By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui Bureau
KAPALUA, Maui — The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has struck a deal with the PGA Tour that guarantees Hawai‘i will continue to play host to six men’s professional golf tournaments over the next six years.
The agreement, announced yesterday on the eve of Kapalua’s Mercedes Championships, calls for state spending of nearly $10 million for Hawai‘i’s PGA Tour events in exchange for a commitment that the tournaments will remain in the state.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority already spends $1.2 million a year on PGA golf tournaments.
"We have a long history of successful events in Hawai‘i and our players certainly enjoy these tournaments," said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.
The tournaments are the Mercedes Championships on Maui, the Sony Open on O‘ahu, the MasterCard Senior Championships on the Big Island, the Senior Skins Game on Maui, the EMC Ka‘anapali Classic on Maui and the PGA Grand Slam on Kaua‘i.
Under the agreement, first-year funding would be $1.8 million, increasing by 5 percent each year through 2005, when funding reaches nearly $2.2 million. The deal commits a $100,000 "site subsidy" for each Hawai‘i tournament and provides an additional $100,000 per tournament for marketing.
Robert Fishman, the authority’s chief executive officer, said the agreement will serve as the cornerstone to the state’s $1 billion golf industry.
"We want to continue to send the message that Hawai‘i is one of the world’s most pristine and high-quality destinations," Fishman said.
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