Golf

Nike has released a video ahead of the return of The Open to Northern Ireland. 

Returning after 68 years to Royal Portrush, the video tells the story of Rory Mcilroy who holds the course record of 61, shot at the age of 16. 

Sky has agreed a three-year extension to its rights deal for The Open, while the NBC Sports Group division of US media company NBCUniversal has agreed a global digital media partnership for the Ryder Cup.

Sky’s new contract with The R&A covers the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions of golf’s only men’s major played outside of the United States.

The R&A has announced that the prize fund for this year’s edition of the Women’s British Open golf event will increase by almost 40% to $4.5m.

As a result, the winner will receive $675,000. The announcement comes after AIG in November agreed a five-year deal to become title sponsor of the competition.

VisitScotland and EventScotland have launched a promotional campaign #sportingsisters ahead of a packed summer of women’s sport in the country.

Scotland will host six European and international sporting events over the next three months, beginning with the UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship from 16th-28th July. The Women’s Eurohockey Championship Division II will follow from 4th-10th August, while the inaugural Women’s Tour of Scotland cycling event takes place from 9th-11th August.

GolfPass, a joint venture between the NBC Sports  and golf star Rory McIlroy, has launched in the UK and Ireland.

The direct-to-consumer subscription program launched in North America in February and is the product of two years of development and collaboration between Rory McIlroy Inc. and NBC Sports.

GOLFTV, the OTT platform owned by US media company Discovery, has announced the launch of a new, exclusive 12-episode series promising “a golf lesson none of you’ve had before” from Tiger Woods.

GOLFTV has teamed up with Golf Digest, which Discovery acquired from Condé Nast last month, for the venture, building on its ongoing partnership with the 15-time major winner.

Creative agency TwelfthMan has worked with The R&A to launch Origins at The Open, a new hospitality package that will debut during the 2020 edition of the golf tournament at Royal St George’s.

Origins at The Open will explore the history of the competition and celebrate the people who have helped make the major championship a success. The new hospitality packages will officially launch in June.

The experiences will showcase the skills of engravers, caddies, clubmakers, greenkeepers and scorers, and celebrate early champions. 

Mastercard has stepped up its commitment to women’s football by signing sponsorship deals with Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais.

It becomes the first major official partner of Arsenal Women Football Club, the recently-crowned Women’s Super League champions. The length of the agreement was not disclosed.

The length of the company's deal with Lyon was also not disclosed. Lyon on Saturday won the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the fourth year in a row and the club has also won the French league title for the past 13 seasons.

The European Tour has agreed a three-year partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

In addition to supporting all 46 events in 31 countries throughout the 2019 Race to Dubai competition, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will be an official supplier at European Tour tournaments in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Ireland.

During the Race to Dubai season, players, staff and fans will have the opportunity to experience Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s customer service, as well as a wide selection of vehicles at more than 1,000 locations across Europe.

US media company Discovery has furthered its commitment to golf by acquiring leading media brand Golf Digest from Condé Nast.

The acquisition is set to create a programming engine for Discovery’s GOLFTV OTT platform, which will now house Golf Digest content alongside its existing coverage of the PGA Tour, European Tour and Ladies European Tour.

Discovery will now reach US golf fans through instructional videos, equipment advice, course rankings, travel destinations, online bookings and more.