(PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL) — The International Federation of PGA Tours has announced that Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. has become an Official Sponsor of the World Golf Championships for 2005.
Bridgestone Sports is a worldwide leader in manufacturing and marketing premium golf equipment including balls, clubs and accessories.
“We are pleased to announce Bridgestone’s new role as an Official Sponsor of the World Golf Championships,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours. “We look forward to a long-term relationship with Bridgestone and hope that it will grow over time.”
“We are honored to enter into this relationship with the World Golf Championships,” said Hisashi Kawano, the president of Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. “The World Golf Championships is a highly regarded international series of events that fits perfectly with the international nature of the Bridgestone family of brands.”
The World Golf Championships series features elite players in a variety of competitive formats at venues around the world. Since the series debut in 1999, World Golf Championships have been held in seven countries. When the Algarve World Cup in Portugal is held this November, that number will increase to eight.
The agreement will allow for Bridgestone to advertise and leverage on-site relationship building benefits around each of the three remaining 2005 World Golf Championships events. The next World Golf Championships event is the NEC Invitational, August 16-21 at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, followed by the American Express Championship at San Francisco’s Harding Park Golf Course, October 4-9 and the Algarve World Cup in Portugal, November 15-20 at the Victoria Clube de Golfe-Vilamoura, in the Algarve region of Portugal. The first World Golf Championships event of the year, the Accenture Match Play Championship, took place in February at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California and was won by David Toms.
Additionally, Bridgestone gains the right to promote its Official Sponsor status in all of its advertising.
Accenture, American Express, NEC and Portugal are worldwide Umbrella Sponsors of the World Golf Championships, while JELD-WEN, Kohler and Bridgestone are Official Sponsors.
About the World Golf Championships:
This year marks the seventh year of the World Golf Championships, which debuted in 1999. The World Golf Championships are sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The World Golf Championships include the Accenture Match Play Championship, American Express Championship, NEC Invitational and Algarve World Cup in Portugal.
For more information, please visit www.worldgolfchampionships.com .
About Bridgestone Sports:
Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. manufactures and markets premium golf balls, clubs and accessories globally including the North American market under the Precept and Bridgestone brand names. Based in Tokyo, Bridgestone Corporation is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of automotive parts, most notably tires, and industrial goods, and chemical products. Bridgestone is represented on a world stage by a number of internationally famed golfers including, Fred Couples, Stuart Appleby, Shigeki Maruyama and Nick Price.
