Hyundai will be the new title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s longstanding tournament at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
Hyundai, which has its U.S. headquarters in Fountain Valley, will be shifting its previous sponsorship from the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii to what currently is the Northern Trust Open, set this year for Feb. 18-21.
“Considering that Hyundai Motor America is headquartered and heavily invested in the greater Los Angeles area, this is a perfect fit for Hyundai’s long-term vision and goals as a tournament sponsor,” said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. “We are very excited to continue our relationship with Hyundai and look forward to helping with the transition to Riviera Country Club for 2017.”
An important aspect of Hyundai’s sponsorship of the Tournament of Champions has been its charitable work through Hyundai Hope On Wheels, a nonprofit organization committed to helping kids fight cancer. More than $550,000 has been donated to the Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children through the event in Maui. Beginning in 2017, Hyundai Hope On Wheels will be integrated into the charitable activities of the tournament at Riviera.
Northern Trust became the title sponsor of the event in 2008 and increased the purse by $1 million in its first year. In 2015, more than $2 million was given to nonprofit organizations in the greater Los Angeles area to raise total contributions since Northern Trust became involved to $11.7 million.
“I would be remiss not to acknowledge the tremendous work Northern Trust has done to help reinvigorate the tournament,” Finchem said. “We are excited about the upcoming changes for 2017 as we welcome Hyundai in Los Angeles.”
