Subscribe to sportbusiness

Golf

All the latest sport business news from the world of Golf. For more, click the categories on the left or use the search box to look through our massive sport business news archive.


UniCredit becomes official UEFA Champions League partner - 14 Jan 2009

UEFA agreed a deal with the UniCredit Group to become an official partner of the UEFA Champions League for the new 2009-2012 cycle, as well as for the UEFA Super Cup in 2009-11.

PGA signs travel deal with golfbreaks.com - 06 Jan 2009

Golfbreaks.com, Europe’s largest golf travel company has become a PGA Official Supplier.

Over 160m rounds of golf played in EMA region, survey says - 19 Dec 2008

Over 160 million rounds of golf were played in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2007, according to KPMG’s third annual Golf Benchmark Survey.

Irish Open signs new sponsor - 11 Dec 2008

Mobile phone company 3 are set to announce a three-year deal to sponsor the Irish Open, according to the BBC.

Number of golf courses in North Africa to double, report says - 10 Dec 2008

The number of golf courses in North Africa is set to double, according to new research by KPMG.

Indian Masters postponed - 08 Dec 2008

Next year's Indian Masters has been postponed because of the global financial downturn and security concerns, organisers have confirmed.

ESPN acquires Women's British Open rights - 04 Dec 2008

US broadcaster, ESPN, agreed an eight year deal to show all four rounds of the Ricoh Women’s British Open live on ESPN with the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

PGA unveils Moscow plans - 02 Dec 2008

Russia unveils plans for a PGA-branded golf course and academy near Moscow.

Golf course costs increase by 20 per cent - 27 Nov 2008

The cost of developing an 18-hole golf course has increased by more than 20 per cent in the past three to five years, according to a new report.

US PGA to change play-off structure - 27 Nov 2008

US PGA Tour officials announced changes to their season-ending play-off chase that should see more drama building toward the Tour Championship starting next year, Eurosport reports.

GM ends Tiger Woods sponsorship deal - 26 Nov 2008

Troubled American car manufacturer, General Motors, announced that it is ending its sponsorship deal with the world's most recognisable athlete, Tiger Woods.

UK Foundation to swing golf’s Olympic bid

With seven sports on the shortlist for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics Games, the International Golf Federation (IGF) set out its bid to the IOC last week with the youth-engagement work of the UK Golf

LPGA Tour schedule to shrink in 2009 - 20 Nov 2008

Next year's LPGA Tour will feature three events less than 2008, largely due to the global financial crisis, Reuters reports.

Brits claim SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards

Two giants of British sports management - Ken Schofield (pictured) and Bernie Ecclestone - were honoured with gongs at a glittering black tie gala dinner in London on Wednesday to mark the 2nd SportBu

Turner Sports will not renew British Open Deal - 13 Nov 2008

US broadcaster, Turner Sports, will not renew its current seven-year rights deal to carry golf’s British Open when the deal expires after the 2009 event in July.

Open looks to sign US TV deal - 04 Nov 2008

An imminent new US TV deal will help keep ticket prices for golf’s 2009 Open at Turnberry at the same level as this year's championship, organisers have said.

Change of venue for AT&T National - 17 Oct 2008

The Tiger Woods-hosted AT&T National golf competition will move from Bethesda, Maryland to suburban Philadelphia in 2010 and 2011, Reuters reports.

PGA Grand Slam to return to Bermuda - 15 Oct 2008

The end-of-season PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which brings together the winners of the four majors, will return to Bermuda for the next two years.

Turkey wins 2012 World Championships in Golf - 14 Oct 2008

The International Golf Federation (IGF) awarded the city of Antalya, Turkey, the right to host the 2012 World Team Amateur Championships in Golf (WATC), its largest event.

European Tour golf can withstand financial crisis - 10 Oct 2008

Golf's European Tour will be largely unaffected by the global financial crisis in 2009, the tour's director of international policy Keith Waters said.

Golf sponsorship to top $1.36bn - 07 Oct 2008

North American-based companies will spend an estimated $1.36 billion to sponsor pro and amateur golf tournaments, sanctioning bodies and related events this year, according to new research.

