According to the sources, it has been identified that Honda, who is the longest-running title sponsor on the PGA Tour, has ended its deal with the Tour. The ongoing deal of the Japanese automaker will end after the 2023 Honda Classic in february and they won’t extend their business with the Tour. 

A golfer at the Honda Classic

There lies a long history of the automaker company with the tour as when founded in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason’s Inverrary Classic , it has been sponsored by Honda since 1982. The tournament had been played at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, since 2007. 

There is no such update on the new sponsors but the tournament will likely continue until a new sponsor is found. The team is working on finding new sponsors though. The step has been taken by Honda at a very crucial moment, as the landscape of the PGA Tour schedule is on move.

Andrew George, the director of the tournament applauded Honda for their contribution in the growth of the tournament since 42 years of their sponsorship.

Andrew George

The Honda Classic is being weakened by its position on the schedule which once had a strong impact on the courses and it has been seen straight away following the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles which will begin in february 2023 just after the WM Phoenix Open in January 2023 with a larger purse amount and on the elite TPC Scottsdale field. The tour takes on to Riviera Country Club in the US and then around the country to the Honda at the PGA National Resort. The queue is followed by the popular Arnold Palmer Invitational which is the week after the Honda and then follows the Players Championship.

This year only 12 players of the Top-50 in the World Rankings are competing which was even as low as 5 in 2021. The tournament’s $8.4 million purse is among the lowest of any PGA Tour events played in the U.S.

“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 said in a statement. “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.”