In Boston, Donna Goodison reports Putnam Investments "has added to its athlete marketing roster with the signings of two more PGA Tour players" -- Jon Curran and Brendan Steele. The pair will be part of the Boston-based investment management company's "Performance In Motion" campaign "that also features golfer Keegan Bradley." Putnam "will debut digital advertising featuring the trio" during The Masters next week. The ads also "will run on the PGA Tour and ESPN mobile applications" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/2).
STACY'S DASH: KPMG Chair & CEO John Veihmeyer said the company’s new ad campaign featuring Stacy Lewis and Phil Mickelson is a “natural extension of the involvement we’ve got" with this summer's inaugural KPMG Women's PGA Championship. He said Lewis has been an "incredible ambassador" for the company. Veihmeyer: "We had started into our golf relationships with Phil Mickelson a few years before. We were incredibly happy with that and we felt like there was a gap in terms the not having a representative on the women’s tour as well.” Lewis noted filming the commercials with Mickelson was fun and said it was “great seeing him support the tournament” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 4/1).
LAB WORK: Illinois-based safety consulting firm Underwriters Laboratories has signed deals with LPGA golfers Shanshan Feng, Na Yeon Choi and Azahara Munoz. UL will begin title sponsoring the LPGA Int'l Crown event near Chicago next year. The tournament is a biennial event featuring eight national teams of four golfers. The trio of golfers will make global appearances on behalf of the company and wear the UL logo while competing through '16 (UL).
HITTING A DIFFERENT KIND OF IRONS: PGATOUR.com’s Brian Wacker writes Rory McIlroy will be the "first golfer to be featured” on the cover of Men's Health when he graces the front of the May issue. McIlroy has “transformed his body into something every fitness magazine reader aspires to, going from 24 percent body fat to a shredded 10 percent” since late ’10. McIlroy admitted that he has been “putting in a little extra time in the gym the few weeks leading up to the photo shoot for the magazine,” which goes on sale April 14 (PGATOUR.com, 4/2).
DREAM WORKS: PGA Tour RBC Heritage tournament organizers yesterday said that a North Charleston-made Boeing Dreamliner "will fly over the 18th hole of Harbour Town Golf Links during the second round" on April 17. In South Carolina, David Wren notes Boeing is a "presenting sponsor of the annual Hilton Head Island tournament, South Carolina’s only PGA event." The flyover is "scheduled to take place at noon, pending final flight certificates and clear weather" (Charleston POST & COURIER, 4/2).
