Golf’s European Tour and DP World has today announced a ground-breaking evolution to their long-term partnership, with DP World becoming the new title sponsor of the group’s main tour from the start of the 2022 season.
There has been no confirmation of the value of the deal but it is almost certainly one of the most valuable sporting partnership deals in history.
The Tour will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022 and will see a minimum €2 million prize fund for every tournament, as part of a €140 million overall prize structure, outside of the Majors and the WGC events.
DP World is one of the world’s largest logistics companies and is owned by the government of Dubai.
DP World’s association with the European Tour spans more than a decade, first becoming a presenting partner of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates in its inaugural year in 2009 before the Rolex Series event was renamed the DP World Tour Championship in 2012.
The Tour will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, including new tournaments in the UAE, Japan, South Africa and Belgium and an expanded Rolex Series comprising five events: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
As part of this morning’s announcement, it was also confirmed that the Irish Open would be held at Mount Juliet between June 30th and July 3rd, just before the JP McManus Pro-Am in Adare Manor and just before the 150th Open Championship at St Andrew’s in Scotland.
That proximity to both star-studded events should ensure bumper field, and attendance, at the Kilkenny venue.
“Today’s announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our Tour,” said CEO Keith Pelley.
“The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022, coinciding with both of our 50th anniversaries, will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially it will benefit everybody involved – all our players, caddies, fans and partners – as well as making an important contribution to wider society.”
“The entire ecosystem of our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant deal, and that was essential to us and to DP World, who have been an incredible supporter of our Tour as well as golf more widely, from grassroots through to the elite professional game.”
“The DP World Tour is, therefore, a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘World’ in our new title better reflects our global reach.”
“DP World has been a partner of the European Tour for over a decade,” added Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World.
“Our long-standing partnership has provided an excellent platform to engage with customers, prospects, and stakeholders, and build our brand. We have relished the opportunity to support the Tour in growing the game of golf and improving access to the sport at all levels. The key to this success has been and will continue to be the shared vision and values that underpin the partnership.”
“We both have a global mindset, are committed to inclusivity, and invest in new technologies to stay competitive – attributes which today become the fundamental principles of the DP World Tour. As the leading provider of smart logistics solutions worldwide, we will use our people, assets, and connectivity to help grow the Tour further and change what’s possible in golf.”
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