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Countdown begins with Rolex
14 June 2009
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With 175 days to go until the Dubai World Championship, the first official sponsor of this much anticipated season ending event of the inaugural Race to Dubai has been announced. In the week leading up to the European Open, Rolex, the worlds leading watch company and Official Timekeeper of the European Tour has officially announced its sponsorship of the Dubai World Championship which is already being heralded as the Ultimate Prize in Golf.
The partnership between Leisurecorp, a division of Nakheel Leisure, and Rolex also includes the significant sponsorship of this week’s European Open and the 2009 South African Open, which will take place at Pearl Valley Golf Estates, a Leisurecorp-owned golf resort.
The agreement is part of a long-term strategic partnership across Leisurecorp’s trilogy of tournaments and extends throughout its global portfolio of golf assets which includes Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, Pearl Valley Golf Estates in South Africa, and Turnberry in Scotland – host venue for The 138th Open Championship in 2009.
A key sponsor of the four main bodies governing golf worldwide, Rolex adds three more tournaments to its prestigious calendar of golf events through its partnership with Leisurecorp, thus reinforcing its enduring commitment to and support for world golf.
Jean-Noël Bioul, Co-Director, Sponsoring at Rolex, said:
“As one of the Tour’s longest standing sponsors and sponsor to more than 20 tournaments in The Race to Dubai, the decision to back such an exciting group of tournaments was a natural progression for our long-term support of golf and one that we are very excited about.
“The advent of The Race to Dubai and the drama that surrounds it has made this European Tour season arguably one of the most important in its long and distinguished history. Due to the quality of the competitors and the prize fund on offer, the grand finale in Dubai will be one of the most important sporting events to ever be hosted in the region and we are extremely pleased to be a part of it.”
