Rolex is the official sponsor of the Ryder Cup when the event takes place in Europegetty images
The Ryder Cup's competing watch brands took out full-page ads in major U.S. dailies on Friday. Rolex, which is the official sponsor of the event when it is in Europe, ran an ad in the N.Y. Times featuring six of its biggest endorsers -- Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm. Day, an Australian, is the only one of those not playing in France this weekend. Meanwhile, Omega, which partners with the U.S. team for the Ryder Cup, ran a full-page ad in USA Today with an image of the event's trophy and the brand's Seamaster Aqua Terra Ryder Cup Edition watch, along with a logo for the event (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, in London, Charles Sale noted the European Tour did not try to prevent Team Europe players from "ambush marketing" on the official team photographs. Omega sponsors Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia "were not stopped from having their watches on" during Tuesday's team photo shoot. Rolex has "such an integral partnership with the Ryder Cup that captain Thomas Bjorn presented each member of his side with an inscribed Rolex watch at Monday night's dinner." Ryder Cup organizers "changed their stance after the picture shambles" at the '16 Ryder Cup, when the non-Rolex players "ignored requests ... to cover up their varied makes of watch." A European Tour spokesperson said that it was "no longer considered worth the fuss and that Rolex had been told about the new policy." Rolex "made no comment" (London DAILY MAIL, 9/26).