Wasserman media group expands golf practice into Europe - 05 Sep 2008

The launch of the European golf practice follows the success of WMG's US practice, formed 18 months ago and includes clients such as JJ Henry and Hunter Mahan.

Golfers ‘must’ speak English - 27 Aug 2008

Deputy Commissioner of the tour, Libba Galloway, said: “We live in a sports-entertainment environment.

Low ratings for PGA Tour - 20 Aug 2008

According to US press reports, ratings for the British Open were down by almost one-third from 2007, whilst a round in the tour’s Canadian Open drew a rating of under 1.0 – around a million viewer

Setanta to show World Series of Golf - 13 Aug 2008

Under the deal, Setanta will broadcast four separate one-hour segments during the twelve months following the initial October broadcast.

LPGA seeks $4m sponsor - 05 Aug 2008

The details of the package are vague, although on-site activation, hospitality and some form of naming or presenting rights are expected to be part of any deal.

Highest-paid female athletes play tennis or golf - 23 Jul 2008

US magazine, Forbes, reports that the highest-paid female athletes come almost exclusively from tennis and golf, which offer higher levels of prize money and greater opportunities for endorsement.

ESPN website breaks sports streaming record - 22 Jul 2008

ESPN said that figures were boosted by coverage of the US Open Golf Championship and Euro 2008, with viewers averaging about three hours watching online.

BT to offer Setanta Sports for free - 14 Jul 2008

According to the Times newspaper, Setanta Sports 1, which costs £10.99 a month, will be incorporated into a new package for BT customers who sign up to its Option 3 broadband service for heavy users.

Robin Gibson joins Octagon as head of golf - 14 Jul 2008

Gibson has worked for iconic sports brands such as Taylormade adidas and within sport as Commercial Director for the Solheim Cup and Sales Director of the Football League Championships.

Yahoo, Turner Sports forge online partnership - 11 Jul 2008

Turner will manage advertising sales on these websites and the two companies will share the revenue.

Setanta agrees distribution deal with Top Up TV - 02 Jul 2008

Under the deal, Setanta Sports will be available via Top Up TV’s digital television recorder set-top box alongside content from the Top Up TV Anytime Video on Demand and Picture Box movie subscripti

PGA Tour will feature $1m ‘Kodak Challenge’ - 27 Jun 2008

Selected PGA Tour tournaments will feature a Kodak Challenge hole; the player to post the lowest score relative to par across 18 of these holes will win the challenge.

Golf's World Matchplay to move to Spain - 24 Jun 2008

The event has been held at Wentworth in England since its inception in 1964. It does not take place this year but is to move to Spain in 2009 under a round-robin format.

Sky Sports to screen US Open until 2014 - 17 Jun 2008

The deal with the US Golf Association (USGA) also gives Sky Sports live rights for the US Open Women’s Championship, the US Senior Open Championship, the US Amateur Championships, the Walker Cup, th

RBS to sponsor USGA - 02 Jun 2008

RBS has agreed a four-year deal with the USGA, the national governing body of the United States, its territories and Mexico, to become a commercial partner of all USGA Championships including the US O

Americans sign up for hospitality at The 2010 Ryder Cup - 30 May 2008

Just three months after the launch of the corporate hospitality packages for the event, several major North American corporations have already signed up, including the US telecommunications giant AT&T

Pro Golf Tour of India signs exclusive partnership deal - 12 May 2008

Under the deal, Sport 18 acquired the exclusive broadcasting rights for the PGTI and will use its marketing expertise to promote professional golf, while CNBC-TV18 will be the official broadcast partn

NBC sports to air US Open in primetime - 30 Apr 2008

The championship is scheduled to air 4-10 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on June 14 from Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California.

PGA TOUR Completes S&T Conference Sponsorship Panel Line-up - 29 Apr 2008

A popular speaker at the inaugural Sport and Technology: The Conference in 2005, Johnson has been with the PGA TOUR since November 2000 overseeing strategy and development for new media platforms, new

EDS extends Byron Nelson Championship deal - 25 Apr 2008

This is the second early extension agreed by EDS since it became title sponsor in 2003.

