GTE Will No Longer Sponsor Golf Event

GTE announced Monday that it will cease its sponsorship of the annual GTE West Classic golf tournament at the Ojai Valley Inn after this week’s contest.

GTE Area President Larry Sparrow said the company is no longer willing to finance production and promotion of the weeklong tournament.

“We’re facing unparalleled competition, which is forcing us to re-examine every aspect of our business--including sports marketing,” Sparrow said.

Officials at GTE declined Monday to specify how much it has spent on tournament sponsorship.

Qualifying rounds began Monday for the Senior PGA tournament, which has drawn some of the most widely known names in professional golf since it began in 1987.

The event is a major boon to Ojai, filling motels, restaurants and shops for the duration of the contest. It runs through Sunday and will draw more than 50,000 fans, organizers said.

“It’s good for business, no question about that, but there’s many special events happening in Ojai,” City Manager Andrew S. Belknap said. “While this is going to hurt, we still have a viable local economy.”

Margaret Westrom of the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce said the tournament would be missed. “Anytime we take an event where everything is booked and next year it isn’t, there’s an impact,” she said.

Others were confident that another sponsor will be found to replace GTE and keep the tournament alive.

“Although we are disappointed, we are looking for another sponsor or some other opportunity to keep the tournament here,” said Alison Brainard, marketing director at the Ojai Valley Inn.

“We have a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies that come here as clients,” she said. “We’re a Senior PGA-approved course, and that’s very appealing.”