‘We’re running out of time’: Local PGA tourney still short on sponsors as deadline looms

The Dominion Energy Charity Classic has been sponsored by Dominion and hosted at Country Club of Virginia since its inception eight years ago.

One out of four won’t cut it.

So says Steve Schoenfeld, executive director of the PGA golf tournament soon to be formerly known as the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, which is in a down-to-the-wire search for a foursome of new sponsors willing to pay enough to prevent it from potentially being forced to leave the Richmond region after this year.

Schoenfeld said his group has secured a commitment from one of the four sponsors it needs to complete what it calls the “proud partner model.” That’s four companies sharing the cost and the spotlight of the lead sponsorship slot as a replacement for title sponsor Dominion Energy, who’s pulling out of its contract at the conclusion of this year’s tournament.

But it’s the three outstanding spots that have yet to sell, along with a looming deadline from the PGA Tour Champions, that have Schoenfeld starting to sweat.

“The tour has said to us they wanted it to be completed or at least have verbal indications from sponsors by the end of the first quarter,” Schoenfeld said. “The reality is we only have one of four and we’re running out of time.”

The end of the first quarter is March 31, leaving only 10 days to hit the mark.

“If we don’t, unfortunately the possibility exists that the tournament will not continue after this year,” Schoenfeld said.

This precarious position was created in late 2023, when Dominion announced it was exercising an option to cease its title sponsorship earlier than expected following the tournament’s 2025 installment. That announcement was made in conjunction with Country Club of Virginia’s decision to stop being the host course for the DECC, also after 2025.

Dominion has been the tournament’s title sponsor since its inception in 2016, and CCV has been its host course each of those years as well.

The DECC twice brought golf legend Phil Mickelson to CCV. He won the event several years ago.

Schoenfeld and his team initially were searching for a new title sponsor with pockets deep enough to cover what’s said to be a “mid-seven-figure” annual fee. As their search came up empty, the tournament turned to the sponsor foursome approach, thinking it would be a more palatable financial ask for local companies.

Schoenfeld said the approach is bearing fruit, just not as quickly as he had hoped.

“The good news is we have met with seven or eight companies, all local, and have had really nice conversations,” he said. “We remain hopeful over the next few weeks that we’re going to generate the other three.”

Though this year’s DECC won’t be played until October, Schoenfeld said the more immediate sponsor deadline is due to the PGA’s practice of setting tournament schedules on all its tours far in advance. Therefore, planning for 2026 has already begun and there are other markets interested in hosting tournaments and snagging the DECC’s date on the calendar.

“There are a couple of other cities right now, one in Pennsylvania and one in Europe, waiting to see what happens with the schedule and what happens here in Richmond,” he said. “Both of those groups are ready to jump in because they have already secured a sponsor and a course.”

And the PGA likes to keep the Tour Champions calendar at 27 or 28 tournaments per year, so it’s not inclined to award a new tournament elsewhere and hold the DECC’s spot.

Steve Schoenfeld

“We’re not really in the business of adding events or increasing the number. It keeps the quality of the field very high,” he said.

Schoenfeld said there’s no single answer as to why it’s proven to be a tough sell.

“We haven’t heard that it’s because of the economy,” he said. “Most of the conversations revolve around the dollar investment and whether the value the tournament can provide can fit nicely into these companies’ marketing and hospitality plans.”

While Schoenfeld admits it’s a stressful situation, he said he’s seen other tournaments successfully walk similar tightropes.

“I’m thankful that I can look on previous experiences I’ve had that have been similar to this and had positive outcomes,” he said. “I feel very strongly that golf tournaments like ours can become, and it is the case here, real assets to the communities where they’re being played.”

Should a new title sponsor come through in the nick of time, Schoenfeld said the next step would be to find a new host course in the Richmond region to replace CCV.

He said they haven’t had any serious, formal conversations on that front just yet, but one local has made clear its desire to become the tournament’s new home.

Henrico County, intent on finding a way to keep the popular annual tournament and its economic impact in Henrico, last year purchased The Crossings Golf Club near Virginia Center Commons and partnered with Independence Golf Club owner Giff Breed to transform The Crossings into a pro tournament-caliber course. They stated publicly at the time that the $3 million purchase and Breed’s commitment to spend $11 million on course renovations was specifically targeted at the DECC – or whatever it might be called in the future.

Schoenfeld said discussions between his group and The Crossings folks have continued, but that the search for sponsors takes precedent.

“We remain in touch about the potential of playing at The Crossings, but they’ve been cursory discussions,” Schoenfeld said, adding that he has received inquiries from other unnamed clubs.