EDS Extends Agreement To Sponsor The Byron Nelson

In spite of their whining about a lack of Tiger sightings, EDS has decided to extend their agreement with the PGA Tour to sponsor the Byron Nelson tournament.

EDS has extended its commitment as title sponsor of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship through 2014, PGA TOUR officials have announced. This is the second early extension agreed to between EDS and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas since EDS became title sponsor in 2003. Financial terms of the extension were not disclosed.

“We believe in this tournament and appreciate the tremendous impact it has in the Dallas community, and we are excited about the opportunity to play a key role in its future,” said Ron Rittenmeyer, chairman, president and chief executive officer of EDS.

“The EDS Byron Nelson Championship is our hometown PGA TOUR event and provides a great venue for us to attract our key clients, as well as a wonderful opportunity for our employees to get involved in supporting a great cause,” he added. “The Championship is woven into the fabric of our employee base. This year alone we have over 300 employees from 24 states and 11 foreign countries volunteering at the tournament.

The bottom line is that all but a few exclusive tournaments are going to have to get used to not having Tiger attend. And short of passing a bill of attainder against Tiger, there’s really nothing the PGA Tour can do.

It’s interesting that the terms of the extension weren’t disclosed. I’ll bet EDS got a cut rate deal.