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Director faces financial dilemma

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 18, 2001

There was not a cloud in the sky Sunday. Gerald Goodman couldn't help but think about how perfect it would have been for the final round of his golf tournament.

Instead, the Tampa Bay Classic tournament director was at work in his office at the Westin Innisbrook Resort, trying to put the pieces together for an event that never occurred.

And the circumstances that surrounded the tournament's cancellation have made for some trying times. The phone started ringing Thursday morning, the scheduled opening day of the tournament: spectators wondered about refunds, sponsors inquired about their financial involvement and whether the tournament would be able to make good.

"Right now, I'm trying to break everything down, get it off just as if we had played," Goodman said Monday. "I'm trying to give myself a week or two so I can tell my sponsors about '02. Hopefully it will be good news."

Goodman is hoping the PGA Tour may give the tournament some financial assistance. Chris Smith, a PGA Tour spokesman, said the tour is "working with Gerald and his board to develop a financial plan."

The Tampa Bay Classic is owned by Suncoast Golf Classic Inc., a non-profit organization that gives all of its proceeds to charity.

When terrorists attacked New York and Washington, the Tampa Bay Classic events were underway.

Two pro-ams had been played. Bleachers, scoreboards, luxury boxes had been assembled. The course had been rented.

"All the infrastructure was in place," Goodman said. "From that standpoint, if we had to pay back every single dollar ... the tournament would take a pretty substantial loss. And we don't have the reserves that other tournaments have."

Goodman has an operating budget of about $700,000 to $1-million, almost all of it raised from the pro-ams that preceed the event. For example, the Wednesday pro-am costs $4,000 per amateur player, with nearly $700,000 raised from that alone. None of the money was refunded. The purse, which was to be $2.5-million, would have been taken care of by a sponsor.

Other companies signed on for less, but ended up getting nothing out of the tournament. For example, a luxury box might have cost $25,000. Although it was never used, all of the expenses were still incurred by the tournament.

"If I'm sitting in their shoes, I would want a little bit of good news," Goodman said.

Goodman's dilemma: while he is unable to refund every company's sponsorship dollars, he knows he'll need their help for the 2002 tournament and beyond.

"How can I go back and sell (next year) if I take all their money?" Goodman said.

That is where he hopes the tour comes to his aid.

In the meantime, the tournament is giving ticket refunds with a receipt. Those who bought a ticket through one of the tournament charities -- American Lung Association, Rotary Clubs, Hospice, Junior Achievement and Shriners -- must seek a refund from them. For information, call (727) 942-5566.

Ryder might switch

With the Ryder Cup postponed until next September, the PGA of America met to figure out the future of the matches. Its chief executive said moving to even-numbered years would be the "cleanest" solution.

"We want a highly competitive match, and we'll have that again," Jim Awtrey said.

Awtrey and PGA Tour officials were concerned that postponing the Ryder Cup, originally scheduled for Sept. 28-30 in England, would lead to a glut of team competitions in a short period.

The Presidents Cup is scheduled for Nov. 7-10, 2002, and the Ryder Cup was to return to the United States in 2003.

PGA Tour spokesman Bob Combs said an announcement is expected within a few days.

- Information from Times wires was used in this report.

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