What’s so unique about the Zurich Classic? Yes, it’s the team event on the PGA TOUR, but it also comes with a philanthropic side. While the fans are waiting for Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry to tee off to defend their title, there have already been some eyebrow-raising updates about the tournament.
Ahead of the first round of the Zurich Classic, Steve Worthy, the CEO of Fore! Kids Foundation and tournament director, Kristof Terryn, CEO of Zurich North America, Jay Monahan, and Billy Horschel joined the press conference to discuss this plan. Terryn revealed that Zurich Insurance, the Fore! Kids Foundation and the PGA TOUR have agreed to a multi-year extension of Zurich’s title sponsorship for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
He said, “We have some exciting news to share today. We’re actually announcing that we are going to extend our title sponsorship of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans through 2030, so January 1, ’27, through the end of 2030. We are very, very excited about this.” To Terryn’s point, Monahan added, “For Zurich to be committed to this event for 20 years — at the back end of this, we’ll celebrate our 25th anniversary, and to see the way that they have rallied their company and all their partners behind this great event has been really extraordinary to see. The impact it’s had on the Zurich brand and the Zurich business is something that we are really, really proud of.”
Speaking of impact, since Zurich became the title sponsor, the tournament has raised more than $30 million for charitable organizations. It includes organizations like St. Michael Special School and Blessings in a Backpack, which saw a $3.3 million raise in 2024. This year, Zurich helped the First Tee with an additional $25,000. Later, Zurich Golf Ambassador Billy Horschel was asked about the event’s reputation and his perspective from the locker room.
He talked about it, saying, “I think from the Fore! Kids Foundation side, from the Zurich side, everyone who’s involved in this event, they treat everyone tremendously well.” Although PGA Tour pros get to go to a lot of different places, the Zurich remains unique. Diving into the details, he also added, “This one, I think it’s over the top because I think it’s that Cajun culture. They want you to come in, experience their city, their food, their lifestyle. They want you to be a part of it and they welcome you with open arms.”
Apr 15, 2021; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Billy Horschel tees off on the ninth hole during the first round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, and over these years, the tournament has seen its share of ups and downs. Take May 2005, for example, when Zurich assumed the membership. At that time, a major flood destroyed more than 2,000 trees. A few months after that, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August.
Despite that, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was the first major sporting event to pledge its return in 2006. Since then, Zurich’s executives and employees have worked closely with the local community and supported the Fore! Kids Foundation’s charitable initiatives. It’s certainly great news from Jay Monahan and it’s team, but that’s not only the plans they have on the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour is looking for overall development in the 2025 season
Last year was like a rollercoaster ride for the PGA Tour. They witnessed around 20% decline in viewership. However, on the brighter side, the tour also saw a 30% increase in the strength of the field. “We saw a 30 per cent increase in strength of field at our full-field events, and we saw players in many cases playing more events because of the competitive structure that we have in place,” said Jay Monahan. Keeping things like these in account, Monahan dived into the depths of what they are planning for this season.
First, to solve the viewership issue, the tour focuses on modernized broadcasting. In this, the league focuses primarily on TV in the hope of attracting fans from different corners of the world, calling it the “World feed.” To do this, the tournament will be broadcast in multiple languages so that the language barrier doesn’t become an issue while watching the tournament.
Aside from that alignment of the players also becomes a key role. So the overall schedule of this season will now also see how it aligns with pros, as per Jay Monahan. The Player Advisory Council is taking care of this job while talking to them about their timings and everything. Is it time for the PGA Tour to witness an overall ultimate upgrade? Only time will tell.
What do you think about these developments and plans by Jay Monahan? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
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