For more than a year, tournament director Bryan Naugle desperately searched for a sponsor for the Utah Showdown golf tournament. The 17-year-old tourney appeared to be on its deathbed in September before receiving a last-minute reprieve from the Senior PGA Tour.
However, by late January, rumors surfaced again that the tournament was on the verge of being canceled. When Naugle sat down last month with officials from Novell, the Provo-based software company, he was just hoping "to get 1999 paid for."Imagine Naugle's surprise and joy when Novell, in a matter of hours, made the long-term commitment he had been searching for and signed on for four years.
The tournament, scheduled for July 30-Aug. 1 at Park Meadows Country Club, will be called the Novell Utah Showdown. The purse will be $1.2 million, up from $1 million last year, and will increase $100,000 every year until it reaches $1.5 million in 2002.
The deal came together quickly, about three weeks ago when Novell vice president John Slitz met with Naugle, who became tournament director last year after several years as a Senior Tour official. The announcement was made Monday at a press conference that included Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, Senior Tour stars Dave Stockton and Bruce Summerhays and ESPN's Jim Kelly.
"Novell is proud to become a part of the Senior PGA Tour family and to be the title sponsor of Utah's premier golf event," said Slitz. "This is a great day for Novell. It's not often when all the stars align where you can do something great for your company as well as your state."
"This is not a Band-Aid," said Naugle. "They are committed. The amount of money is significant and makes the tournament viable for a long time."
Novell has been involved in golf in Utah in a lesser capacity for many years. It used to be one of the sponsors of the Nike Classic when it was held in Provo and was also the main sponsor of the Provo Open for a few years. The company's recent economic upturn made it possible for Novell to make the four-year commitment to the Senior tourney.
Stockton, a two-time Showdown winner and local favorite Summerhays were both on hand for the announcement after flying all the way from a Senior event in Florida.
"I can't say enough about having the tournament stay in Utah," said Summerhays, who lives in Heber. "I was getting bummed out that there wouldn't be a tournament in Utah. So I'm jumping up and down that Novell has decided to make a four-year commitment."
"I'm tickled to death," added Stockton. "You have a very special place here. When (Senior golfers) come here, they never stop coming back."
Leavitt said having the Senior tournament in Utah is important economically to the state and brings a "big time atmosphere" to Utah. "I look forward to this being a lasting event in Utah," he said.
Naugle believes the field for this year's tourney will be one of the best ever. Players such as Stockton, Summerhays and defending champion Gil Morgan will all be on hand, while players such as Hale Irwin, Raymond Floyd and Jim Colbert, are good possibilities to come, according to Naugle.
The three-day tournament will also be televised live by ESPN-TV.