DICK’S WILL KEEP 30 OF 90 GOLFSMITHS

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. was named the winner at a bankruptcyrun auction for Golfsmith International Holdings Inc.’s U.S. stores, people familiar with the matter said.

Dick’s plans to keep open at least 30 stores, and liquidators Tiger Capital Group, Gordon Brothers Retail Partners and Hilco Merchant Resources will close the rest of the locations. Golfsmith has about 90 U.S. locations.

Golfsmith filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 14 and quickly won court approval to immediately close 20 of its worstperforming stores in the U.S. Like many other retailers, Golfsmith struggled with locations that are simply too big or in oversaturated markets.

The company simultaneously sought court protection in Canada with plans to sell its chain of 55 Golf Town stores to an entity controlled by two of its creditors.

The company’s financial woes reflect the waning popularity of golf, a sport that has seen the number of people hitting the links fall to about 24 million from a 2005 peak of 30 million, according the National Golf Foundation.

Many of the same bidders on Golfsmith’s U.S. stores and inventory turned up at the auction for Englewood-based Sports Authority. Dick’s scooped up Sports Authority’s brand name and other intellectual property for $13.5 million as well as 31 store leases for $8 million.