Orange County-based firms and philanthropic ventures played a prominent role a week ago at the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
Most notable at the golf tournament was presenting sponsor Genesis Motor America, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor North America in Fountain Valley.
It wrapped up its third year of a 10-year run as title sponsor of the PGA Tour event.
“We tuned up our activations,” Genesis Chief Operating Officer Erwin Raphael said during a media day in mid-February highlighting new tournament features, amenities and corporate hospitality initiatives.
Events like the golf tournament are “our chance to really show the world what Genesis is and what we’re about,” added head of marketing Kate Fabian.
It was hard not to see reminders of Genesis and its car offerings at the rolling 127-acre course.
The carmaker’s G70 model, 2019’s Motor Trend Car of the Year and rival to the BMW 3 Series, was parked at several locations throughout the event, including the Genesis Entrance Pavilion and a slew of skyboxes, lounges and suites.
Next year, the tournament gets a new and more prestigious name: the Genesis Invitational.
That designation translates to the winner receiving a three-year tour exemption, a higher tournament purse and a reduced field of golfers.
JB Holmes won this month’s tournament, while Tiger Woods tied for 15th, eight shots behind.
Also tied for 15th, Modesto-native Bryson DeChambeau.
The 25-year-old golfer caught the eye of Cylance Inc. executives last year as he began winning tournaments in a style steeped in geometrics, biomechanics, computational breaks and green analysis.
The physics major from Southern Methodist University and former NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion has been called the “mad scientist” on the tour.
It’s no wonder why Cylance Chief Executive and co-founder Stuart McClure was enamored with his game and supported a sponsorship backed by the Irvine-based security software maker that combines machine learning, artificial intelligence algorithms and the cloud to thwart new and evolving threats and cyberattacks before they hit servers, desktops and virtual desktops.
“He’s a very different golfer. It’s all math for him,” said McClure, who plays at Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine and Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Aliso Viejo. “It’s all about the angle, the force and the execution of that algorithm.”
Tiger Return
The PGA tour event at Riviera served as a homecoming of sorts for Woods, the main attraction at last week’s event; he received his first pro exemption 27 years ago at the course as a 16-year-old phenom.
“Having someone like Tiger that crosses over so many different platforms and fan bases is important for us, as well [as] any tournament,” said Genesis Open General Manager Dave Klewan. “But especially here in Los Angeles, it is about star power.”
Woods is an alumnus of Anaheim’s Western High School, where he rose to national prominence on the junior amateur circuit before enrolling at Stanford University. He served as the host of the Genesis Open.
His Anaheim-based TGR Foundation runs the tournament and is its main benefactor, along with the Earl Woods Scholarship Program and the TGR Learning Lab, which operates a 36,000-square-foot learning center in Anaheim.
The scholarship program, which honors Tiger’s late father, connects recipients with mentors and internships, offers workshops to navigate the collegiate experience and provides work force development, among other services.
The learning center, established in 2006 to serve nearby visiting elementary and high school students with a curriculum focusing on in science, math, engineering and technology, has served more than 800,000 students at its outlets in Anaheim, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Florida, New York, and Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
“The Genesis Open provides us with the opportunity to showcase the innovative STEM and college-access work we’ve been doing at our flagship TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim, our satellite campuses across the country and digitally at tgreduexplore.org,” TGR Foundation Chief Executive Rick Singer told the Business Journal. “The exposure and financial support TGR Foundation receives from the tournament allows us to deepen and grow our educational programs and support more students and educators throughout Southern California and the world.”
The foundation, similar to other host charities on the tour, is in line to receive millions in net proceeds from ticket sales, hospitality suites, donations, and other streams.
TGR foundation has raised nearly $150 million since its inception in 1996.
Subrina Hudson contributed to this report.
