Chips & Putts: Michelob Ultra To Be Official Beer Of Futures Tour
A-B InBev’s Michelob Ultra, the official beer of the LPGA, will become the official beer of the Duramed Futures Tour, the 17-event developmental tour owned by the LPGA. For the remainder of this year, Michelob Ultra receives branding on tournament signage and the tour’s mobile office, and can conduct product promotions at events. The LPGA would not disclose terms, but a source close to the deal said any additional cash outlay was minimal. A-B has been an official sponsor of the LPGA since '94 and last year signed a one-year extension of that deal to run through '09. The Michelob Ultra brand title sponsors the annual LPGA event at Kingsmill Resort in Virginia, and the Duramed Futures Players Championship in Illinois each June. LPGAer Morgan Pressel has a deal with Anheuser-Busch Entertainment Parks (Jon Show, SportsBusiness Journal).
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O'Hair Has Switched His Apparel Sponsorship
From TaylorMade-adidas To Ashworth |
ASHES TO ASHES: GOLF.com's Woody Hochswender reported golfer Sean O'Hair last week at The Masters "switched his apparel sponsorship" from TaylorMade-adidas to Ashworth. O'Hair will "continue to play TaylorMade equipment," and his hat will tout TaylorMade, his shoes will be adidas and his shirt and pants will be Ashworth. The move is "more of an in-house transfer than a defection," as TaylorMade-adidas last year acquired Ashworth. Ashworth also has recently signed golfers Charles Howell III and Ryan Palmer to its tour staff, as the company "seeks a more youthful face to its classic brand." Hochswender noted golfer Fred Couples "for a number of years ... has been the icon for Ashworth apparel, which also numbers Chris DiMarco and Steve Flesch among its top sponsored golfers" (GOLF.com, 4/10).
STAND BY YOUR MAN: In N.Y., Richard Wilner noted golfer Vijay Singh at The Masters last week continued to wear the logo of Stanford Financial Group, despite an $8B fraud lawsuit against the company. Singh "has stood by" the company, which reportedly pays him an estimated $8M annually to "plaster the Stanford logo on his shirt, cap and golf bag." Wilner noted one report indicated that Singh "hadn't been paid so far this year by the company" (N.Y. POST, 4/12).
FIRST CLASS SPONSORSHIP: CNBC.com's Darren Rovell noted South African Airways (SAA) reportedly is paying Masters champion Angel Cabrera $1M annually through '10 to "wear its logo on his left breast pocket and on the top of his back." SAA on May 1 is beginning non-stop flights from N.Y. to Johannesburg, South Africa, and the airline also is "gearing up for big business" associated with the '10 World Cup (CNBC.com, 4/12).
MONEY AT THE MASTERS: SPORTINGNEWS.com's Dave Larzelere wrote the AT&T spot featuring boxer Floyd Mayweather that aired last weekend during CBS' coverage of The Masters is a "pretty funny ad." But he added, "My question is this: How did the powers-that-be at Augusta National allow the ... ad to make it into the midst of their notoriously persnickety broadcast?" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 4/13).
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