The PGA Tour announced Wednesday that a new sponsor is taking over its season-opening stop in Napa.
Fortinet, a cybersecurity company, replaces Safeway as the host of the Silverado Resort event. The tournament will now be known as the Fortinet Championship.
“We are thrilled to welcome Fortinet to the PGA Tour family with the Fortinet Championship leading off the 2021-22 FedExCup regular season in September,” said Tyler Dennis, PGA Tour president. “Napa is an extremely popular stop for our players, their families and our fans. We look forward to having Fortinet help grow the event to maximize charitable impact for the Napa Valley community.”
Though the current iteration of the tournament was formed in 2007, Silverado has been a PGA Tour venue since the ‘60s, counting Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller and Ben Crenshew among its past winners. Last year’s event was won by 47-year-old Stewart Cink, who broke an 11-year winless drought in knocking off Harry Higgs by two shots. Silverado also served as a PGA Tour Champions site from 1989 to 2002.
Net proceeds from the Fortinet Championship will benefit non-profit organizations in the areas of STEM, women and minorities in technology, as well as veterans reskilling programs. The tournament will continue as a full-field event, boasting a $7 million purse.