Get It In Writing

Hello. Much has been made about Tiger Woods skipping the Barclay's event, the first leg of the Fedex Cup which starts today. It's similar to the stink made at the Canadian Open when Davis Love III didn't show after being paid millions to redesign Angus Glen North, the host course.
In both cases, the sponsors probably assumed Love and Woods would attend. After all, the Fedex Cup is a 4 event playoff, and the Canadian Open's motivation in hiring Love was to create a course top players, including Love, would want to play. However, it didn't work out that way.
Did Love and Woods have a right to not show up? Absolutely. They were under no contractual obligation. And that's my point. If you want these guys to appear, it has to be built into any contract you sign with them or the PGA Tour.
Will this work against the "independent contractor" argument the PGA Tour uses when a top player doesn't show? No question. Woods is already tied to several tournaments that benefit his foundation.
In summary, the PGA Tour sponsors should not show any loyalty to individual players. Those players do not show loyalty to the sponsors. It's not right or wrong, just the way it is.

Regards,
Steve