Volvik is currently in the final year of a three-year title sponsorship dealGETTY IMAGES
The LPGA Volvik Championship will be held May 24-27 in Ann Arbor, and Volvik USA Sales Manager Joe Jung said that the tournament has had a "positive impact on the company's brand, noting that it earned 1 billion global impressions for their title sponsorship, which equates" to $13.6M in media value, according to Ryan Zuke of MLIVE.com. Jung said, "This has been probably our biggest international (branding) effort. In the course of the last two years, we have doubled our market share worldwide. We think it has a lot to do with our sponsorship of this event." Volvik is in the final year of a three-year title sponsorship deal, but Jung "declined to say if the South Korean golf ball maker is discussing an extension with the LPGA." Jung: "They are working on that in Korea." Meanwhile, Volvik Championship Tournament Dir Keith Karbo said that the event is "expected to have its most successful year yet, noting that ticket sales, local sponsorship sales and volunteer numbers are ahead of what they were at the same point last year" (MLIVE.com, 5/1). In Detroit, Matt Charboneau writes what "started as a dream" for Karbo has "turned into one of the top events on the LPGA Tour." Karbo: "We're building something great here. We continue to host one of the best tournaments on the LPGA Tour and that is not us talking. That's the media, that's the Golf Channel, that's the players. They truly enjoy coming to Ann Arbor" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/2).
CHARITABLE ENDEAVOR: The Volvik Championship begins May 21 with the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital Pro-Am, and Univ. of Michigan Congenital Heart Center co-Dir Dr. John Charpie said that sponsoring a pro-am is "just the first step." He has "expressed interest" to LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan in having Mott Children's Hospital "become a full presenting sponsor for a tournament, possibly as soon as next year" (MLIVE.com, 5/1).
