Pebble Beach Golf Tournament Expected to Raise 10% Less for Charities

Charitable donations from the annual AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament, which began this week in California, will probably drop by about 10 percent from last year’s record $6.74-million, due to declining ticket sales and corporate sponsorship, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

The annual tourney pairs PGA golfers on the links with Hollywood stars and business titans, many of whom reserve skyboxes and hospitality tents for the duration of the weeklong event. But corporate belt-tightening and concerns over how such lavish perks will be perceived amid the economic downturn have cut into sponsorship, said Ollie Nutt, head of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which distributes proceeds from the event to some 200 charities.