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Wyndham Worldwide Franchise Extends Title Sponsorship through 2012

By: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts |  1 Shares     110 Reads

Wyndham Championship will continue as final tournament of Regular Season

August 17, 2010 // Franchising.com // GREENSBORO, NC — The PGA TOUR, the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) today announced a two-year title sponsorship extension for the Wyndham Championship, through 2012.

Wyndham Worldwide's original four-year agreement was through this week's tournament at Sedgefield Country Club. The first year of Wyndham Worldwide's title sponsorship coincided with the debut of the FedExCup in 2007. The Wyndham Championship has played a pivotal role in the FedExCup as the final tournament of the Regular Season, determining the final seedings for the PGA TOUR Playoffs.

"The Wyndham Championship has generated significant drama and considerable coverage as the final Regular Season tournament by finalizing the starting field for the Playoffs, particularly since the Playoffs were trimmed last year from a starting field of 144 players to 125," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "Beyond the importance of the tournament and its long history with the PGA TOUR, Wyndham Worldwide has been a terrific partner of the PGA TOUR and the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation, and we are delighted that this partnership has been extended through 2012."

The Wyndham Championship is one of the longest-standing tournaments on the PGA TOUR, dating back to 1938. World Golf Hall of Fame member Sam Snead won the inaugural event, the first of his record eight titles in Greensboro with the last coming in 1965, just two months shy of his 53rd birthday. In honor of Snead, the Wyndham Championship winner receives the Sam Snead Cup.

"We are thrilled to extend our commitment to this historic tournament and to continue our partnership with the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation and PGA TOUR," said Stephen P. Holmes, Wyndham Worldwide chairman and chief executive officer. "We're particularly pleased to continue our extremely rewarding relationship with Victory Junction as the official charity of the Wyndham Championship. As committed as we are to serving our guests, we're equally committed to supporting the communities in which we live, work and play."

Victory Junction is a year–round camping facility that serves children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses by providing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering in a safe and medically sound environment. The Camp was opened in 2004 by Pattie and Kyle Petty in honor of their late son Adam.

"Extending our sponsorship with Wyndham is wonderful news for the entire Piedmont Triad," Bobby Long, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Board, said. "Our relationship with Wyndham is more than a title sponsorship, it's a friendship. Their staff shares our vision of what we want for our PGA TOUR event. We all want our tournament to achieve an unparalleled level of excellence, and extending our relationship with Wyndham is a big step in that process. We are grateful for their continued support and look forward to continuing our work together."

From a business standpoint, the Wyndham Championship has provided Wyndham Worldwide with a valuable platform to reach business and leisure travelers throughout the world. The company has activated around the tournament with various marketing and advertising campaigns since the inaugural year of its sponsorship.

In regard to being the final Regular Season event, last year's Wyndham Championship saw five players move into the top 125 based on their performance at Sedgefield Country Club, with co-runner-up Kevin Stadler making the biggest jump, from 133rd to 76th. Ryan Moore, who won a three-way playoff, went from 76th to 22nd in the standings. Entering the tournament, players outside the top 96 in the FedExCup standings were not assured a spot in the Playoffs and a number of these players entered the Wyndham Championship to secure their place in the Playoffs and to improve their seeding.

"We look forward to another great week at Sedgefield Country Club," Holmes said. "The Wyndham Championship is positioned at a pivotal point on the schedule, providing players with a final opportunity to qualify for the Playoffs. This week, we have nearly all players ranked 110 through 150 in points, while several of the top 30 points leaders are playing with a chance to improve their seeding."

In 2008, the Wyndham Championship returned to Sedgefield Country Club, one of the two original host courses for the tournament. It last was held there in 1976, when Al Geiberger defeated Lee Trevino by two strokes, before moving to and remaining at Forest Oaks Country Club through 2007.

About Wyndham Worldwide Corporation

As one of the world's largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide offers individual consumers and business-to-business customers a broad suite of hospitality products and services across various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of world-renowned brands. Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses approximately 7,090 franchised hotels and approximately 593,300 hotel rooms worldwide. Wyndham Exchange and Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8 million members, access to over 65,000 vacation properties located in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its network of over 155 vacation ownership resorts serving over 820,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs approximately 25,000 employees globally.

About PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour. The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in 12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 225 countries and 30 languages.

Virtually all tournaments are organized as nonprofit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours generated $108 million for local charitable organizations. The TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions is approaching $1.5 billion.

The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

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