Intersport is bringing back its World Champions Cup golf event in December with a new golf course, new title sponsor and new energy. Founder Charlie Besser and Intersport launched the match play tournament in 2023 alongside the PGA Tour Champions with a competition pitting three 50-and-over teams against each other: U.S., International and Europe.
But following a hurricane last year in southwest Florida, organizers called off the 2024 event. This year, the tournament will have a title sponsor for the first time and move from Bradenton and the Concession Club to Feather Sound Country Club in Pinellas County.
“You’ve got to keep hanging in and hanging in and eventually the gates open,” Besser said of getting the event off the ground. “You start to move, you start to build momentum, and we are at the point where we’re starting to build really solid positive momentum.”
Skechers has signed on as the new title sponsor for the event, while Shriners Children’s is aboard as the presenting sponsor. Besser described both as multiyear deals that are into seven figures. The event also has a handful of local sponsors, and that’s a marked change from 2023, when companies like Shell and ISPS Handa were on board but not as title sponsors. Intersport sells sponsorships for the event, with assistance from the tour.
On the broadcast side, the WCC has kept its TV deals with ABC and ESPN. The opening rounds of play (Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5) will be carried on ESPN. The final round, which will be played on Sunday, Dec. 7, to avoid going head-to-head with college football, will air on ABC.
“Now that ABC and ESPN have seen it, they’re way into it,” Besser said. “They’re enhancing some elements of their coverage and they’re getting more behind it from a promotional standpoint.”
Miller Brady, the president of the PGA Tour Champions, said the success of the event hinges on player support, something that wasn’t lacking in its first year. “If the players did not buy in, this would not be successful,” he said.
Brady also noted moving the event to Pinellas County should offer an opportunity for larger crowds.
“It’s really to get closer into the corporate community and a stronger spectator fan base,” Brady said. “We’re hoping that, between the two, it builds excitement.”
