Dips into attendance and sponsorships put a dent into the amount the Thunderbirds, the civic organization that organizes the PGA Tour FBR Open, has to give out this year. Still, the total is impressive and the tournament’s run over the past 6 years has been equally so. The full article can be found at http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/08/18/20090818sr-thunderbirds0819.html, with an excerpt provided below.

(Excerpt)

Scottsdale’s FBR Open felt the economic pinch earlier this year with a drop in attendance, corporate sponsorships

and money raised for charity.

The host Thunderbirds on Monday announced that the tournament raised $4.3 million for charity. That was half as much as 2008 when the Open set a tournament and PGA Tour record of $8.6 million for charity.

“The Thunderbirds are thankful for the unbelievable support this community gives to the FBR Open, even in these tough economic times,” Thunderbirds Big Chief John Felix said.

He also saluted FBR Capital Markets, the title sponsor, and Xerox for supporting the tournament, which ended Feb 1 with Kenny Perry winning in a playoff over Charley Hoffman.

Attendance at the TPC Scottsdale was down 12.6 percent in 2009 to 470,294, but most of the decline in revenue was related to the drop in corporate sponsorship, Felix said.

The 2008 event coincided with Arizona hosting the Super Bowl, which led to heightened interest in sponsorships, he said.

The Open has raised $66 million for charity since its inception in 1932, including almost $38 million the past six years.

The nonprofit Thunderbirds will meet in September to decide which groups will receive charitable donations.

In recent years, the group has donated to Special Olympics

, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Boy Scouts of America, Foundation for the Blind and the Arizona Science Center. (The article continues at http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/08/18/20090818sr-thunderbirds0819.html)