David Fay to retire as head of USGA

David Fay is retiring from the U.S. Golf Association, his two decades as executive director marked by a steady push for golf's return to the Olympics and for the U.S. Open to be held on golf courses that anyone could play at a reasonable price.

Fay's announcement Friday was somewhat of a surprise, although he turned 60 two months ago and said it was an important milestone for cancer survivors. He joined the USGA in 1978 and became its sixth executive director in 1989, serving under 12 presidents.

Mike Butz, the deputy executive director since 1995, will take over Jan. 1 until a national search to find Fay's replacement.

"Things are in good order," Fay said in a statement. "Our senior staff leaders, each of whom I have put into place, are highly talented and motivated. And looking ahead, there are a number of multiyear projects on the drawing board ... which makes this, for me, a good time to move on. Leave on a high note, as Seinfeld would say."

Fay was most visible during the U.S. Open, dressed in his trademark bow tie in the NBC Sports booth as possibly the premier rules expert in the country. His real passion, however, has been making golf more inclusive.

He showed that in the late 1990s when he resigned his membership from Pine Valley because he felt belonging to an all-male club would sent a mixed message in his role (the USGA had two presidents in the past six years - Fred Ridley and Walter Driver - who kept their memberships at all-male Augusta National).

Even as PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem showed little interest in the Olympics a decade ago, Fay continued to lobby for the sport's return to the Olympic program.

But his legacy might be public golf.

Never afraid to take chances, Fay was behind bringing the U.S. Open to Bethpage Black in New York in 2002, which cost no more than $50 for residents to play. It was such a huge success that the championship returned there in 2009, one year after it was at city-owned Torrey Pines in San Diego. The U.S. Open will go to Chambers Bay outside Seattle and Erin Hills in Wisconsin, two other public courses.

In another bold move, Fay announced that the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will be held in consecutive weeks in 2014 on the same golf course - Pinehurst No. 2.

"It's been a rewarding, satisfying and a fun run," he said.

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Gillette won't renew contract with Tiger Woods

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Procter & Gamble Co. will not renew its endorsement deal with Tiger Woods at the end of the year, adding another name to the list of companies that cut ties with the golfer after last year's revelations of marital infidelities.

The company used Woods, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and dozens of other athletes as part of its three-year "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette said Thursday it was phasing out that program and not renewing the contract with Woods and several other athletes. It stopped using Woods himself in the campaign months ago.

The golfer was once the most sought-after pitchman in sports and was the first athlete to earn $1 billion from endorsement agreements. However, many corporations cut ties or distanced themselves from Woods after the scandal that broke just over a year ago and dominated headlines for months.

Accenture LLP, AT&T Inc. and Gatorade all dropped Woods as an endorser. Companies such as Gillette and Tag Heuer didn't end their relationships outright but stopped featuring him in advertisements.

Nike Inc. and Electronic Arts, which had more invested in his skills as a golfer rather than a more general symbol of excellence, stuck with him. Woods is trying to rebuild his golf reputation after his first year as a pro golfer without a tournament victory and losing his ranking as the top player in the world.

Gillette is also letting its contracts with other athletes, including soccer players such as Messi, Thierry Henry, and Kaka end as part of the conclusion of the marketing program.

Gillette, however, was keeping some of the athletes - such as Federer, NHL star Alex Ovechkin and New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter - for new local marketing campaigns.

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A different year for Woods, and his caddie

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Steve Williams never imagined that losing his wallet could fuel so much speculation that he was on his way out as Tiger Woods' caddie.

Hours after the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where Woods closed with a 75 and offered some veiled criticism of his caddie's advice in the final round, Williams was sitting alone in the Monterey airport while staring intently at his cell phone.

A golf blogger recognized him, took his picture and posted it with the headline, "Steve Williams at the airport, without Tiger Woods." Never mind that Williams lives in New Zealand and Woods lives in Florida. Along with Woods' post-round comments, it was enough to wonder if Williams would be employed much longer.

Told about the photo months later, Williams started laughing.

"I left my wallet in the rental car," he said, explaining the text he was reading on his phone. "The speculation is incredible, how many people thought I would be fired or that I would retire. People just make up these stories. Look, I work as a golf caddie. It's all I've ever done. I'm working for arguably one of the greatest players who ever played, who is fully committed to breaking Jack Nicklaus' record.

