‘Bermuda Championship’ To Debut On PGA Tour
The PGA Tour will bring its first official annual event to Bermuda, adding the island to its 2019-20 schedule this October, the Bermuda Tourism Authority announced today.
The Bermuda Championship will take place at Port Royal Golf Course, October 31 to November 3, 2019, the same week as the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.
Officials from the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the official destination marketing organisation for the island, and the PGA Tour announced the tournament during a press conference today at Port Royal golf course.
“Bermuda Tourism Authority has signed a five-year agreement, through 2023, as the title sponsor of the Bermuda Championship. The tournament, with an anticipated field of 120 professionals, will carry a purse of $3 million and offer 300 FedExCup points to the champion. It will broadcast on the Golf Channel,” a spokesperson said.
“We are excited to add the Bermuda Championship to the PGA Tour beginning next season,” said Ty Votaw, President, International, PGA Tour.
“Bermuda is an appealing year-round destination, and the players will love visiting in the fall, plus we will be hosted by an outstanding golf course. It promises to be a wonderful opportunity to showcase Bermuda – a beautiful island destination that embodies genuine hospitality – to the world.”
“The Bermuda Tourism Authority is thrilled to have secured this pinnacle event in golf for Bermuda’s tourism industry and community,” said Kevin Dallas, CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority.
“We’ve had our sights set on a PGA Tour partnership because of the significant economic benefit the event itself will generate for Bermuda’s economy as well as the worldwide exposure to their audience that perfectly aligns with Bermuda’s visitor targets.”
The BTA added:
- PGA Tour audiences are 82% more likely than average to spend over $6,000 per year on foreign travel, making it more likely they can afford to travel and spend in Bermuda.
- PGA Tour audiences are 72% more likely than average to influence others in where to vacation, making it more likely that they will recommend Bermuda.
- PGA Tour television audiences grew 27% in 2018 and are more engaged in social media.
“Players, families, fans and viewers will get to see why Bermuda has been recognised as “Best Island in the Atlantic & Caribbean” by Condé Nast Traveler. Specific benefits of the partnership include:
- “Bermuda’s beauty will be the backdrop during the four days of coverage on the Golf Channel [Thursday to Sunday] in the United States. The Bermuda Championship will also receive coverage throughout the world due to the Tour’s international broadcast agreements in 226 countries and territories.
- “Television advertising on the Golf Channel and content integration during and outside of the event will be used to invite viewers to travel to the island to experience Bermuda first-hand.
- “Digital, social media, public relations, and onsite branding will further spread the Bermuda brand story.
Zane DeSilva, Minister of Tourism and Transport shared, “We are excited to welcome the PGA Tour and their professional golfers to Bermuda. While Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1970, will serve as the host course – all of Bermuda will be ready to extend our legendary hospitality to players, families and visitors alike. Port Royal hosted the Grand Slam – a specialty event for the year’s major championship winners – from 2009 until its final year, 2014.”
I guess the plp are going to try to say it was their idea lol
It us a real shame that this will be politicised as it is great, but …. zane and port royal in the same sentence? Hahaha
Cha ching another refit coming…
Nobody gonna watch this when my boy Tiger is going to be at mailbox event in China for the HSBC World Championship! No pro of any caliber will be playing in Bermuda event! Well done Zane and Kevin! Another non-event for Bermuda! We all know who will get the Port Royal contract to tighten up the course though!
Yup, that is an appropriate name for you.
Good news. However, that course is not in great shape and is by today’s standards would just be considered average. And much of the issues are just neglect. For example the driving range safety fence was torn off and resting on the ground for years after a hurricane. Cars passing by had no protection from flying balls for year. The fence was not bent or damaged. All that need to happen was someone needed to rent a lift and fix the fence with ties to the poles. A 1 day job took years. And that was with a minister as the pro teaching there . Why would anyone else care more.
They need to step up their game but I’m not sure we can afford to go thru the same upgrade drama as last time.
This is a good thing but Bermuda must demand more from the management there. We can do it but the workers and amanagement there need to step up.
The cost to the Bermudian tax payer is?
It’s a golf game for millionaires. They’d better not be wasting any money on it.
