Tiger Woods' PGA Tour signature event in Washington, D.C. is in trouble, The Guardian says, because Quicken Loans failed to extend its agreement as title sponsor of his tournament.
It would be a giant tumble for Woods, who has not played in a PGA Tour event since February because of surgery, after his stumble of being arrested under the influence of prescription medications.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Jay Monahan, the PGA commissioner, said that the tour wanted to keep an event in the Washington area, but it was maintaining "flexibility" before committing to events in 2018 and afterward.
Questions about the event arose when the PGA released its 2017-18 schedule this week with "to be announced" listed during the June 25-July 1 date the Quicken Loans National had been slated in the past, the Post stated.
"We are in discussions with Quicken about extending our partnership," Monahan said, according to The Guardian. "As we sit here today we have not concluded those discussions. We are in a position where we have got to put forward the schedule and that's why we've put 'The National' on the brand."
"We need to conclude those discussions with Quicken but you also need to maintain your flexibility because whether or not Quicken steps up, we need to have all of our options in the event that a sponsor is looking in a different direction or we are going to take the tournament in a different direction," Monahan continued.
Woods' longtime manager Mark Steinberg said that resolving questions around the event is "one of our highest priorities," The Guardian noted.
"The event, at this point, is not going away," Steinberg said, according to The Guardian. "I want to be clear about that. We are looking for a title sponsor in the D.C. area. Where that event would be played is still up in the air. We have to work on the economics and finances. We're actively looking and we have a number of good leads and sponsors and are talking to them daily."
The tournament has been a fundraiser for the Tigers Woods Foundation in the past, The Washington Post said.
But Woods' star has continued to fall this year. CNN reported last month that the former No. 1 golfer in the world entered a DUI first-offenders program in Florida after he was arrested in May on suspicion of driving under the influence in Palm Beach County.
He is scheduled to return to court Oct. 25, where he is expected to plead to a lesser charge of reckless driving upon completion of the program, CNN noted.
Police found Woods asleep in his 2015 Mercedes-Benz on the side of the road with the car running, brake lights illuminated and right turn signal flashing on May 29, CNN stated.
After the arrest, Woods released a statement saying he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications" he was taking for back pain and a sleep disorder, CNN wrote.
A Palm Beach County toxicology report said Woods had traces of THC, the main chemical compound in marijuana, in his system along with hydrocodone (painkiller, generic form of Vicodin), hydromorphone (powerful painkiller known as Dilaudid), alprazolam (Xanax), and zolpidem (sleeping pill also known as Ambien), TMZ reported.
Woods, 41, has undergone multiple back surgeries and has not played competitive golf since he was forced to pull out of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, CNN noted. He underwent fusion surgery on his back earlier this year, his fourth operation since 2014.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.