"Why would I quit in midstream?"

Williams has been on the bag for more than a dozen years with Woods, and they have shared some happy times - 72 victories around the world, including 13 major championships.

He also was guilty by association through some unpleasant times.

Williams never heard from his boss a year ago in December when Woods' personal life was collapsing with each report of infidelity. Most people assumed Williams was part of the deceit, and even his repeated denials didn't change some opinions. Getting through the gossip on and off the course wasn't easy on Williams or his family.

Getting back to the golf hasn't been as fun, either. Woods not only failed to win for the first time in his career, there were a couple of times when they finished a weekend round before lunch.

The caddie sure wasn't expecting a year like this.

"When you compete at this level, a large percentage of your success is due to your mental preparation," he said. "And evidently, Tiger's mind wasn't as sharp due to his own personal problems. He's come back from an injury before. I've caddied for him for 12 years, and the two times he had long layoffs, he came back like nothing had happened. I didn't think a lot would change."

It didn't take long to realize he was wrong.

Sure, Woods returned at the Masters and got right back in the mix. He opened with a 68, closed with a 69 and tied for fourth. Williams knows his game better than anyone, and none of the indicators were appealing.

"It was evident after Augusta that it was going to be a bit of a struggle," Williams said. "Then, of course, he was questioning his own swing and whether it might be time to change his swing. As soon as he made that decision, I knew right there and then it was going to be more of a rebuilding year. Which is fine."

No one felt sorry for Williams.

His worst year working for Woods was in 2004 - two victories, fourth on the PGA Tour money list with over $5 million, top 10s in all but five of his 21 tournaments. Which caddie wouldn't take that?

The feeling among some of his peers was, "Welcome to our world."

For most of the year, Woods looked no different - certainly no better - than some of the players in his group, whether it was Jason Bohn at the Memorial, D.A. Points at Aronomink or even 22-year-old Kieran Pratt, who made his pro debut at the Australian Masters and beat Woods by one shot when they were paired together.

"I race cars to win, and I caddie to win," Williams said. "I certainly couldn't be out here working for a player that can't win tournaments. That would have no appeal to me at all. Winning is what you want to do."

So what was the appeal this year?

"I quite enjoyed the challenge sometimes," Williams said. "The battle this year was making it to the FedEx Cup, then trying to make it through. It's not a position we're used to being in. But it was not frustrating at all."

What he found frustrating was wondering which guy was going to show up for work.

Three days after his divorce, Woods missed only one fairway and two greens and opened with a 65 at The Barclays. Two days later, he opened his round by hitting a 5-wood off the property.

He was in last place at one point late in his first round in Boston. The next day he shot a 65.

"When he got it right, it was great to see. But he couldn't keep doing it," Williams said. "You go to the golf course and wonder if he's got what he had yesterday, or can he improve from what he had yesterday. But that's what happens when you change your swing."

Early in the second round of the Chevron World Challenge, Williams had seen enough.

"The tide is turning," he said as he walked off the third green.

He was impressed with the progress Woods had made on his new swing in just four months. The last swing change took close to a year.

Williams left California believing the worst was behind them.

"I'm pretty confident when the new year starts that Tiger will be fully ingrained with this new swing," he said.

The old year could not end soon enough.

Woods was signing autographs at Sherwood when he was asked about his longtime caddie.

"He's been a heck of a caddie, there's no doubt about that," Woods said. After a few seconds of silence as he continued to sign, Woods looked up and added for emphasis, "And he's a great friend."

Woods needed a little of both this year.

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Tiger Woods saga voted AP sports story of year

NEW YORK (AP) — Tiger Woods' humbling return to the public eye, from his televised confession to a winless season on the golf course, was voted the sports story of the year by members of The Associated Press.

Do you agree with AP?: Was the Tiger Woods saga a bigger story than the Saints winning the Super Bowl?

The fallout from Woods' admission of infidelity edged a very different sort of story: The New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl championship, giving an emotional boost to their hurricane-ravaged city.

It was late 2009 when Woods' pristine image unraveled after he crashed his SUV into a tree outside his home, unleashing salacious revelations of extramarital affairs. The story was a late addition to last year's voting and wound up fifth.

