General Motors is to restart its sponsorship of professional golf after severing its ties with the sport during its 2009 financial crisis.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Luxury brand Cadillac will sponsor the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa near Miami in March 2011, the first in what is expected to be several professional golf tournaments that the brand will sponsor.

Marketing chief Don Butler and PGA tour commissioner Tim Finchem told a news conference that Cadillac and the golf event are tied contractually until at least 2016, and that they expect the relationship to last beyond that.

Cadillac will be the flag bearer for GM when it comes to golf, taking over from Buick which will focus more on culinary and travel events.

Butler said: “The reason we (sponsor golf) ultimately is to sell cars. We reach the right audience. We reach it in the right way.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Finchem said that the PGA is now in “preliminary” talks with Cadillac about returning to Michigan, at an event near or in Detroit. He said it was too early to say if such an event could happen as soon as the 2012 tour.

GM ended its sponsorship of two major Professional Golf Association tournaments, the Buick Invitational in California and the Buick Open in Michigan, in August 2009.

GM and Buick also dropped Tiger Woods as a pitchman in a cost-cutting move in November 2008.