Just hope the attraction of the second tier of Professional golf will be enough to justify the BTA’s sponsorship. Nice one Zane but this wont hold a candle to the Americas Cup impact
but good luck hope in the end we can say we broke even …but then again its a plp event …probably no chance
Zane you gone and lost it, bigger then America’s cup. Well tell your voters anything..
Bermuda Dept. of Tourism bought (yes bought) the PGA Grand Slam for $1.5M + per year and had a negative ROI each year, the big names in golf were not interested in Bermuda. Port Royal will get a minor tuneup for 2019 and a very good possibility a major rework for 2020. Typical of the BTA there is no mention of the yearly cost and the expected ROI. Serious golfers in BTA target areas already know about Bermuda and a PGA event won’t bring them to the island. Without the big names the TV viewing audience is limited and on-island audience will be mostly locals just like Grand Slam was. Locals appear to be keeping golf courses profitable, can Bermuda even handle a 10% increase in visitor golfers???
How is it going to be bigger than the Americas Cup when it falls on the same weekend as the HSBC world championships? It is a second tier event and none of big name players will be playing.
It may boost tourism for the week previous but will the PGA be moving officials ir will whole support teams of hundreds of people be moving onto the island years in advance?
Will it get the same network coverage the AC did for a solid month of racing? Will it pull hundreds of visitors from places like New Zealand, France or Japan?
I’m happy for the event and think it is good for Bermuda but let’s be realistic what we compare it to!!
Port Royal is a cow pasture compared to Mid Ocean Club,and the room to put the concessions will be in a parking lot compared to Mid Ocean where it is around the 18 th green.
Anything that brings people to Bermuda, and gains exposure, is a good thing. I don’t see it myself, but I understand Golf is quite popular and Bermuda always looks good on TV. So, good stuff.
Devil is in the detail however, and I hope there’s some scrutiny on the ROI. I’m sure there will be.
Bigger than the AC? LOL.
And Port Royal itself. Assume there’s going to be a lucrative contract for someone well connected to tart it up.
Zane is a lot like Trump: liable to wacky comments lacking any sense of logic. How can he say this new tournament will be better than the Grand Slam? A field of second string players [ the world’s best will be playing in China) as opposed to the winners of that year’s four majors? And to say a second string golf tournament will be bigger than the America’s Cup is worrying, where is his sense of perspective? No doubt, according to Zane, next year’s Carifta Games will be better than the Olympic Games!
I heard Zane on the radio this morning. He (accidentally?) said that Americas Cup was great for Bermuda and this will be too!
I agree that this will be great exposure to Bermuda but I am concerned for Zane’s mental welfare!
Quite. I wonder how many of the hateful , brainwashed Kool-aide drinkers heard him say that the A/C was great for Bermuda ? ? I bet our resident plp trolls missed it completely !
Man, a lot of these comments reek of Bermuda entitlement. Oh boo hoo Tiger won’t be here. Oh boo hoo it’s only second tier PGA event. Be thankful any PGA player wants to come her to ‘your’ island. I plan to attend and enjoy and hopefully volunteer (as long as I don’t need a work permit). Be thankful.
If the greens are good, the event will draw some decent players. If the players make the trip, but can’t make putts, they’ll just take the week off instead.
What a bunch of haters!! Political/ personal opinions aside, ANY event that attracts professional athletes to Bermuda is a good thing, and the tv exposure WILL attract more tourists, that’s a fact.
Whether or not you like/care about golf, this is an investment in the tourism industry and the future…I’m sure all the hotels+restaurants will appreciate the business..
Indeed they will. Looking forward to the ROI analysis.
Did you have that same opinion about the AC?
PLP one upping OBA by giving away millions for a golf game for millionairs
Why don’t you nay sayers give it a rest. Who cares whose idea it was. PH Horgan has been trying to introduce this event for years. The timing now, is right.
The ROI will be massive. You have to think the revenue this generates behind the scenes:
1. Heads in beds
2. Transportation
3. Duty for imports
4. Security
5. Vendors which means additional staff.
6. Set up crews to help TV coverage
7. Restaurants
The list goes on. Not too mention the coverage on the Golf Channel.
I can guarantee this will have a positive effect on golf tourism but tourism all around. You many not have people that will travel specifically to see this event but you will see an increase in special events, such as Goodwill, Pompano Couples, Par 3 World Championship etc.
Congrats to Bermuda. I am confident the Port Royal Team and members will make this event a quality event.
Well said Alex.