Golf’s PGA Tour has renewed its marketing partnership with the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
The new four-year deal will run until 2022, with the PGA Tour to continue promoting the US state’s golf and tourism industry as part of the agreement.
The Tour opened the 2018 calendar year with last week’s Tournament of Champions event at Kapalua on Maui, which was won by Dustin Johnson (pictured). Hawaii will host its second consecutive event this weekend with the Sony Open taking place in Honolulu on O’ahu. The PGA Tour Champions also opens its season next week with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai.
The HTA supports these tournaments and also uses golf media to showcase the state’s islands and their activities, with players filmed taking part in off-the-course activities while visiting.
George Szigeti, president and chief executive of the HTA, said: “The PGA Tour and Hawaii are a perfect pairing for hosting a global sports showcase in combining a worldwide sports brand with an iconic tropical setting revered by travellers, especially at a time when people everywhere are bundled up from winter’s chill.”
The sponsorship dates back to 2001 when the PGA Tour and HTA, created by the state legislature to oversee Hawaii’s multi-billion tourism industry, aligned to highlight Hawaii’s professional golf tournaments as a marketing package that could serve as the promotional cornerstone for the state’s $1bn (€835.4m) golf industry.