Your assertion that beer companies have deep pockets is valid if you think AB/InBev or Miller-Coors (yes, they are one and the same now) are going to pony up big bucks to a sport that has no consumer demand. In other words, why would they spend money to market to such a small audience? Trust me, they won't.
Instead, working with craft brewers who don't have cold hard cash to throw at the event, but appreciate the brand exposure they can create by providing the necessary libations for the event creates a mutually beneficial situation. I would suggest that a great way to help feed Steve's vision of significant enough purses to allow top pros to earn a decent living would be for top tier tourneys to partner with local craft brewers to sell beer at events to spectators. The proceeds could be split between the tournament and the brewery, allowing the brewery to cover product and staffing and still generating significant income for the tournament to defray costs and thus increase the purse.
I know it works for many other events my brewery partners with, and while I know our sponsorship of the Vibram was good for both of us, I think there is some untapped (no pun intended) potential for craft breweries and DG to capitalize on a significant shared demographic.
$0.02 from somebody who gets to see it from both sides.