While the big boys and girls of the sports-reporting world were in Paris covering the Olympics and the first day of Olympic golf competition, some of we lesser lights in the world of golf media converged on the Silverado Resort in beautiful Napa, California for the media day for the upcoming 2024 edition of the PGA Tour’s Napa Valley stop.
It was an intriguing invitation, because the early communications from the event’s organizers had labeled it as the “Napa Valley Golf Championship”, signaling that the presenting sponsor of the last three years, the cybersecurity company Fortinet, had pulled out after completing only half of its six-year commitment to bankroll the tournament. Frankly, I wasn’t too surprised, because Fortinet had made it clear all along, back in the days before the Tour’s return to a calendar-year schedule, that they wanted Napa, and they wanted that special spot in the tournament calendar that this event occupied.
“We made a six-year commitment to the PGA Tour as a partner to have the Fortinet Championship, and the concept was we would be the first event of the season, and kick off the FedEx Cup points. That’s changed.
“We’re working very tightly with them—they know our preference. They know what we’re willing to do and it has a lot to do with Napa.”
Two years ago, in a press conference before the second year of Fortinet’s tenure as the presenting sponsor of this event, I asked their Senior VP of Marketing for North America, Jim Overbeck, what they thought about the schedule changes:
“I told them as the music’s playing, when it stops we don’t want to be in a worse chair than when we started. They’ve been a great partner with us, and they’re working to move some roadblocks to make sure that we’re in a really good spot.”
Evidently those roadblocks couldn’t be overcome, because here we are in 2024 and Fortinet is out. John Norris, the PGA Tour’s Senior VP of Tournament Business, politely declined to comment on the terms of Fortinet’s exit.
Past business aside, in what was almost literally an 11th-hour deal, Procore Technologies, Inc., a construction management software company based in Carpinteria, California, near Santa Barbara, has signed on for an initial two-year commitment to sponsor what will now be known as the Procore Championship. (I’m not exaggerating when I call it an 11th-hour deal: the agreement was signed at 8:00 p.m. on July 30th, the night before the July 31st media day press conference.)
Fans will notice some differences from last year’s event, with a return to parking at several sites along Atlas Peak Road, all served by shuttles, and the entrance to the tournament grounds once again just to the left of the main lawn, adjacent to the pro shop.
Though the post-round concerts won’t be back this year, the tournament’s events committee and the new sponsor’s management are committed to making the Procore Championship a fan-friendly event that highlights the special qualities of the Napa Valley region while providing a great golf-viewing experience.
Tournament rounds will take place September 12 – 15, at Silverado Resort and Spa at 1600 Atlas Peak Road, Napa. More fan information, including ticket info, is available at https://procorechampionship.com.
