Golf Channel in advance of the British Open at Royal Birkdale later this month took the Claret Jug on a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S. for the first time to drum up interest in golf’s third major. The 14-city tour began in L.A. in April, where the trophy found its way onto the set of NBC's “The Voice” at Universal Studios, as well as a Clippers practice. The trophy then traveled its way up the Golden State, stopping by Twitter HQ in S.F. and then Sacramento. Stops in Las Vegas, Phoenix and a visit to the Cowboys in Dallas preceded a trip to the Windy City, where the Jug visited Big Ten Network HQ and Wrigley Field. It followed up its stay at the ballpark with MLB games in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. After that, the trophy visited Miami and then SBJ/SBD HQ in Charlotte before heading over to the NASCAR HOF. After dropping by N.Y. and the set of NBC's "Today," the Claret Jug attended a DC United game before finally reaching Golf Channel HQ in Orlando. In all, the trophy visited 14 American cities in just under three months, making 50-plus stops along the way and traveling 13,122 miles.
YOU GOT THE SILVER: Golf Channel in each city gave fans the chance to get up close and take photos with the Claret Jug. Fans could also hand-engrave a ball marker, an ode to the winner of the British Open having his name engraved on the Claret Jug. Over 35,000 personal ball markers were engraved. Golf Channel Senior VP/Marketing Regina O'Brien said, “You want people to engage with the trophy, learn something, and the next time they see it. ... you want them to have a connection to it. That’s what we tried to build, and I think it was successful.” Golf Channel plans to do another U.S. tour with the Claret Jug next year. The net worked with Clamor, St. Paul, on the tour.