Emirates renews sponsorship of BMW Asian Open - 24 Apr 2008

This year’s Asian open, which has a prize purse of $2.3 million, will be held at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club from April 24th to 27, and will be the first ever tri-sanctioned – Chinese Gol

Dubai World Championship selects Norman-designed course - 22 Apr 2008

The Earth course is one of two that Norman is designing for Jumeirah Golf Estates, a new residential and golf course development in Dubai that will also become the international headquarters of the Eu

PGA Tour backs golf for Olympic inclusion - 16 Apr 2008

Writing on the PGA’s blog, Tim Finchem, said: “I see two very positive developments coming from including golf as an Olympic sport.

ESPN Star sports renews rights for golf’s Masters - 07 Mar 2008

Under the deal ESPN Star Sports will bring ‘live’ coverage of all the four days’ action from the Augusta National Golf Club as well as packages including half-hour daily highlights and ‘live

Golf’s Open Championship boosts economic growth - 26 Feb 2008

This is just one of the findings from a recent economic impact assessment undertaken by Comperio Research – the research division of IMG.

KPMG signs up Mickelson - 08 Feb 2008

KPMG is in competition for business with Accenture, which has employed world No. 1, Tiger Woods, as the focus of its advertising since 2003.

Phoenix Coyotes to sponsor PGA golfer - 30 Jan 2008

The deal, which is believed to be the first of its kind, will see Quinney wear the Coyotes logo on his shirt during tournaments starting at this week's FBR Open in Scottsdale.

Neo Sports wins US PGA TV rights - 23 Jan 2008

In addition to live coverage, Neo Sports Plus will air two shows every week produced by the PGA: The PGA Tour Highlights, which will focus on the highlights of the previous week's PGA action, and Insi

Trump gets green light for golf course plan - 13 Dec 2007

The application, which includes two championship golf courses, a five-star hotel, a golf academy, almost 1,000 holiday homes and 500 private houses, had previously been thrown out by the Scottish coun

Woods to sit out 'the Race to Dubai' - 13 Dec 2007

"There is really no way I can keep up the commitment level that I have by playing that much golf," said Woods.

AT&T ends Atlanta event title sponsorship after 2008 - 10 Dec 2007

AT&T notified the PGA Tour and the Atlanta Classic Foundation that it is exercising its option to discontinue as title sponsor, although it will continue its significant charitable commitment, associa

Japanese and Australian Golf Tours plan Asia Circuit for 2009 - 06 Dec 2007

The plans could see tournaments from India to New Zealand and the circuit may be formed as early as 2009.

De Vere agrees deal for PGA Seniors Championship - 04 Dec 2007

De Vere agreed a three-year deal with The Professional Golfers' Association, renewing its association with the Championship having previously sponsored the event from 1996 to 2005.

Setanta raises financial war chest - 26 Nov 2007

The funding has come from a share issue to existing investors and will be used to pay for rights acquisitions such as next year's deal to show England international and FA Cup games.

Finchem welcomes Euro Tour cash boost - 22 Nov 2007

He described the he season-ending event, which launches in 2009, as “great for professional golf globally.”

Trump on course for £1 billion golf resort - 21 Nov 2007

Plans for the £1 billion golf resort in Aberdeenshire - the Trump International Links scheme - includes two championship golf courses, 950 holiday homes and 36 golf villas.

European Tour’s richest event ever at $20 million - 19 Nov 2007

According to UK media reports the event will have a total prize pot of $10 million, with a further $10 million to be divided as bonus money among the highest-ranked players at the end of the 2009 seas

Seven extends Australian Open rights deal - 13 Nov 2007

Under the new deal, Seven acquired the free-to-air rights from 2009-14, exclusive pay-TV rights from 2010-14 and exclusive new media rights for 2008-18.

Canadian Open banks new sponsorship deal - 02 Nov 2007

The deal, which takes effect next year, is reported to be worth around C$4 million a year

Tiger Woods brands Gatorade drink - 17 Oct 2007

Gatorade Tiger will be unveiled to the public in March 2008 and marks the golfer’s first US deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement.

BBC Sport extends Masters contract - 16 Oct 2007

The agreement includes live television, radio and additional online rights.

