The last season of the Honda Classic In 1972, the first edition of the Jack Gleason’s Inverrary Classic was held on the East Course of the Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill. In 1981, the American Motors Corporation took over from Jack Gleason as title sponsor.
The following year instead marked the arrival of Honda, and the birth of the Honda Inverrary Classic. From 1972 to 2007 the host club changed several times, until it landed at its current location, the Champion Course at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach.
Also in 2007, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation became the main beneficiary of the charity activities linked to the tournament. Now, as reported by GolfWeek, the Japanese carmaker, after forty-two uninterrupted years of sponsorship, which make Honda the longest-serving partner of the PGA Tour, has decided that the 2023 edition will mark the end of the collaboration.
From 23 to 26 February next year we will see the last Honda Classic. The Minato company has issued a statement in which it claims to have achieved the goal of becoming a family brand for the American market and that the end of sponsorship is linked to the evolution of its marketing strategy.
Honda Classic, statements
“Now, as our marketing mix has evolved, Honda is focusing on other tools to introduce the brand to consumers and to create the kind of consumer experience that will contribute to their loyalty.”
Andrew George, tournament director, said: “We are extremely grateful for these 42 years of title sponsorship” “You can see the impact it has had” “More than $ 60 million in donations and the constant increase in the audience, which this year has reached two hundred thousand units” “We are working to consolidate our position for 2024, we have no intention of presenting ourselves without a title”
I have my own idea. Certainly, 2023 will mark the end of Honda’s link with the PGA Tour. But I am convinced that it will not be the last time that we will see the Japanese brand linked to the world of professional golf.
