Updated

The PGA Tour announced on Wednesday that American Honda Co. Inc. has extended its sponsorship of this weekend's PGA Tour event through 2016.

The current agreement between the two entities was to have ended at the conclusion of this week's tournament. Honda, which started sponsoring this event in 1982, will remain the longest-running continuous title sponsor for a PGA Tour tournament.

"We are delighted to announce that Honda, which is celebrating its 31st year as title sponsor of The Honda Classic, has agreed to continue its long- standing support of the tournament through a new four-year agreement," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.

"The Honda Classic has been a mainstay on the Florida swing for more than 40 years and Honda has played an integral role in its success and growth over the past three decades. We're particularly pleased with the direction and identity of The Honda Classic after undergoing several significant changes five years ago, including the involvement of Jack and Barbara Nicklaus."

After being played at several courses, The Honda Classic settled at the Champion Course at PGA National in 2007. Jack Nicklaus has twice helped renovate the course, and the Children's Healthcare Charity, Inc. became the host organization with the Nicklaus' support,

Rory Sabbatini will defend his title at The Honda Classic starting on Thursday against a field that will include world Nos. 2 and 3, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, as well as Tiger Woods, who is playing the event for the first time since 1993.