Chase has signed on as an official partner of the PGA of America, adding to the financial service company’s already deep roster of sports sponsorships.
Sources said the deal is for at least two years and that the value of similar partner-level deals is typically at least seven figures annually.
Chase confirmed the deal but would not comment. The company joins KitchenAid, National Car Rental and Ralph Lauren Polo as official partners of the PGA of America. It’s the second-highest level sponsorship designation for the organization, ranking below the official patron sponsorship tier.
The patron level partners are Mercedes-Benz, Omega and Samsung.
PGA of America partners
■ Official Patrons: Mercedes-Benz, Omega, Samsung
■ Official Partners: KitchenAid, National Car Rental, Ralph Lauren Polo, Chase (newly signed)
■ Worldwide Ryder Cup
Partner: Standard Life Investments
Chase replaces American Express in the financial services sponsorship category for the PGA of America. American Express did not renew its patron level deal after that deal expired in 2013.
Chase’s deal gives it rights to this year’s PGA Championship (Aug. 13-16 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.) as well as the PGA Championship next year (at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey) and the 2016 Ryder Cup (at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota). Chase Sapphire Preferred will be designated the official credit card of the PGA of America and its flagship events. The deal also makes Chase the official retail bank of the PGA of America.
The company already is touting its Sapphire brand through a partnership with the PGA of America and Bon Appetit magazine that makes it the presenting sponsor of a promotion called Champions of the Course tied to this year’s PGA Championship. The promotion combines golf tips from PGA pros and cooking tips from chefs. That content will appear in the magazine leading up to the PGA Championship, and the promotion will end Aug. 12 with a Champions of the Course VIP dinner at Whistling Straits.
The company also is expected to use its PGA of America deal to offer its card members a variety of golf experiences and access to tickets for the 2015 and 2016 PGA Championships and the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Chicago-based Intersport is Chase’s agency for golf. PGA of America Chief Revenue Officer Kevin Ring led the deal for his group. It was not known if a media buy was included in the agreement.
Neither PGA of America nor Intersport executives would comment.
For Chase, the addition of the PGA of America is the company’s first golf property sponsorship, though the company has had an endorsement deal with PGA Tour professional Webb Simpson. It also is a sponsor of the U.S. Open in tennis, the top-dollar sponsor of Madison Square Garden, and owns naming rights for Chase Field in Phoenix. The company has team deals with various NBA, NHL and NFL teams and is a signature sponsor of the MLS FC Dallas franchise.
