PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The Honda Classic will be getting a new name after next year's tournament.
Andrew George, executive director of the PGA Tour event, told WPTV on Thursday that the Palm Beach Gardens-based tournament would lose its longtime sponsorship with Honda after next year's contest.
"We're so appreciative of American Honda's 42 years of title sponsorship of the Honda Classic," George told WPTV in a statement. "Their unwavering support has helped us raise over $60 million to local children's charities and has given us the ability to grow our on-site attendance to over 200,000 patrons annually. Our entire community sends them a huge thank you."
RELATED: Storied history of Honda Classic in South Florida
It is the longest-running uninterrupted title sponsorship deal on the PGA Tour, having retained the Honda name since 1982.
Founded in 1972 as Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic, the tournament moved from Broward County to Palm Beach County in 2003 and has been played at PGA National Resort & Spa since 2007.
"Everything will remain the same for our 2023 event as we pay tribute to Honda one last time," George said. "We are also getting right to work on solidifying a new sponsor for 2024 and beyond. We have a lot of great momentum, from the Palm Beach County market to our growing charitable impact through the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, led by Jack and Barbara."
Honda released the following statement about the tournament:
"Honda has made the difficult decision to conclude our more than 40-year sponsorship of the Honda Classic, filled with deep gratitude to the South Florida community that has hosted our tournament, the volunteers who have made it a success, the loyal fans who added so much energy to the event and the community organizations we have been so honored to support.
We are proud of the work we have done over the past four decades to contribute to the health and wellness of children in South Florida and beyond, enabling Children’s Healthcare Charity to raise more than $60 million in charitable contributions that go directly to organizations including the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which we were able to help start in partnership with our friends, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus.
When Honda became title sponsor of the Honda Classic, the company was preparing to make the popular Accord in the United States for the first time. At that time Honda aspired to become a household name, and has since achieved that goal. Accordingly, the role of the Honda Classic in our marketing strategy has evolved, and we have decided to conclude our sponsorship of the event.
Honda remains committed to its role in supporting communities across America through a new vision for corporate social responsibility (CSR) announced in November 2021, that creates more focused funding opportunities for community organizations aligned primarily around five key pillars: Education, Environment, Mobility, Traffic Safety and Community. You can read more about this strategy here.
We also value our relationship as a marketing partner to the PGA TOUR over the past 42 years and the opportunities this has provided to Honda. Now, as our marketing mix has evolved, Honda is focused on other tools to introduce our brand to consumers and to create the kind of customer experience that will contribute to their lifetime owner loyalty."
The final Honda Classic will take place Feb. 23-26, 2023.