Travelers moving to Labor Day?

Could the Travelers Championship become one of the PGA Tour’s playoff events on Labor Day weekend and Tiger Woods actually play in Connecticut? It might become reality if Deutsche Bank doesn’t pick up its option to host the second of the tour’s three playoff tournaments for 2011-12.

Yesterday, at the Deutsche Bank Championship Media Day at the TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., Seth Waugh, the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said the tournament is in the final year of its title sponsorship agreement but has been unable to secure a new deal that would guarantee its spot on the tour schedule for 2011. “I would have thought we would have an answer for you by now,” Waugh said. “We know what we want to do. We’re waiting for some answers.”

Deutsche Bank has sponsored the tournament since its inception in 2003, originally with a four-year commitment that was renewed for four additional years. The bank has an option to extend the deal through 2012, and Waugh was optimistic that would happen. “I like our chances to stay involved,” he said. “I hope we’ll be able to talk at Labor Day about keeping the tour in New England for years to come.”

The $7.5 million event is Aug. 31-Sept. 3, with the only scheduled Monday finish on the PGA Tour. The Travelers Championship ended for years on Monday after it began as the Insurance City Open in 1952.

Being on Labor Day weekend causes fears of losing fans because it’s the final vacation weekend of the summer. The Deutsche Bank Championship has always sold out, but it’s limited to 25,000 fans because of space problems and not being a fan-friendly course to walk.

But the major plus is the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings would be at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. That means Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and many other players who rarely, if ever, show up would actually be playing in Connecticut.

Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said moving from late June, the week after the U.S. Open, to Labor Day has been considered by what is already the biggest sporting event in Connecticut. “This is a great question and one that we have been asking since Travelers took over the event (in 2008),” Grube told me in an email. “If the opportunity arose, would we want a Labor Day date to be a playoff event? There are a lot of moving parts to this answer, and we have discussed it at length for years. There is no simple yes or no answer. We will have to wait and see what happens with Deutsche Bank.”

Waugh would not elaborate on what might be holding up Deutsche Bank’s decision. The bank reported strong earnings last week, but the sluggish economy has forced companies with all kinds of sponsorships in various sports to re-examine their activities. “If it comes down to jobs at the bank or us sponsoring the golf tournament, it’s not a fair fight,” Waugh said. “But those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

While the bank considers its options, Travelers extended its commitment through 2014 last year. That was a major coup for the insurance giant and the Greater Hartford Jaycees and put it in strong position to possibly replace Duetsche Bank if it ends its title sponsorship.

Waugh said the bank is pleased with how the sponsorship deal has increased its profile in New England, provided a fun benefit for its clients and added a charitable component that has been much larger than that of the Travelers Championship. He said it was not a matter of spending less on the event, but on spreading the money around in a different way.

Waugh also said the bank is standing by the Tiger Woods Foundation despite Woods’ problems since a Thanksgiving car accident at his home in Orlando, Fla., led to revelations that he had had numerous extramarital affairs, which have him on the brink of a divorce from his wife, Elin. Waugh said Deutsche Bank is not a sponsor of Woods; it’s a partner in a tournament that benefits his charity.

“They’ve been a great partner,” Waugh said. “I’m a big believer that when you have great partners and they need help, that you help them, you don’t abandon them. Obviously, they have issues. We’re excited and proud to be partners with them.”

Ironically, Woods might not compete at TPC Boston in what could be DB’s final year as title sponsor. He has played in only seven tour events this year and is 111th on the FedEx Cup points list — right behind University of Hartford grad Jerry Kelly, Kevin Stadler and guys named Graham DeLeat and Josh Teater and just ahead of Ben Curtis and David Duval — entering the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, which starts Thursday in Akron, Ohio. Woods is assured of getting points in that no-cut event, but if he doesn’t get into the top 100 and misses the cut in the PGA Championship, he would have to add the Wyndham Championship to his schedule to try to become eligible for the event that benefits his foundation.

“Obviously, we all want Tiger to be here,” Waugh said. “But if he’s not, we have the best 100 players in the world.”

It sounds like what a lot of tournament sponsors and tournament directors, including Grube, have been saying for years. Personally, I’d sign up for the Labor Day slot ASAP. One can only imagine what the crowds would be like at TPC River Highlands if Tiger, Phil & Co. all showed up at the same time. The additional financial take from sponsorships, tickets, concessions, etc. likely would more than offset a larger financial commitment for Travelers. The purse for the Travelers Championship is $6 million, $1.5 less than the Deutsche Bank Championship.

What do you think? Should the Travelers Championship remain in late June or move to Labor Day weekend? Would you support the local tournament more if it meant being able to see all of the game’s top players? Click the “Comments” link above and tell us what you think.