PGA Championship already drawing Atlanta's interest

"We're at the stage where we're trying to raise awareness," said Ryan Cannon, tournament director.

Unlike the Masters, which is played every April at Augusta National Golf Club, the PGA Championship is held at a different course every year. Hence, each tournament has to be promoted from scratch.

So far, even in a cautious economy, things are going well, Cannon said. On-course corporate hospitality chalets accommodating 30, 50 or 100 people are sold out at prices ranging from $90,000 to $300,000 and inventory has been added after initial expectations were met. Some hospitality inventory remains, such as 10-person clubhouse tables, but Cannon said, "It's good, positive momentum."

Ticket sales typically don't spike until closer to tournament time, but officials are hoping to sell up to 35,000 tickets a day, with daily passes running from $25 for practice sessions to $90 for weekend rounds. Up to four juniors, age 17 and under, per ticketed adult, can get in free.

The championship is the big revenue producer for the PGA of America, a non-profit association that promotes the game. While the event is profitable, thanks to TV broadcast rights revenue and tournament sales, it "is not managed purely by the bottom line," Cannon said. Ticket sales are capped, for example, to provide fans a comfortable, not chaotic experience.

The Atlanta Athletic Club, where the PGA Championship also was held in 2001 and in 1981, stands to gain, too, said Tom Adderhold, tournament general chairman.

The club gets a share of ticket, merchandise and corporate hospitality sales, but not TV revenue. It also covers some of the costs.

Adderhold said the attention the tournament will bring the club is more than worth the inconvenience to members.

"It's a benefit to the club to be recognized," he said.