Procore Championship Highlights PGA TOUR’s Year-Round Value
Published on
by Jack Milko
September's Procore Championship marked the fifth PGA TOUR event that SPORTFIVE facilitated during the 2025 calendar year. Every part of the agency, from Operations to Digital, all played a crucial role in helping the PGA TOUR stage this tournament in Northern California.
In this Insight:
To outsiders, a PGA TOUR event only lasts for four short days as competitive rounds take place from Thursday through Sunday. But for those on the inside, operating and facilitating a professional golf tournament is a year-round production. Nobody knows that better than SPORTFIVE, who helps the PGA TOUR manage five events on the calendar.
One of those tournaments happens to be the Procore Championship, which is held annually in the Napa Valley region of Northern California. This 144-player event kicks off the FedEx Fall portion of the PGA TOUR season and often features a handful of household players. SPORTFIVE works with the PGA TOUR and Impact Through Golf Foundation Napa Valley to facilitate this event.
It’s also where the “Golf Life Meets the Good Life,” a slogan that alludes to the beautiful wine country that makes this part of the world so famous. Few combinations are better than tasting premium wine and watching the world’s best golfers play, which is what SPORTFIVE’s ticketing and marketing teams lean on when selling tickets.
Year-Round Campaigns
SPORTFIVE’s Procore Championship team works tirelessly throughout the year to sell tickets and garner interest. Enticing fans to purchase General Admission tickets are one thing, but identifying brands and sponsors who want to have an elevated experience for their clients and staff is another. It’s a non-stop process. Access to premium hospitality venues cost more, but they feature personalized bar service, catered food, premium seating options, and ideal sightlines for watching the world’s best.
But that’s not all. Once a deal for a hospitality suite is finalized, the Tournament Services team, together with the Sponsorship Activation team, work together to deliver personalized touches for each venue. If one sponsor wants to have a wine tasting at their suite during the day, the team will make it happen. If another wants to have a player from the tournament stop by and say hello to everyone in attendance, you can call it done. Most hospitality partners will also ship goods – such as branded wine glasses – to the SPORTFIVE team on site.
“Organizing and operating a golf tournament is not a short-term project but rather a year-round endeavor. Countless individuals are involved as almost every part of our agency plays a role in any golf event we help facilitate.”
Mike Harmon, EVP of Golf at SPORTFIVE
The amount of hospitality tickets sold dictates the number of suites that are constructed in advance. Those who watch golf have grown accustomed to seeing hospitality venues line fairways or green complexes. But those structures do not appear overnight. The build out for hospitality suites – as well as TV towers, concessions, and other temporary structures – begin about two months before the opening round. Members of the Operations team are on-site roughly 60 days before the first round, ensuring the construction for everything goes smoothly.
Once the tournament concludes, two weeks is needed for the team to break everything down and restore the property to its pre-tournament condition. And yet, the planning and strategy for the build out is also a year-round process. Immediately after the tournament ends, tournament leaders will ask themselves, “What worked?” and “How could we improve for next year?” For instance, after last year’s event, organizers wanted to make the suites that surround the 17th hole “more client friendly.” Their solution: create better sightlines for this idyllic par-3, which features a pond in front of the green. The decision to do so paid off, as those who had access to the 17th green provided nothing but rave reviews.
Tournament Operations: Much more than Construction
After the construction of the temporary venues is complete, then the team shifts gears to maintaining and activating them. Some issues always arise, such as a faulty table or a loose screw here or there, but those concerns are quickly resolved. The bigger problem lies with the tournament itself: with over 20,000 fans showing up to the golf course on a given tournament day, how can the Operations team keep everything in line? Enter the volunteers.
At this year’s Procore Championship, over 700 volunteers signed up to help, and their responsibilities ranged from welcoming guests to their suites to helping with tournament scoring. Recruiting volunteers is a tall task in and of itself – not unlike selling hospitality suites and attracting the right sponsor. Many volunteers help with marshalling – those who hold the “Quiet Please” signs around the tees and greens – while others assist by making sure fans stay outside the ropes. Every volunteer reports directly to the SPORTFIVE staff, who not only help manage operations but solve whatever problems arise within their own committees and assignments. Members of the SPORTFIVE team also stage daily meetings with the volunteers, establishing the rules and regulations of the tournament while providing important reminders on how things should go.
