Pilot Pen Drops Its Sponsorship of Tournament

INDIAN WELLS — Pilot Pen Corp., sponsor of the $435,000 men’s tennis tournament at Grand Champions, will not renew its option for another three years of sponsorship. This move made Newsweek magazine the principal sponsor of the event next year.

“There are no ill feelings,” Ron Shaw, Pilot Pen president, said. “It’s just a cold, calculating business deal. I have a feeling a lot of people will not understand or may not agree with543781934and the tournament.”

Tournament director Charlie Pasarell wants to eventually hold a two-week men’s and women’s event at the Grand Champions complex, according to Shaw. Since a tournament of that size requires a much larger sponsor investment, the corporation wasn’t ready to make that commitment.

Pilot Pen sponsored the tournament in 1985 and 1986 at La Quinta before the site was switched to Indian Wells this year.