But the twists and turns weren't over for Woods. Many more developments were still to unfold in 2010.

There were 176 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. The voters were asked to rank the top 10 sports stories of the year, with the first-place story getting 10 points, the second-place story receiving nine points, and so on.

The Woods saga received 1316 points, with the Saints' title getting 1215 and the NBA free agency frenzy coming in third with 1085.

Major League Baseball's ongoing travails with performance-enhancing drugs was the top story last year.

Here are 2010's top 10 stories:

— 1. TIGER WOODS: Woods returned to public view with a 13 1/2-minute statement in February, then came back to golf at the Masters in April with a fourth-place finish. That would be one of his few highlights on the course — Woods went winless on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career and lost his No. 1 ranking for the first time in years. In August, he and Elin Nordegren divorced.

— 2. SAINTS WIN: New Orleans residents loved their Saints for not abandoning the city after Hurricane Katrina, but it was hard to imagine the team bringing much joy on the field after 42 mostly losing seasons. Then Drew Brees and Co. upset the mighty Indianapolis Colts in their first Super Bowl, to the delight of French Quarter revelers and fans nationwide who adopted the Saints.

— 3. FREE AGENCY FRENZY: NBA fans were captivated by the mystery of where MVP LeBron James and other marquee free agents would land. Few would have guessed that three of them would sign with the same team: the Miami Heat, who became basketball's Evil Empire by adding James from Cleveland and Chris Bosh from Toronto to Dwyane Wade.

— 4. WORLD CUP: A World Cup of firsts ended gloriously for Spain and for Africa. South Africa hosted the continent's first World Cup without the pitfalls many predicted. And the Spaniards brought home the first World Cup title to the soccer-mad country with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in extra time.

— 5. GIANTS WIN: The Giants hadn't won the World Series since they moved to San Francisco in 1958 — and since 1954 overall. This didn't seem to be the year to end the drought when they barely squeaked into the playoffs. But with dominant pitching and clutch hitting, they beat the Texas Rangers in five games.

— 6. NFL CONCUSSIONS: New posters distributed to teams before the season warned of concussions' dangers in much harsher language than before. Another sign of how big the issue had become: increased reporting of concussions by players. Midseason, the NFL cracked down on helmet hits with huge fines and threatened suspensions.

— 7. JIMMIE JOHNSON: The NASCAR driver extended his record with his fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Perhaps most impressively, he did it despite not being in top form all season. Johnson became the first driver in the Chase's seven-year history to overcome a points deficit in the finale.

— 8. BRETT FAVRE: This comeback was nothing like last year's magical run to the NFC title game for the 41-year-old quarterback. His Minnesota Vikings struggled badly, and the NFL launched an investigation into whether he sent lewd photos of himself to a Jets employee. After voting began, his record streak of 297 starts ended.

— 9. UCONN WINS: The Huskies' women's basketball team extended their record winning streak to 78 games with a second straight national championship in April, becoming the first team to post consecutive unbeaten seasons. And Connecticut is a powerhouse again this season.

— 10. WOODEN DIES: The Wizard of Westwood died June 4 at the age of 99. John Wooden coached UCLA's men's basketball team to 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row from 1967-73 and an 88-game winning streak.

Do you agree with AP?: Was the Tiger Woods saga a bigger story than the Saints winning the Super Bowl?

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Martin successfully defends Alfred Dunhill title

MALELANE, South Africa (AP) — Pablo Martin survived a triple bogey to successfully defended his Alfred Dunhill Championship title Sunday, shooting a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory.

The Spaniard had a 7 at the par-4 17th but recovered to birdie the last for an 11-under 277 at Leopard Creek Country Club. He was two clear of Thorbjorn Olesen (66), Charl Schwartzel (70) and Anthony Michael (73), who took a one-stroke lead into the final round of the European Tour event.

"I played really well for nine holes, then I got myself into trouble," Martin said. "It was a good start and it gave me a little bit of a cushion, and I needed it."

He had surged ahead with an eagle-birdie start, and opened a five-shot lead through 11 holes following birdies on Nos. 7 and 9. With a three-shot lead on the tee at No. 17, the triple bogey then cut his advantage over playing partner Michael to one stroke with one hole to play.

