PGA Tour Partners in with Party Poker

The young golfing stars of tomorrow will now be supported by a new arrangement between the PGA Europro Tour and Party Poker who step in to provide some much needed sponsorship. The tour is effectively the undercard to the main professional events and allows up and coming players the opportunity to develop and compete before they can step up to the bigger circuits.

The arrangement will run through the whole of 2019 and confirms Party Poker as the official brand of the PGA Europro Tour.

Exposure

In return for their welcome investment, the Party Poker brand will be very visible in all events that come under the auspices of the tour. While the Europro may not have the same following that the main circuits in the US and Europe enjoy, they are picked up on occasions by the live TV broadcasters and that clearly helps to boost the exposure that the operator will be looking forward to.

The better half of the deal may, however, land with the PGA Tour which needs vital capital to maintain tournaments and prize money which will help the individual players to blossom and make their mark in the sport. It’s a welcome arrangement and one that has been met enthusiastically by both sides.

Excited

Tom Waters, partypoker managing director, confirmed:

We are excited to come on board with the Euro ProTour for the forthcoming season and further strengthen our relationship with Matchroom Sport.

The tour hosts some of the most exciting events across Europe, and we look forward to supporting Matchroom in their quest to unearth the next generation of golfing stars.

Barry Hearn

Matchroom Sport and PGA EuroPro Tour chairman Barry Hearn responded:

I am delighted to welcome the support of partypoker with the PGA EuroPro Tour, with whom we have had a fantastic relationship over many years at Matchroom.

Our developmental golf tour has become one of the leading circuits for young professionals looking to become tomorrow’s superstars of the sport.

he said.

I am really looking forward to building on an already strong relationship with partypoker and can’t wait to see the benefits it will bring to all involved in the PGA EuroPro Tour.

Aggressive Push

2018 has been a very productive year for the Party Poker group and the contract with the PGA EuroPro Tour represents part of their plans for an even bigger 2019. The company was named Poker Operator of the Year for the second time in succession and is clearly looking to make a push that will secure a third title in a row.

The golf contract forms part of sponsorship plans that also take in events on the World Poker Tour. With operators facing tighter restrictions on open advertising, companies have to get creative with their marketing strategy and sponsorship provides them with the opportunity to do just that.

For now, it’s a welcome sight to see Party Poker cross into mainstream sport and it will be interesting to see if they follow up with any similar deals in the near future.