One such problem can be created by a golfer themselves. During the first round of this year’s Procore Championship, five-time PGA TOUR winner Harris English, who is also a SPORTFIVE client, found himself in a precarious position on the 13th hole. His drive settled in a ditch off the fairway, which the PGA TOUR marked as a ‘penalty area.’ Instead of taking a penalty stroke, English decided that he could play his ball as it lied. But before English could hit his shot, a volunteer needed to remove the rope and stakes that kept fans and others away from the ditch. TV cables down there also needed to be moved.
After this maintenance was complete, English successfully played out of the ditch, and he was well on his way. That was not the end of this brief saga, though. The stakes that hold the rope in place require someone to hammer the stakes into the ground for stability. But the volunteer who cleared the way for English did not have a hammer handy. So, a member of the Operations team sent out a call over his walkie-talkie and within minutes, another team member was on the scene with a hammer, re-establishing the stake that held the rope in place. Granted, this is a trivial, minor example, but dozens of circumstances like this happen on any given tournament day and the team is always ready to handle whatever comes their way.
At any professional sporting event, security detail ranks high on items of importance, especially with thousands of fans involved. This year’s Procore Championship featured roughly 50 security guards per day, as all of them reported to the SPORTFIVE Operations team. The Ops team assigned many of them to watch over the areas in and around the Clubhouse while others kept an eye on the course.
Regardless of location, any issues that arose went directly to the SPORTFIVE team, who then worked to find a solution. Then there are the local vendors, who sell food, alcohol, and merchandise. All of them must follow a set of rules that the PGA TOUR and SPORTFIVE team lay out, but everyone works together to ensure a smooth operation for everyone on site.
“We are so grateful for the hundreds of volunteers who sign up to join us at the Procore Championship. This tournament would not exist without them. These amazing volunteers, together with the friendly security detail, all the wonderful local vendors, and our amazing talent from SPORTFIVE, makes up a group that is second to none."
Andy McDowell, Executive Director of the Procore Championship
Digital Engagement: Crucial to Success
Given the prevalence and importance of social media nowadays, staying engaged with golf fans through digital platforms is of utmost importance. The Procore Championship has its own social media accounts on every major platform with thousands of followers on each. Press releases, tournament updates, tee times, and news about different theme days, such as Folds of Honor Friday, are just some of the many important posts shared across Procore Championship social media. This not only informs fans attending but also keeps the golf fan watching from home engaged.
Members of the SPORTFIVE Digital team – in collaboration with the PGA TOUR Social Media team – work hand in hand to create graphics to correspond with each post. They also capture unique, behind-the-scenes social content that resonate with fans. One such video posted on social asked different PGA TOUR players how many glasses of wine are in a bottle on average. The question stumped most players, but funny enough, SPORTFIVE client Tom Kim was the first player to answer correctly. Plenty of other great moments appeared across the Procore Championship social feeds throughout the tournament as well.
2025 Ryder Cup Presence
This year’s Procore Championship marked a stark departure from years past. Ten members from the U.S. Ryder Cup team played in it, hoping to stay sharp ahead of the biennial competition that will take place in New York at the end of September. The U.S. team is captained by SPORTFIVE client Keegan Bradley, who did not play in this year’s Procore Championship but was still on the ground, following his players and providing insights. Bradley, along with SPORTFIVE’s Golf Events team, played a crucial role in recruiting his fellow Ryder Cuppers to tee it up in Napa, which paid massive dividends in more ways than one. Not only did Scottie Scheffler and Ben Griffin – two members of the U.S. team – finish first and second, respectively, but the tournament saw record ticket sales and garnered plenty of national attention. Overall, the tournament featured 11 players ranked among the top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), which helped sell key components of the tournament – like suite and club tickets – to sponsors.
