Bad news for the PGA Tour. Computer Associates (CA) has dropped the World Golf Championships after this year.

I honestly don’t think they’ll have a problem finding a sponsor for this event. I’d expect to see a new one inside of a month.

From the Tour’s press release:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.—The PGA TOUR and CA announced Wednesday that CA will not renew its title sponsorship of the World Golf Championships event at TPC Blue Monster in Doral, Fla.

“Since 2006, CA has enjoyed an incredible partnership with the PGA TOUR,” said Bill Hughes, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Communications. “Our sponsorship of the World Golf Championships further strengthened our relationships with our customers, raised the visibility of CA’s brand worldwide, and provided a strong platform for our philanthropic efforts. Going forward, CA will be executing a new corporate marketing program focused on delivering more regional events and customer relationship programs around the world.

“As a result, we will no longer sponsor the World Golf Championships beyond 2010. Importantly, CA will continue to work closely with the PGA TOUR to identify additional opportunities that align with our new marketing initiatives. We would like to thank all CA employees, PGA TOUR executives and the hundreds of volunteers, and our agency partners, who worked tirelessly to make the CA Championship a truly world-class event.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said: “On behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours, I’d like to thank CA for its commitment to the World Golf Championships as a whole and the CA Championship in particular over the past four years.

“The CA Championship has been a strong part of golf’s tradition to give back to the communities in which events are played, and CA’s support has enabled more than $4 million to be returned to local charities since 2007. We look forward to identifying future opportunities with CA to align its marking objectives with the PGA TOUR and professional golf.

“The CA Championship has provided some amazing tournaments with thrilling finishes, and this year’s return to the winner’s circle by Ernie Els was no exception. There is a tremendous amount of interest in the World Golf Championships—the great fields, global exposure, incredible venues—and we will move forward in securing a new title sponsor for the CA Championship. We are confident we will be at TPC Blue Monster at Doral next year.”

The irrepressible John Daly now has his own John Daly Pizza brand. It’s an in store solution of the sort you see at golf courses and convenience stores: a compact oven cooking prepackaged foods.

Here’s your chance to get into the golf business. An occasional advertiser at GolfBlogger, the NJGolfman, has his entire retail golf store for sale. That includes the brick-and-mortar and internet shops, apparently.

Bidding starts at $355,000.

Gatorade announced that it is dropping Tiger Woods as a sponsor. On the surface, it looks as thought they weren’t terribly impressed with the mea culpa. Gillette hasn’t dropped him officially, but has suspended all Tiger advertising, calling him a “distraction.” I think what that means it that P&G’s lawyers and Tiger’s lawyers haven’t yet worked out an amenable buyout.

By my count (I’m probably forgetting something), that leaves Tiger with just two high profile deals: Nike and Electronic Arts, makers of the Tiger Woods video game. Nike is in too deep to get out. I predict that EA will drop him in the next year in favor of a general PGA Tour game, with several top young guns as the hook. Picture a box with Kim, Villegas, and several other under 30 “hip” players smiling out at you. They could sign the whole lot for less than they pay Woods.

I always thought that the Woods Gatorade was an exercise in creepiness anyway. The advertising bragged that they had analyzed Woods’ sweat and come up with a chemical substitute. So, in essence, you were drinking Woods’ sweat—however much flavor they added. I often joked that the only person who should be tasting Woody’s sweat was Elin. But knowing what we know now ...

Hey! Maybe he could sign a deal with PETA. Their Too Much Sex Can Be A Bad Thing For Little Tigers Too non-campaign certainly was a hit.

Golf Clubs in financial crisis isn’t just a US phenomenon. Declining membership and the recession have also hit golf in its homeland:

In the past, the majority of clubs in the Lothians, which has more golf courses than anywhere else in Scotland, had long waiting lists and talk of financial troubles was as rare as a sighting of Tiger Woods since his world was turned upside down.

But, as the sport continues to suffer from the recession – in Scotland alone membership levels are down 2.6 per cent in the men’s game and 4.6 per cent in the women’s game – even some of the more established clubs in the Capital and surrounding areas are feeling the pinch.

They have been forced to put up huge banners in prominent positions on clubhouses to advertise memberships, have held Open Days to let potential members see what’s on offer and, in some cases, have even scrapped their joining fee.

Desperate times have called for desperate measures and one club has even dispensed with both its professional and secretary in a bid to cut costs.

But Scots aren’t giving up their golf altogether. Play at municipal courses is up.

That mirrors my own experience. Several years ago, I decided that I couldn’t play enough golf to justify my private club membership and quit the club. Now, I play on the dozens of public and municipal courses in Southeastern Michigan, and am enjoying the variety. In the meantime, my former Club has gone bankrupt and been bought out.