AT&T Golf Tourney Means Additional $20 Million To Philadelphia Region's Economy
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (CBS) - The five-county Philadelphia region of Southeastern Pennsylvania is getting an economic boost once again from the AT&T Golf Tournament that begins this Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.
The tournament benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, but because of an injury, Woods won't be on the links this time around.
Still, the tournament is expected to be an economic boon to the Philadelphia area.
Tore Fiore, executive director of the Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureau, expects the region to take in about $20 million this year -- about $5 million less than last year. The reason, he says, is because Tiger won't be playing and that could keep crowds down from last year's level of about 200,000.
"Would it be safe to say, without the presence of Tiger playing, even though he will be here, could that be down a little? I wouldn't doubt that," Fiore tells KYW Newsradio.
Eleven major winners will be taking part in the tournament this year. Next year, the tournament heads back to the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. But the two years it spent in this area gave club officials at Aronimink a chance to show off the club and the area, hoping to become a regular stop on the tour.
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Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio 1060