It used to be The Hope. Since then, it's been The Lopez, The Palmer (for one year) and The Clinton. Now, the CareerBuilder Challenge will be The Lefty.
Phil Mickelson was announced Wednesday as the new ambassador for the PGA Tour stop in the California desert, taking over for former President Bill Clinton, whose formal relationship with the tournament through his Clinton Foundation has come to an end.
“I’m very excited to undertake the role of tournament ambassador and look forward to doing what I can to help with the continued growth of the CareerBuilder Challenge,” Mickelson said in a release. “Our family loves the area and we have a home in Coachella Valley, so this is a natural fit for me.”
During the Clinton Foundation's involvement with the tournament, the foundation convened a pre-tournament health conference. That will be replaced starting in 2018 with a labor market and job skills conference, fitting in with title sponsor CareerBuilder's business.
As for Mickelson, his formal role as ambassador isn't entirely clear. However, he will promote the tournament, appear in it and participate in a number of tournament functions during championship week.
The CareerBuilder Challenge is typically slotted as the third PGA Tour event in a calendar year, serving as the first event on the U.S. mainland after the Tour spends two weeks in Hawaii.
