Scottsdale-based JDA Software has signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with Jon Rahm that puts the company’s logo on the chest of his shirt, beginning with this week’s tourney in Phoenix. Rahm, who went to Arizona State, will become a brand ambassador for the company and will be involved in various marketing and social media campaigns. Rahm is repped by Lagardere Sports' Steve Loy and Jeff Koski, and his other corporate deals include Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, TaylorMade and Bighorn Golf Club. This is JDA's first golf sponsorship (John Lombardo, THE DAILY).
JORDAN'S RULES: In Dallas, Scott Bell noted Under Armour yesterday unveiled Jordan Spieth's newest signature shoe -- the Spieth 3 -- that will be available to the public on Friday. Like with the first two versions of his signature shoes, Spieth was "closely involved with the design and conceptualization of this shoe." Spieth went to Under Armour Dir of Global Golf Footwear Mike Forsey with a "couple of pairs of his favorite training shoes and basically asked, 'Hey, is there any way we can basically put the bottoms and the spikes we've had on previous shoes onto these tennis shoes?'" (DALLASNEWS.com, 1/29). Spieth said that the design takes "inspiration from the Under Armour training shoes he wears to the gym" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 1/29).
TALKING TECH: Global IT company Unisys expanded its deal with golfer Ryan Palmer. The brand and player first partnered together last year with the Unisys logo on Palmer's hat. This year, the brand's logo will also be on his golf bag. Meanwhile, Unisys signed a new deal with Web.com Tour player Kevin Dougherty (Unisys).