But Martin recovered to put his second shot on the par-5 No. 18 on the middle of the green, and Michael found the water to end his chances.

Martin finished with a birdie four for successive victories at the European Tour's season-opening tournament, winning a $210,000 check. He is the first winner on the 2010-11 Race to Dubai and the first player to retain a European Tour title since Padraig Harrington won a second straight British Open in 2008.

"I was able to hit a couple of good shots coming in, especially the one on 18," Martin said. "On 17, I made a big mess but I was really lucky that everything went well."

Michael had led since after the first round, but the rookie had two bogeys and a double-bogey Sunday and couldn't match Martin's attacking play in his bid for a first professional victory.

He made a 15-foot putt for par on No. 18 to make sure of his share of second, but will have to wait for his first tournament win as a professional after his worst round of the tournament.

Martin made a blistering start when he almost holed his approach to the first and then sank a 10-foot eagle putt at No. 2.

He got lucky on No. 13 when a wayward shot was held up by a bunker that kept it from into a crocodile-infested river.

On No. 17 he found a fairway bunker off the tee and then fired his second deep into the thick grass on the lip of the bunker. He ended up chipping out onto the fairway and then three-putted.

But he regained his composure with a 5-iron to the heart of the green on the last and collected a third career title after his 2009 win here and the 2007 Portugal Open - when he became the first amateur to win a European Tour event.

Olesen, Denmark's Challenge Tour graduate, had six birdies in his 66 to jump 10 places.

Schwartzel mixed four birdies with two bogeys in his 70, securing the 2010 Order of Merit title on South Africa's Sunshine Tour, which co-sanctions the Alfred Dunhill, ahead of its season-ending 100th South African Open next week.

South Africa's Thomas Aiken (70) was alone in fifth on 7-under 281, while England's Robert Dinwiddie (70) and another South African, Alex Haindl (73), shared sixth at 282.

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Johnson-Poulter win Shark Shootout by 2 strokes

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Johnson and Ian Poulter won the Shark Shootout Sunday, shooting a 13-under 59 in the scramble format to beat Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell by two shots.

Johnson and Poulter took the lead with birdies on their first four holes and had no trouble the rest of the way in finishing at 30-under 186. Clarke and McDowell (59) never came closer than two strokes.

The two teams passed second-round co-leaders Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker (64) and Fred Funk and Kenny Perry (66). Kelly and Stricker, the defending champions, tied for third at 26 under with Chris DiMarco and Anthony Kim (61).

The 12 teams in the tournament hosted by Greg Norman at Tiburon Golf Club played modified alternate shot in the first round and better ball in the second. Johnson and Poulter split $750,000 from the $3 million purse.

Johnson and Poulter, who played for the rival U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams two months ago, made the perfect duo in the three-format tournament.

After a birdie on No. 3, they maintained sole possession of the lead, although Clarke and McDowell gave chase.

"They kind of pushed us around," Poulter said. "You know what, making the birdies they did, it was kind of good for us to see good shot after good shot, and good putts going in. It's a lot easier to hole putts when your playing partners do."

Funk-Perry and Kelly-Stricker started the day in front by a shot, but both teams started slowly. Funk-Perry made a birdie, then eight straight pars. Kelly-Stricker had three birdies on the front.

With Johnson putting first in the scramble format, Poulter took advantage, perhaps nowhere more so than on the par-4 15th. Holding a two-shot lead, Poulter knocked his approach to 7 feet after Clarke had put his close. After Johnson missed his putt, Poulter made his to keep the two-shot advantage.

The two teams parred the par-3 16th, but with the par-5 17th ahead, Clarke and McDowell had another chance. They couldn't reach the green in two, but neither could Johnson and Poulter.

"It was definitely a lot harder than it looked," Johnson said. "Standing there we were like, 'Oh, this is a piece of cake.'"

Poulter came through, pitching to 7 feet. Then Johnson made the putt to follow Clarke and McDowell's birdie.

"Ian is one of the best chippers of the ball in the world, and he was the man for the job," McDowell said. "He was pretty clutch today. He played great."

