About Skip Ward Expertise Former PGA PROFESSIONAL: Golf related questions regarding Rules, Etiquette,
PGA TOUR, PGA Players, Game History, Club History, Golf Trivia, and US
Courses to Play/Trip Recommendations. LOVE THE GAME!
Question Who was the first corporate title sponsor of professional golf?
Answer Dear Dave, thanks for the great question. In 1958 it was Buick who first sponsored a tour event. The tournament was named the Buick Invitational and was played at Warrick Hills G&CC in Grand Blanc, MI. and won by Billy Casper. What used to be the Michigan Open (now called the Buick Open) stands today, 45 years later, as one of the oldest and better run events on the PGA Tour. What started out as a small naming sponsorship has grown to a significant partnership between the Tour and Buick with four events each year. (Buick Invitational, now in San Diego in Feb., the Buick Classic, in Westchester, NY in June, the Buick Open, MI at the end of July, and the Buick Championship in my home state, Connecticut, at the end of August) Good luck and remember...
