Come March, the PGA Tour's World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in the Texas capital may be played for the final time.
According to Golfweek, the PGA Tour and Austin Country Club officials are at an impasse in extension negotiations and have not been moving talks in earnest since August.
"I don’t think it’s dead,” a source told the Austin American-Statesman. “But I think it’s on a breathing machine. It’s probably done at this point."
In August, Dell wanted Intel as a partner, to serve as the presenting sponsor and the chipmaker was reportedly ready to sign for five years for between $5 million to $8 million per year. The Tour, "perhaps knowing that its schedule must evolve to counter the attack of LIV Golf ... would only commit to one year," according to Golfweek.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, ACC, which received a nearly $2 million site fee in 2022, initially never put to vote the Tour's offer of an annual paycheck of $3 million and two free tickets for the club's 650 members. ACC countered and the Tour hit the pause button. Golfweek reports that "according to one source, ACC came to its senses and tried to re-engage, but the Tour went 'radio silent; for four months. Two weeks ago, ACC sent the Tour an unsolicited proposal agreeing to the Tour’s original terms and to extend the deal by an additional two years."
The tournament is scheduled for March 22-26.
The Tour, according to Austin American-Statesman, has already informed its on-site employees that their jobs could change in April.
Jason Day won his second Match Play title when Dell became the official sponsor in the tournament's Austin debut in 2016, and future winners included Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Kevin Kisner, Billy Horschel and University of Texas alum Scottie Scheffler. Kisner won in 2019 and was also the runner-up in 2018 and 2022. The event was canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020.
