The Zurich Classic certainly isn’t the most prestigious event on the PGA Tour but it might be the biggest success story. When the world economy dove into the trenches at the end of last year, the people of New Orleans were the welcoming committee. They’ve been fighting for their economic survival since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. If you think toxic assets are bad, try toxic floodwater.
The PGA Tour’s tournament in New Orleans was on life-support before the hurricane came and was nearly given up for dead afterward. Now, Zurich Financial Services has extended its sponsorship through 2014.
“This is one of the things that I’m cautious about when I listen to people criticize events like this,” says Zurich CEO Jim Schiro, a 16-handicap who lives in Switzerland and plays all his below sea level golf in the Zurich Classic pro-am. “In some cases maybe they’re right. But they …