Golfers making big bucks off endorsement deals

By Douglas Sams
doug.sams@gwinnettdailypost.com

The Associated Press
Golfers Phil Mickelson, top, and Tiger Woods, above, each have lucrative endorsement deals due to the exposure they get at tournaments.

DULUTH
When Phil Mickelson makes his final putt in next week’s BellSouth Classic, it could be worth $810,000.
But even if one of the tournament’s marquee players fails to capture the winner’s share of the BellSouth purse, Mickelson can still pull in millions off the greens. That’s because Ford Motor Co. recently signed Mickelson to an endorsement deal, hoping to cash in on the 32-year-old lefty, who has 22 PGA wins.
How much is the deal worth?
Ford Motor Co. did not return calls, but experts say the  automaker is probably paying Mickelson in the seven figures. And he is not alone in making big bucks pushing products.
Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 player and most marketable athlete, endorses General Motors’ Buick. Golfers in the BellSouth field have million-dollar-plus endorsement deals, including David Toms, who pitches Microsoft and Tommy Hilfiger.
Tony Lachowetz, a Georgia Southern University sports management professor, said companies recognize the No. 1 advantage of landing PGA players as spokesmen — constant exposure.
In team sports such as football and basketball, the camera follows the entire game. In golf, it focuses on one player, probably wearing the company logo on his shirt, his hat or both. If he happens to be playing the tournament of his life, even better. The company is getting a whole lot of bang for its buck.
“What better commercial can you ask for than watching the player endorsing your product hitting a tee shot that lands two feet from the cup?” Lachowetz said. 
The link between sports and marketing goes back to the glory days of baseball in the ’50s, when Anheuser-Busch Inc. bought the St. Louis Cardinals. 
“The very reason they did it was that they believed they would sell more beer,” Lachowetz said.
It works much the same today, though companies signing PGA spokesmen can target a much smaller, wealthier demographic than baseball. Watch any golf tournament and you will no doubt see luxury automakers, insurance companies and airlines offering their products and services to the affluent golf fan.
Some experts say the PGA golfer could be more attractive to corporations than athletes from other sports.
Dave Parker, whose firm, Links Sports, represents 33 PGA players worldwide, said company leadership generally feels a kinship with golfers they may not with athletes from other sports. An executive may jump at the chance to play a few rounds of golf with Parker’s clients, including Kenny Perry, who pitches Tabasco, or Chad Campbell, who endorses Sharpie. That same executive can’t suit up for an NFL practice.
“Golfers are doing more corporate endorsements than players from team sports,” Parker said. “These executives feel like they have a real relationship with the PGA guys.”