The PGA Tour event held at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas, has a new name and a temporary set of savior sponsors.
The tournament will be renamed the Ft. Worth Invitational and will be supported financially by American Airlines, AT&T, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and XTO Energy Inc., who contributed $2 million each to keep the event on the calendar this season. The tournament dates remain May 24-27.
“We are thrilled, and think it very appropriate, that this year’s tournament will be named the Fort Worth Invitational,” Colonial president Rob Doby said in a release. “The City of Fort Worth, the business community and our fans have played a huge role over many decades in making this event what it is today. It is as much their tournament as it is the members of Colonial Country Club.”
Of course, this is a one-time deal, not a permanent solution. The problem came about when grocer Dean & DeLuca bowed out as sponsor after two years into a multi-year deal, seemingly with no financial consequence. Will another company step up and become the long-term title sponsor, or is this going to become an song and dance for several years running?
The other question that will likely answer that question is where Colonial lands on the revised PGA Tour schedule beyond this season. With The Players moving back to March and the PGA Championship going to May, Colonial and the Byron Nelson have an uncertain place of the schedule in May. We don't know if they'll remain paired for convenience of staying in Dallas and Ft. Worth in consecutive weeks. As we learn more about the future schedule, we'll have a better idea of the future prospects at Colonial.
