Ballantine’s, the No 2 Scotch whisky in the world, is reinforcing its commitment to golf with a sponsorship agreement with the BMW Masters for the next three years.
The inaugural US$7million tournament, sanctioned by The European Tour, will take place at the Lake Malaren Golf Club, in Shanghai, from October 25 – 28, 2012.
As the official Scotch whisky, Ballantine’s will be highly visible at the tournament, both on the course and through a dedicated VIP hospitality area. Each day, the players scoring the lowest round of the day will be awarded a bottle of Ballantine’s 17 Year Old, while the tournament winner will be presented with a rare bottle of Ballantine’s 30 Year Old.
Sponsorship of the BMW Masters further enhances Ballantine’s impressive track record of support for European Tour golf events, both in Asia and in its homeland of Scotland.
Since its founding in 2008, the Ballantine’s Championship has become one of the most prominent events on The European Tour International Schedule. The Scottish Open, where Ballantine’s is an official sponsor, continues to attract world-class talent to Castle Stuart Golf Links, located near Ballantine’s spiritual home, Glenburgie Distillery.
The BMW Masters is an excellent opportunity for Ballantine’s to support China’s golf boom. The brand continues to support China’s No 1 player, Liang Wen Chong, who in 2007 co-founded the Ballantine’s Golf Fund, which aims to boost the development of professional golf in China by supporting emerging talent.
In December 2010, Ballantine’s also established the Ballantine’s Dragon Team, China’s first team of professional golfers who are offered team training with leading golf coaches, full sponsorship of members’ participation in high level tournaments as well as sponsoring their attendance at the annual Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea.
Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the BMW Masters, and are very proud to be associated with such a prestigious tournament in China which will welcome the stars of world golf, such as World Number One Rory McIlroy, World Number Three Luke Donald and World Number Four Lee Westwood. Our sponsorship investment, both at the top of the game and at grass roots level, marks our deepening commitment to world-class golf in China.”