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PGA Tour Confidential: Dubai World Championship

Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Greetings, all: Lots to get to in this week's Confidential, so we won't have time to touch on Boise State's horrific loss to Nevada. Martin Kaymer became Europe's new No. 1 by finishing 13th in Dubai. First, though, Robert Karlsson won the Euro tour's season-ender on the second extra hole when Ian Poulter lost control of his golf ball, which landed on his ball mark, causing said ball mark to flip over on the green. For this, Poulter was assessed a one-stroke penalty. Karlsson might have won anyway, having set himself up with a three-foot birdie putt, but now Poulter didn't even have a chance. After a season of bunker/not bunker (Dustin Johnson, PGA Championship), plus other fiascos, do golf's rules need rewriting?

Mark Godich, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Some rules need to be revisited, but is it asking too much to ask a guy to hold onto his golf ball?

Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: There are a few head-scratchers, but overall the rules seem to work. This year has seen more than its share of odd situations and tough rulings.

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: The rules are the rules, so the penalties are what they are. At the same time, the spirit of the rules is the most important thing, and for that reason I think some rules could be re-examined.

Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: The rules have and will always stand the test of time. Some things always need revising, and that's why the rules are periodically reviewed and revised.

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Poulter was sloppy. And so was Dustin Johnson at the PGA. Leave the Rules of Golf alone.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Some golf rules could use a rewrite, but probably not this one. By accidentally moving his marker, Poulter effectively moved his ball. That's a correctable error on a green, so maybe the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Elsewhere on the course, however, you can't exactly re-create the ball's lie, so it's a necessary rule. As for D.J.'s episode, golf has been played forever without grounding a club in the bunker. I wouldn't change that one, either. The O.B. rule? Wind moving a ball on the green at address? I'd change those, for starters.

Mike Walker, senior editor, Golf Magazine: Yes! O.B. is the best place to start. While the arcane and mysterious Rules of Golf have a Hogwarts-like charm, they could use some streamlining.

Gorant: Yeah, the oscillating ball on the green thing seems unnecessarily punitive.

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Some of the penalties, like the one Poulter called on himself, seem silly. I know there is logic behind all the rules, but how about no harm, no foul?

Dusek: That's my point Jim. The spirit of the rules was not broken, and in this case it would be easy to place the ball in exactly the spot where the marker had been. I get it, but I hate to see championships decided on technicalities instead of good play.

Lipsey: It wasn't decided on a technicality. Everybody knew the rule, including Poulter. He broke the rule. Whether the rule should exist is another story.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Nothing about D.J.'s situation, or Poulter's, makes me think the rules need rewriting. But I'm with Gary and Walker: O.B. should be stroke, not distance. Just play it where it goes out.

Lipsey: How many of us could pass the USGA rules official exam? It's easy to criticize from the outside looking in.

Van Sickle: Who said anything about passing a rules exam? But we all know a bad rule when we see it/experience it/get hosed by it.

John Garrity, contributing writer, Sports Illustrated: I attended a USGA Rules Workshop for a story in GOLF magazine, and I couldn't pass the exam if you let Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo help me. The rules are truly mind-bending.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I think it's a cool little rule — you're penalized for being clumsy!

Van Sickle: Good thing it's not a penalty if your ball falls off the tee and you have to re-tee. Hey, what an idea!

THE RISE OF KAYMER
Morfit: Let's talk about Kaymer. He didn't play great, but he did what he needed to do and wound up winning the money title in Europe with just under $6 million. He's the second German to be crowned European No. 1 after Bernhard Langer, and the youngest since Ronan Rafferty in 1989. Will Kaymer eclipse Langer's two majors and nearly 60 other victories worldwide, or nearly 75 if you count the Champions tour? And what's the over/under on how long it takes this kid to hit No. 1 in the world?

Gorant: He's only 25, right? He's got a shot, but you have to be great for a long time to catch Bernie. Dude has definite game though — long, short and he can putt. He is the real deal.

Van Sickle: Kaymer is already halfway to two majors. I like him to best Langer in that category. Sixty wins? That's all about longevity, health and desire. Not sure he'll get that. As I wrote in my SI Sportsman of the Year nomination, this guy is for real. I wouldn't be surprised to see him barrel into No. 1 early in '11, pull away and stay there for a couple of years.

Garrity: I think Kaymer will have a hard time overtaking Langer for career wins, but he could match his majors total almost before I'm done typing this. K should win several majors in the next decade.