Emirates sponsors Australian PGA Championship - 24 Sep 2007

The Australian PGA Championship is the country’s oldest professional golf tournament and is becoming 'the must see event in Australia' according to Max Garske, chief executive officer of the PGA of

Volvo sponsors the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2007 - 20 Sep 2007

Volvo has an association with the European Tour since 1970 and will provide a fleet of vehicles for the tour.

FBR put five years onto Arizona golf deal - 31 Aug 2007

The four-year deal of Arizona’s FBR Open will take the branding through until 2012. As title sponsor, FBR will continue to be the primary television advertiser on the network broadcast.

Tour row talks look to thaw golfing relations - 28 Aug 2007

The two sides have been at loggerheads after the European Tour confirmed events on its calendar in India and South Korea.

PGA.COM SETS RECORD STREAMING AND TRAFFIC NUMBERS - 16 Aug 2007

PGA.com saw more than two million total streams, a 116 per cent increase over last year, which already surpasses the top month in site history, and also received record-breaking traffic during the fou

SOUTH AMERICAN GOLF BECOMES PGA TOUR ASSOCIATE - 31 Jul 2007

The Venezuela-based TLA joins the Canadian Tour as an associate member.

MASTERCARD SIGNS AS SENIOR OPEN PRESENTING SPONSOR - 31 Jul 2007

MasterCard Worldwide was previously the presenting sponsor of the Championship from 2000-2004. From 2004, MasterCard Worldwide has been associated with the event as a championship patron.

SKY SPORTS STRIKES BACK IN UK TV GOLF BATTLE - 12 Jul 2007

The UK marketplace has become more competitive since the launch of Setanta’s highly publicised Golf Channel with extensive coverage from the USA.

BALLANTINE’S WHISKY TO SPONSOR ASIAN GOLF TOURNAMENT - 04 Jul 2007

The first Ballantine’s Championship will be held in March 2008 at the Pinx Golf Club, Jeju Island and will be part of the European Tour’s 2008 international schedule.

ZURICH EXTENDS TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF NEW ORLEANS PGA EVENT - 04 Jul 2007

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be held in the last two weeks of March 2008 and hopes to attract top players. Neither Zurich nor PGA revealed the value of the deal extension.

R&A INCREASE PRIZE FUND FOR THE OPEN - 04 Jul 2007

The figure represents a rise of £30,000 from last year and helps push the prize fund up £200,000 on 2006 to £4.2m. Prizes distributed across the field rise by an average of five percent.

FINCHEM CALLS FOR GOLF DRUG TEST UNITY - 21 Jun 2007

Finchem has fiercely defended the sport from suggestions in the past of any inappropriate drug use, but admits going into the future it must have a clear strategy.

DUBAI SPORTS CITY UNVEILS INTERNATIONAL EVENTS STRATEGY - 06 Jun 2007

Speaking to the Dubai International Sports Conference 2007, Malcolm Thorpe, Marketing Director, Sports Business, Dubai Sports City, explained, 'Our commercial strategy looks to support one major event

EUROPEAN TOUR CONSIDERS JOINING FORCES WITH OTHER TOURS - 29 May 2007

European Tour chief executive George O'Grady said the " idea of amalgamating with other tours to put on a really attractive schedule, by whatever name we call it, is one we are in the final stages of

GENWORTH FINANCIAL SPONSORS EUROPEAN TOUR STATS - 23 May 2007

The newly renamed “Genworth Financial Statistics” was launched at the recent Open de España at the Centro Nacional de Golf in Madrid.

KINGSPAN GROUP SPONSORS GOLF’S IRISH OPEN - 11 May 2007

Kingspan joins a list of Partners and Official Sponsors who have decided to support the new sponsorship model for the event.

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC PARTNERS PGA TOUR - 17 Apr 2007

The deal will see the introduction of state-of-the-art Diamond Vision™ LED scoreboards at PGA Tour events.

BARCLAYS BANK ON SCOTTISH OPEN - 20 Feb 2007

The new six-year deal will support the event staged annually at Loch Lomond Golf Club. As part of the deal, the prize fund for this July’s event will rise by £500,000 to £3m.

BMW TEAMS UP WITH THE HSBC NEW ZEALAND PGA - 15 Feb 2007

BMW Group NZ Managing Director, Mark Gilbert said that the NZ PGA is a major highlight in the New Zealand sporting calendar.

