"Basically, if your commercials air during golf tournaments, you're done."

I admire Jim Gorant's optimism about the financial meltdown's impact on pro golf, but it seems a little early to say how this will play out.

Amy Poehler finished up a routine about the Wall Street meltdown on last week's Saturday Night Live by saying, "Basically, if your commercials air during golf tournaments, you're done." Funny, and seemingly true, since 26 banks, brokerage houses and insurance companies have their names attached to PGA, Champions and Nationwide tour events, and even more advertise during tournaments. The list includes AIG, Merrill Lynch, which was acquired by Bank of America (also a sponsor), and the troubled banks Northern Trust and Wachovia, the latter of which considered a merger with the Memorial's presenting sponsor, Morgan Stanley.

But not all is necessarily as it appears. "Competitors of those troubled giants like AIG and Merrill Lynch have every reason to pump up ad spending to steal away customers," Media Life magazine reported last week. "And of course the new owners of these institutions will want to up spending to repair what damage they can." To that point, Golf Channel president Page Thompson says, "At this time we have not seen any negative impact on either this year's sales or on future advertising plans."