Viking, a kitchen appliance manufacturer, has announced it will not be renewing its partnership with the golf competition, which is held every July. Randy Watkins told The Associated Press that he hopes to have a title sponsor or a consortium of sponsors signed up within the next two weeks and he added that he has an agreement with the PGA Tour to play in Madison for the next three years if financial backing can be secured.
The event runs in parallel with The Open in Great Britain, meaning a title sponsor of the Mississippi event would pay less than US$1 million per tournament. “My phone rang all day yesterday and I've been in meetings all day today,” Watkins said on Monday. “I think we'll be fine, though I have nothing to announce at the moment. We've sure got a lot of interest from folks new and folks who have been helping for a while.”
He added: “It's been a whirlwind. I didn't expect Sunday to be quite so active. But folks really have an interest in this tournament. Mississippians love Mississippi. They want to be involved in something that makes a difference.” According to Watkins, the 44-year-old tournament has raised $7.3 million for charities since it relocated from Hattiesburg to Madison in 1994.
