Golfweek has learned that the golf brands in Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. — equipment makers Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO, which have their North American headquarters in Huntington Beach, California — will not attend the 2022 PGA Merchandise Show which is scheduled to take place in Orlando in two weeks.
In October, Jim Richerson, the president of the PGA of America, proudly announced that the 2022 PGA Merchandise Show would take place as an in-person event after the 2021 show was forced to be virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A month later, a list of companies planning to attend the largest gathering of PGA of America professionals, industry insiders, buyers, media members and influencers was released. Several of the largest golf equipment makers were noticeably absent from the list, including Callaway, Mizuno, PXG, TaylorMade, Titleist, Tour Edge and Wilson. PXG, which was founded in 2014, has never attended the show and TaylorMade stopped attending in 2018.
All three brands — Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO — were listed as planning to attend both Demo Day at Orange Country National Golf Club and the show itself at the Orange County Convention Center. Now, however, those brands will also be absent.
“Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO have been loyal partners for many years and we especially value working together in recent months on their 2022 PGA Show plans,” said Marc Simon, vice president of PGA Golf Exhibitions. “We understand the difficult decision they have made regarding this year’s event and look forward to their return in 2023. While COVID challenges continue for many, the positive registration response from PGA professionals and buyers and the participation of nearly 600 brands at the event point to the important role the PGA Show has in helping our industry adapt and move forward.”
When Richerson announced that the PGA Show would be an in-person event again, the United States was averaging between 80,000 and 90,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. According to the Center for Disease Control, there were over 363,000 cases reported in the United States on Sunday and more than 4.7 million over the last season days. The seven-day moving average of cases is over 674,000, the highest figure since the pandemic started. In Florida alone, nearly 50,000 people tested positive on Sunday and more than 450,000 have tested positive in the last seven days.
On Jan. 7, an email detailing the health and safety measures that will be in place at the PGA Merchandise Show was released. It stated that face coverings will be mandatory at all times inside the OCCC, regardless of vaccination status. Every person entering the show will have to confirm that he or she complies with daily health and safety guidelines, and is not experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus. Extensive health and cleaning measures are in place at OCCC and hand sanitizer will be available in many areas.
According to a PGA Show insider, over 10,000 industry professionals have registered to attend the show as of Monday evening.