Van Sickle: Impressive that Garrity used K to describe someone other than his personal hero, Robert Karlsson, who in fact rose from obscurity to win the tourney this weekend.

Garrity: Is it a crime to like tall, intelligent golfers? Actually, after picking Karlsson to win the past 10 or 12 majors, I'd sort of cooled on him. At 41, this win might be his swan song.

Shipnuck: Kaymer's golf will be as spectacular as anything Langer produced — it already is. But Bernie may never be matched for consistency and sustained excellence. Kaymer enjoys earthly pursuits way more than Langer, which is fine, but it means he may not be grinding so hard when he's 40.

Lipsey: At 25, Ernie Els looked as good or better than Kaymer does now, and Ernie's got, what, three majors? It's the very, very rare player who can become a major and enduring star.

Dusek: Ernie and a host of other players were born in the wrong era. Kaymer won't have to deal with a dominant player the way they did.

Godich: True, but you have to be good AND a little lucky to win majors these days. Kaymer at Whistling Straits is proof of that. I would argue that winning three or four majors would be quite the career for any player in this era.

Van Sickle: Maybe Kaymer is the dominant player everyone else will have to deal with.

Dusek: That's certainly possible.

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GM back as golf sponsor, with Cadillac at Doral

DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Sponsor or no sponsor, the PGA Tour was coming back to Doral in 2011, even if no outside party was willing to pay the bill.

"It would have been expensive," Commissioner Tim Finchem quipped.

That's no longer a worry for Finchem when it comes to Doral, at least through 2016. Cadillac and the PGA Tour announced a six-year sponsorship deal Monday, the latest step by General Motors in its emergence from bankruptcy protection. The sides will meet again in the coming weeks to talk about extending the arrangement.

Doral's stop next March will be known as the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, and Cadillac also is now an umbrella sponsor of WGC events, as well. The deal has been expected for some time, and Finchem said he never experienced any angst about the chance of coming to Doral without a sponsor in March.

"Any time you're in a downturn, it takes longer to get things done," Finchem said. "Companies just generally work very, very hard to study all the options and price points and evaluate options. ... It was worth the wait. We would have preferred, obviously, to get started a little earlier."

Monday's deal was the first of several Finchem is expected to reveal in the coming days. The PGA Tour's 2011 schedule, with 47 events, will be released Thursday, although Finchem said "one or two" will not show a title sponsor.

"We're virtually 100 percent sponsored, just short of it," Finchem said. "But we don't anticipate any issues there. ... We have more tournaments than we can put on the schedule, candidly, but we have to be loyal to our historic tournament partners, and that's what we're trying. So we're going through a bit of a transition."

So, too, is Cadillac and GM's approach to golf.

Finchem said Cadillac has assured him that it will be "fully engaged" at Doral within the next few weeks. Cadillac and the PGA Tour are also in talks about bringing golf back to the Detroit area, although Finchem said it would be premature to expect a stop there as early as 2012.

Last year, the automaker ended its half-century run as sponsor of the Buick Open golf tournament near Flint, Mich., as it cut expenses while under bankruptcy court protection. Buick ended a nine-year endorsement deal with golf superstar Tiger Woods in 2008.

Buick had been the longest-standing corporate sponsor on the PGA Tour and once had its name on four tournaments - the Buick Classic in New York, the Buick Challenge in Georgia, the Buick Open and the Buick Invitational. It also took over the Buick Championship in Connecticut for three years after the Georgia event folded.

"I think it's safe to assume from today's announcement and from how we're positioning the brand that Cadillac will be the face of golf for GM going forward," Cadillac marketing Vice President Don Butler said. "It makes sense for our target customers, it makes sense for what we think of the brand."

GM has returned to profitability. It made $4.2 billion through the first three quarters of this year despite slow auto sales in the U.S. The company shed much of its debt and slimmed down to just four brands as it went through bankruptcy court last year, allowing it to make money on far lower sales volumes.

Butler said Cadillac views Doral as the right fit at the right time.

"We reach the right audience. We reach it in the right way," Butler said. "It's all about the presence of being able to target the right kind of customer for us, the affluent customer interested in luxury vehicles, the prominence of being associated with the PGA and the terrific players, the best players in the world playing at the highest level."

Doral is on the 2011 schedule for March 10-13.

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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

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