Players Championship inks last-minute sponsorship with Optum

PGA Tour

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In a deal inked just ahead of this week’s Players Championship, Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group, signed on as the tournament’s latest “Proud Partner.”

Ty Votaw, the Tour’s chief marketing officer, said that the two parties had been in conversations for a period of time and the deal was finalized just days before the tournament began, leaving tournament organizers to scramble to change signage at the course. In what may be a first for a major sponsorship announcement, the Tour didn’t issue a press release.

“Because it came together so late they may not be doing as much of the hospitality functions as they will do over time,” Votaw said of the 11th-hour…