伍兹挥杆的海报依然醒目。
老虎伍兹(Tiger Woods)或许尚未返回美国职业高尔夫巡回赛(PGA Tour)，不过Farmers Insurance Group却回来了。
Tiger Woods may not be back with the PGA Tour yet, but the Farmers Insurance Group is.
高尔夫界仍在等待全球最棒的高尔夫球手“老虎”伍兹的最终决定－－他是否会很快从自愿赋闲中返回，及时赶上下个月举行的高尔夫名人赛(Masters tournament)。
The golf world continues to await final word on whether the world's best player will soon return from his self-imposed layoff in time for the Masters tournament next month.
美国职业高尔夫巡回赛组织专员芬切姆(Tim Finchem)说，他正在等待伍兹及其代表就伍兹何时重返赛场作出决定。目前伍兹正在忙着应对婚外恋带来的不良后果。芬切姆在周一的电话会议上没有谈及他预计伍兹何时会回话。
PGA commissioner Tim Finchem said he is awaiting word from Mr. Woods, who is dealing with the fallout from his extra-marital affairs, and his representatives on when the golfer will return. Mr. Finchem said little in a conference call Monday about when he expected that information to come.
芬切姆谈到有关3月底和4月初的所有猜测时说，如果他回来，我们会很快知道的。他已经为未来几周的一系列赛事实施了数项紧急方案，方案取决于伍兹决定何时现身。
'As far as all the speculation related to late March and early April, if he is going to start back then we will know pretty soon,' said Mr. Finchem, who has put a number of contingency plans into motion at a series of tournaments in the coming weeks depending on when Mr. Woods decides to show up.
伍兹参加的比赛能极大地提高收视率。据尼尔森(Nielsen)的数据，今年以来，周日职业高尔夫巡回赛(Sunday PGA Tour)的收视率下滑了11%，尽管伍兹在上个赛季的第一个季度因伤缺席了比赛。
Mr. Woods spikes television ratings significantly when he plays. So far this year, Sunday PGA Tour telecasts are off 11%, according to Nielsen media, even though Mr. Woods missed the first quarter of last season with an injury.
伍兹的阵营没有披露他复出的时间，不过一位知情人士周一说，伍兹参加4月8日至11日在奥古斯塔国家高尔夫俱乐部(Augusta National Golf Club)举行的名人赛是“可能的”。
Mr. Woods's camp has been quiet about the timing of his return, though a person familiar with the matter Monday characterized a return for The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club April 8-11 as 'likely.'
与此同时，位于加州的Farmers公司同意赞助未来四个赛季在圣地亚哥Torrey Pines高尔夫球场每年1月份举行的职业高尔夫巡回赛活动。芬切姆称这一交易为“市场水平”。 Farmers是苏黎世金融服务(Zurich Financial Services)旗下子公司。
Meanwhile California-based Farmers, a unit of Zurich Financial Services, has agreed to sponsor the PGA Tour's January event at San Diego's Torrey Pines golf course for the next four seasons in a deal Mr. Finchem described as 'market level.'
Farmers 1月份突然行动，同意了最后一刻达成的一项价格较低的交易，向职业高尔夫巡回赛支付约350万美元，赞助Torrey Pines高尔夫球场2010年的活动。职业高尔夫巡回赛的冠名赞助费通常要600万至900万美元。
Farmers swooped in in January and agreed to a last-minute, discounted deal that paid the PGA Tour about $3.5 million to sponsor the Torrey Pines event for 2010. Title sponsorship deals on the PGA Tour generally cost between $6 million and $9 million.
在该交易达成后，职业高尔夫巡回赛明年的十几个赛事仍需要赞助商，不过芬切姆说，这只比正常水平略高。
The deal leaves the Tour with about a dozen tournaments on next year's calendar that still need sponsors, though Mr. Finchem has said this is only slightly more than usual. |
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