US Bank to sponsor Greater Milwaukee Open

BY iseekgolf.com | US PGA Tour | 2004 US Bank Championship | General | 02 Apr 2004

The Greater Milwaukee Open has reached a landmark sponsorship agreement with U.S. Bank, it was announced Wednesday by Bryce Edwards, president of the tournament’s Board of Directors and Dan Croak, the event’s Tournament Director.

The agreement, unprecedented in the tournament’s history, begins with this year’s event and runs through 2006. The partnership is highlighted by U.S. Bank becoming the title sponsor for the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee Open’s new name. In addition to the name change and national recognition that U.S. Bank will receive as the title sponsor of the event, U.S. Bank also becomes the primary television advertiser on both the weekend network broadcast of the tournament on CBS and the early round coverage of the event on USA Network.

“We are excited and proud to be partnering with U.S. Bank to bring the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee to our community,” said Edwards. "The Greater Milwaukee Open has brought the PGA TOUR to Wisconsin for the past 36 years and this agreement helps to insure that professional tournament golf will continue to be a part of Milwaukee’s sports landscape for years to come.

“It is wonderful that a company with such a rich tradition in the city has stepped forward, sharing the tournament’s goals of charitable giving and continuing to bring the best golf in the world home.”

“It’s terrific to be involved with such an outstanding organization and to be the title sponsor of a PGA TOUR event that shares our history in Milwaukee,” said Jerry Grundhofer, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of U.S. Bancorp, parent company of U.S. Bank.

“This sponsorship gives us the opportunity to showcase U.S. Bank locally and on a national stage and demonstrates our continued commitment to the greater Milwaukee area, where U.S. Bank has a long history of service to the community,” Grundhofer continued. “This event allows us to give back to the people who mean the most to us, our customers and the community, and enables us to contribute to the local economy in a new way. The U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee is great for the community, great for the bank and great for the charities that will continue to benefit from this PGA TOUR event.”

The U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee will be held at Brown Deer Park Golf Course from July 19-25. The tournament is a non-profit event that contributed over $500,000 to Milwaukee charities last year and in excess of $3.9 million since the event’s move to its current site in 1994. Last year’s tournament was won by Kenny Perry during one of the best four week stretches of golf in recent memory.

“The Greater Milwaukee Open has been a fixture on our schedule since 1968, not only bringing the excitement of the PGA TOUR to the area, but also providing significant support to local charities,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “Now, through its new sponsor relationship, the newly named U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee has the opportunity to impact the community even further. U.S. Bank is a company that shares our long standing commitment to giving back, and we are proud to welcome it to our family of tournament sponsors.”

Aurora Health Care and Kraft Foods will continue their long standing relationships with the newly named event. Aurora Health Care is a community-owned Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. A number of Kraft brands such as Tombstone Pizza, Kraft Cheese, and Oscar Mayer are produced in the State of Wisconsin.

The Aurora Health Care Pro-Am will be contested on Wednesday of tournament week. Kraft Foods’ popular ticket promotion program will be run in grocery stores throughout the state during the months of May and June.

“The continued involvement of Aurora Health Care and Kraft Foods is integral to the success of the tournament,” said Croak. “We are thankful for all that they have done for us in the past and look forward to their continued participation.”

Source – Greater Milwaukee Open