AT&T to End Sponsorship of Byron Nelson Championship

AT&T is ending its sponsorship of the Byron Nelson, and a sponsorship bid by Raytheon, which sells missiles to Saudi Arabia, has reportedly been rejected by the PGA Tour.

AT&T is ending its sponsorship of the Byron Nelson Championship after this year, with the PGA Tour in the midst of a new title sponsorship search that has a twist – it has turned down a potential deal with a company due to its dealings with Saudi Arabia.

Golfweek reported that AT&T – which also sponsors the Pebble Beach Pro-Am – has asked out of its deal that is supposed to run through 2024 and that Raytheon Technologies was set to take over as title sponsor until commissioner Jay Monahan declined the deal.

Raytheon sells missiles to Saudi Arabia, whose Public Investment Fund is the controversial backer of the LIV Golf League.

A PGA Tour spokesman declined to comment.

AT&T is not bailing on the PGA Tour. It is expected to increase its investment in the Pebble Beach event because the tournament will potentially become one of the eight designated events on the 2024 schedule. That means an increase in prize money to $20 million, a significant portion of which is expected to be taken on by the title sponsor.

And it is possible it would retain some sort of interest in the Dallas event, as its company headquarters are in the area.

The Tour would also need to negotiate a release of AT&T from its deal if it elects to leave after the event this week at TPC Craig Ranch.

Golfweek noted that in August, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. Raytheon’s involvement and a potential $3 billion deal led the Tour and Monahan to think twice about such an arrangement, Golfweek reported.

Monahan was approached last week about the potential sponsorship and would not comment.

A good bit of the pushback on LIV Golf, which is in its second year and playing this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has to do with its Saudi funding and the idea that that it's using the enterprise as a “sportswashing’’ exercise.

LIV has caused considerable disruption over the past year, luring past major champions such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith to play for huge guaranteed sums and big purses.

The long-time Dallas-area PGA Tour event has had golf legend Nelson’s name as part of it since 1968.