For a second consecutive year, officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial were honored for having the best marketing plan among tournaments on the 2010 PGA Tour.
The award was announced today by tour officials, who praised Fort Worth’s annual event for creative marketing moves that included a “Pink Out” during the third round to raise awareness for breast cancer research and its new Hogan Club at 18, a venue that provided an upgraded skybox experience for fans at the 18th hole.
With final numbers pending, Colonial is expected to approach $6 million in charitable donations for the 2010 tournament, topping the $5.1 mark generated in 2009 and ranking second to the tournament-record $6.6 million total from 2008.
Peter Ripa, Colonial tournament director, said tournament officials were “thrilled” to be recognized for a second consecutive year, especially in a sluggish economy.
“We had to be creative and nimble,” Ripa said. “We had to have a message out there that created value in the community and made sense … during a challenging economic climate.”
PGA Tour officials base the award on a tournament’s marketing plan and implementation in terms of how it impacted ticket sales, hospitality and sponsorship sales.
Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s EVP and chief of operations, said Colonial officials did “an outstanding job” and tournament committee members “should be extremely proud for being acknowledged as the best among its peers on tour.”
Dates for the 2011 Colonial will be May 19-22 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. Zach Johnson as the defending champion.
_ Jimmy Burch
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