AUSTIN, Texas - As the news surfaced that the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play was heading into its final chapter, many in the golf world were asking who was to blame for allowing a successful tournament to leave one of the nation's most up-and-coming metropolitan areas.
According to a column penned by renowned writer Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman, both sides are to blame for the split.
Due to changes to the PGA Tour schedule, the late March date (on the back end of the Florida Swing) is expected to be filled by the Cadence Bank Houston Open.
Austin Country Club has hosted the Match Play since 2016 when Dell became the title sponsor. At the time, the World Golf Championships were considered the highest-ranking tournaments in golf behind the four majors and the Players Championship, the Tour's flagship event.
But according to reporting by Bohls - who has six times been named the Texas sportswriter of the year by the National Sports Media Association - a cluster of members from the pristine Austin Country Club had turned away from supporting the tournament.
From Bohls' column:
While golf fans in Austin are surely saddened by the news, so are many of the charity groups that have benefited from the event. According to Bohls, the tournament donated more than $6 million to local charities, including the Dell Children's Medical Center.
Quoting from a well-connected source, Bohls said club members were hoping for an abnormally large payday from the PGA Tour. This led to a breakdown in negotiations and when the club's members were interested in coming back to the table, circumstances changed.
The PGA Tour has not released next season's schedule, but this move could mean at least one less designated event in 2024 - or a replacement could be elevated.
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Story originally appeared on GolfWeek
