Sills, Scott Simpson and Mac O’Grady are entered. Also here are Johnny Miller, Tom Kite, Jerry Pate, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Weiskopf.

--Corporate sponsorship also would assure more money for charity. In the event of a rainout, it would also help prevent a financial disaster.

All of those problems will have to be resolved by next season, but of more immediate concern, is the weather. Heavy rain, which is forecast, most certainly would wipe out the pro-am.

That has not happened in recent memory, but if it does, those among the 184 amateurs who paid $1,750 for a patron package will not get a refund.

The pros were allowed to practice Tuesday and although Riviera is lush and green, it is also very soft. There are many muddy areas and some casual water.

Scott Kelly, director of marketing for the JCC, estimated that 50 truckloads of dirt have been brought in to make the course playable. Tournament events scheduled for Sunday and Monday were canceled.

“We will have to start working on the sponsorship and television problems as soon as the tournament ends,” Kelly said. “But from my perspective, it is already a fine tournament. Last year was our most successful tournament. Season-ticket sales are high and preseason revenues indicate that only the weather can prevent it from being as successful as last year.

“We have a waiting list for the pro-am and all the hospitality areas are sold out. The only concern is the weather. The course is soaked. If another big rain hits, the pro-am will most certainly be canceled.”

Kelly isn’t sure that putting a corporate name in front of the L.A. Open is the solution. He is concerned that no major network television is available this year.

“We were hit by a sobering fact this year,” he said. “We never before had to sell television advertising. One of the reasons CBS did not pick up the tournament is because it did not get enough guaranteed advertising revenues.

“Our position on the tour also hurt. The worst possible spot on the West Coast part of the tour is the week before it shifts to Florida and the week after Hawaii. We have it.

“A corporate sponsor would pay us cash and guarantee the advertising revenue. But we are not certain that is the way we want to go. We have seen what happened at San Diego. In the last five years they have had three different corporations in the name of the tournament. The San Diego Open is a well-run tournament, but it is not good to have all those different names.

“We are anxious to preserve the L.A. Open. We do not want to be at the mercy of a change in the direction of a company, where someone will come in and question a $3-million outlay for sponsorship of a golf tournament.

“There are alternatives. Our goal is to return to network television. Our chances should be brighter because all three major networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) are interested.

“We probably won’t know until next summer what position we’ll have on the tour, but we can do something about making certain we are back on the television schedule. One way or another, we will have to do it.”

It has been reported that Nissan, which will be the major sponsor on ESPN, will become the tournament’s corporate sponsor. Kelly said that no contracts have been signed with any company.