Now with the Procore Championship behind us, the clock is ticking for the next event on SPORTFIVE’s PGA TOUR schedule: The American Express in January 2026. And yes, plans for this tournament, held annually in the Coachella Valley of Southern California, have been underway for months. It’s almost time to start building the temporary venues. Indeed, things never end in golf.
Frequently Asked Questions
SPORTFIVE is a global sports marketing agency that specialises in sports rights, marketing, and entertainment. We work with sports organisations, clubs, and brands to create and optimise commercial opportunities in the sports industry. SPORTFIVE is involved in various aspects of sports business, including the sale of broadcasting rights, sponsorship and partnership management, stadium naming rights, and other marketing initiatives.
SPORTFIVE creates innovative, engaging solutions that are worthy of the incredible sports, athletes and partners we work with, and the passionate fans who follow them. Campaigns are built collaboratively, based on trust and transparency, and enabled by a deep understanding of the industry, the agency’s global reach, digital intelligence and creative courage.
The result is gamechanging sports partnerships that redefine standards in the sports and entertainment space.
SPORTFIVE believes in the power of five - bringing brands, rights holders, media platforms, fans and ‘us’ together through sport.
SPORTFIVE is a global sports marketing agency that specialises in various aspects of the sports and entertainment industry. The agency works with sports organisations, teams, and brands to optimise commercial opportunities.
One of SPORTFIVE's key areas of focus is the sale and management of sports media rights, including broadcasting and digital distribution deals. They negotiate and facilitate partnerships, sponsorships, and naming rights for sports entities, helping them enhance their brand value and revenue streams.
Additionally, SPORTFIVE provides expertise in marketing strategies, assisting clients in building strong connections with their target audiences. Their comprehensive approach spans across the sports business landscape, from media rights to sponsorship management, contributing to the overall growth and success of their clients in the dynamic world of sports marketing.
Sponsorship is the financial support for a sporting event, organisation or athlete by an outside body, for the mutual benefit of both parties. At the professional level this tends to be by companies, to raise the profile of their brand by associating it with the athlete.
The company aims to generate brand awareness and customer recognition, whilst the event, organisation or athlete receives a boost in funding.
A popular example is a brand logo printed on a team shirt. Visibility is guaranteed, even more so in the modern world with social media and online highlights.
In the land of media and marketing rights today, there is no cookie-cut solution for brands, and a simple logo placement will not provide the sufficient return on investment (ROI) for sponsorship, nor does it give their target audience the “why?” - the reason to spend their money and engage with the product.
Companies investing in sports sponsorship need to look at the bigger picture to engage with fans and not rely on just one piece of inventory.
The value of naming rights for stadiums is influenced by various factors, and it can be challenging to pinpoint an exact figure. Several elements contribute to determining the value of naming rights:
Venue Size and Popularity: Larger and more prominent stadiums or arenas in popular sports leagues often command higher naming rights values due to increased visibility and audience reach.
Market and Location: The geographic location of the venue and the market it serves play a crucial role. Naming rights for venues in major cities or regions with higher population density and market demand tend to have higher values.
Sports Team Success: The success and popularity of the sports teams that use the venue contribute to naming rights value. Successful teams attract more attention and a larger fan base.
Economic Conditions: The economic climate at the time of negotiation can impact naming rights values. During economic downturns, companies may be more conservative in their sponsorship spending.
Duration of Agreement: Longer-term agreements often result in more substantial overall values. Companies may negotiate favourable terms for extended commitments.
Additional Benefits: The inclusion of additional benefits, such as marketing opportunities, hospitality access, or exclusivity clauses, can enhance the overall value of naming rights.
To determine the value, organisations typically engage in negotiations based on these factors, and the final value is agreed upon through a mutually beneficial arrangement between the sponsoring company and the venue owner or management. Values can range from millions to tens of millions of dollars over the term of the naming rights agreement.
SPORTFIVE implements a creative and results-oriented approach to sponsorship activation, focusing on delivering meaningful experiences that connect brands with their audience. By leveraging digital platforms, live events, and fan engagement tactics, the agency ensures that sponsorships go beyond visibility to deliver true value and engagement.
