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In the 1970s, the names Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Danny Thomas, Jackie Gleason and Sammy Davis Jr. were as recognizable to golf fans as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby — and it had nothing to do with their respective acts or talents. They were show biz superstars who all lent their names — and often their money — to help promote a PGA Tour that was far less popular — and awash in money — than today. It was before the combination of big network TV money, and big corporate sponsors, allowed for enormous purses and the creation of a special subset of jet-setting millionaires, a time when the game seemed smaller and more intimate. Bing Crosby was the first celebrity to have his name officially attached to a tournament: the Bing Crosby Professional Amateur, in 1937. Crosby’s name would stay attached until 1985, when the event became the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. But vestiges of Crosby’s involvement remain, as that event, along with the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (which Hope joined in 1964) remain the two most celebrity-intensive events on tour. But Southern California’s two other venerable events — the Nissan Open and the Buick Invitational — flirted with celebrity involvement for years before big TV contracts and corporate sponsors rendered Hollywood’s involvement non-essential. Singer Glen Campbell hosted the Los Angeles Open from 1971 to 1983, and contemporary Andy Williams hosted the San Diego Open from 1968 to 1982. Both lent their names and fame to events that, at the time, needed novel marketing twists. “At the time, a lot of tournament host organizations were trying to gather excitement and energy in their communities and being in [Southern California] there was an obvious relationship with celebrities and stars,” said Tom Wilson, tournament director for the Buick Invitational. “And many times celebrities put their own money into it and brought out some of their buddies to play. But as the Tour grew in both purses and money for charity dollars, it just became so expensive” that celebrity connections were unrealistic. Said Nissan Open Tournament Director Tom Pulchinski: “Once television and corporate sponsors started driving the growth of the game, celebrity-sponsored events faded away.” Celebrities still play some of the pro-ams, and are an obvious presence at Pebble Beach and in Palm Desert, but the intense competition, lucrative purses, and growing business of golf has made a once-integral part of the game more of an afterthought these days. SG |
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