Reid claimed that two of the sport's biggest companies do not openly support women's golfGETTY IMAGES
U.K.-based power generation company Aggreko signed a deal with LPGA and Ladies European Tour player Mel Reid, as well as one to be the official temporary power supplier of the '19 Solheim Cup. Reid will be a brand ambassador and will use an Aggreko-branded golf bag. This marks Aggreko's first foray into women's golf, as it has also been a longtime partner of the European Tour and has partnered for seven Ryder Cups, including last year's event in Paris (Aggreko). The deal comes after Reid earlier in the week said the inequality between men's and women's golf is "getting worse." Reid said, "I understand the pay will never be the same, I understand the value of the product, but two of the very biggest companies openly don't support women's golf. People don't know about the struggles LPGA players have to go through just to get equipment." In London, Tom Kershaw wrote it only "takes a fleeting glance at a ladies tour event to notice the blank canvases," such as the "sponsorless hats and sleeves, the second-string merchandise roadshows, billboards replaced by tatty windsails." Reid: "Girls are scared to come out and name companies because what we get given is already so fragile. We have a lot more to lose by being outspoken. Companies can just turn around and be like 'well go do one then.' They don't promote women's golf" (London INDEPENDENT, 2/5).