TAYLORMADE-ADIDAS SIGNS UP CHINESE GOLF - 14 Feb 2007

Under the three-year agreement, TMaG will supply China's teams with its golfing equipment and apparel, with TMaG's flagship brands -Taylor Made, adidas Golf and Maxfli - becoming the official brands o

PGA TOUR’S INTERNATIONAL SET TO BE CANCELLED - 08 Feb 2007

Although no decision has been formally announced, it is reported that the absence of a corporate sponsor was mostly responsible for the cancellation of the 21-year-old tournament.

EUROSPORT RECRUITS NEW COMMS CHIEF - 01 Feb 2007

She will report directly to Laurent-Eric Le Lay, chairman and CEO of Eurosport, and lead a communications team of 40 staff spread across ten countries.

DON’T BANK ON HSBC FOR WORLD MATCH PLAY - 31 Jan 2007

Just five years ago the firm unveiled a multi-million dollar ten-year sponsorship of the event, traditionally held at Wentworth in the UK, and with it a £1m top prize.

OMEGA TITLE SPONSORS GOLF’S WORLD CUP - 30 Jan 2007

The 12-year contract, concluded at The European Tour's headquarters at Wentworth, England, will see Mission Hills Golf Club, China, host the Omega Mission Hills World Cup until the year 2018.

MARKAZ TO SPONSOR FOR QATAR MASTERS - 25 Jan 2007

The 10th edition of the Qatar Masters, held at the Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar, takes place this week.

PODS TO SPONSOR PGA EVENT - 25 Jan 2007

Clearwater-based PODS (Portable On Demand Storage), signed on for six years, and part of the deal includes being the official storage company of the PGA Tour.

PGA TOUR KICKS OFF NEW FORMAT FOR TV GAINS - 05 Jan 2007

Players will now compete in a season-long points competition that runs 37 weeks, from the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii this week to the Tour Championship in Atlanta that concludes Sep

INPUT MEDIA BROADCAST CENTRE SET FOR SETANTA LAUNCH - 04 Jan 2007

A new Transmission Suite has been built at Input Media’s Production Centre, based around Omneon server technology, Pebble Beach Automation and Miranda Presentation equipment.

SKY SPORTS 2006 – MORE SPORT THAN EVER BEFORE - 02 Jan 2007

Across its five core channels – Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3, Sky Sports Xtra and Sky Sports News - there were over 800 more hours of sport than in 2005.

PERTH SECURES LEXUS CUP - 20 Dec 2006

The event will be held at The Vines Resort and Country Club in December. It was also confirmed Western Australia had secured the first option to host it again in 2010 and 2013.

BIG NAMES LINE-UP FOR GOLFEX DUBAI - 20 Dec 2006

As well as representatives from the PGA European Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour, the two-day event has also attracted key figures from the Ladies European Tour and the USPGA for the second

CNN TUNES IN FOR QATAR MASTERS - 19 Dec 2006

The firm will become global media sponsor for the PGA European Tour and Asian Tour event which takes place at the Doha Golf Club from January 25-28.

IRELAND WIN RIGHT TO HOST 2011 SOLHEIM CUP - 15 Dec 2006

The women’s game’s equivalent to the Ryder Cup will be held at the venue in County Meath after it beat off rival bids from courses in England, Italy, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland and Spain.

IEC SECURE BANGKOK GOLF RIGHTS - 15 Dec 2006

The event sees five of the victorious European Ryder Cup team travel to take on the cream of Asia players on January 12–14 at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

BT SIGNS LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE DEAL - 04 Dec 2006

Irish-based broadcaster Setanta acquired the rights for 46 Premier League matches in a three-year deal from 2007-08 to 2009-10.

TELKOM SPONSORS WOMEN'S GOLF - 27 Nov 2006

The Platinum sponsorship will include the provision of media centre infrastructure, WiFi connectivity and the hosting of the Women's World Cup of Golf official website.

SCANDIANAVIAN AGENCY SIGNS UP ATHLETES - 21 Nov 2006

It signed an agreement with the management company of Henrik Lundqvist of the NHL’s New York Rangers. Under the deal SportBusinessNordic will handle his commercial rights in Europe.