The old Los Angeles Open, which has been known for the last decade as the Northern Trust Open, will have a new name in 2017.
New title sponsor, Hyundai Motors, which has its American base in Orange County, Calif., has chosen to showcase its new luxury brand (and also the name of a current sedan), Genesis, in the name of the championship. Going forward, the tournament will be called the Genesis Open, according to Sports Business Journal.
Both Northern Trust and Hyundai shifted their title sponsorship dollars from one PGA Tour event in 2016 to another in 2017.
Northern Trust swapped out the stop at Riviera Country Club for what's currently known as The Barclays and played in the New York metropolitan area. The first FedEx Cup playoff event will be known as The Northern Trust start next season.
Meanwhile, Hyundai ended its sublet of Seoul Broadcasting Systems' (SBS) term as the title sponsor of the calendar-starting winners-only event at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii. The PGA Tour is yet to announce a replacement title sponsor for Hyundai.
The PGA Tour also announced that the Tiger Woods Foundation will take over running the tournament and become the primary beneficiary of the charitable proceeds. Tiger Woods will effectively become host of the event and, when healthy, compete in it.
