KPMG in Belgium has added its significant weight and prestige to the European Challenge Tour schedule after it was announced that the global financial services company will become the main sponsor of the Belgian event on Europe’s second tier, the newly-named KPMG Trophy.
With Thomas Pieters and Nicolas Colsaerts both in contention at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the announcement came as another timely boost for Belgian golf as it continues on a steep upward curve.
In conjunction with the Royal Belgian Golf Federation, KPMG will become an important financial partner for Belgium’s premier professional golf tournament in 2015 and is expected to raise the event’s status to a higher level than before.
The KPMG Trophy will be contested for the first time at the Golf de Pierpont course in Brabant-Wallon, from June 11-14.
Formerly the Belgian Challenge Open, the inaugural edition was played in 2006 and since then it has gone from strength to strength to become one of the country’s biggest professional sporting events.
The event offers leading Belgian players an opportunity to test their skills against a field which regularly includes some of the most talented young up and coming players in Europe and the world.
Belgian golf’s biggest star, Nicolas Colsaerts, has played in this prestigious tournament, as have the likes of Jamie Donaldson, Brooks Koepka and Edoardo Molinari en route to worldwide fame.
Olivier Macq, Audit Partner KPMG, said: “The KPMG Trophy is a fantastic project through which we aim to support Belgian golfing talent, so that our players can develop to a higher level and be able to compete on The European Tour in the future. Through our support, we hope to give the leading local players a significant boost.”
Jan Baert, Member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Belgian Golf Federation, said: “We are delighted that KPMG is prepared to support the Belgian leg of the European Challenge Tour. It will position the KPMG Trophy as one of the top tournaments on the Challenge Tour circuit, and I am confident that our ambitious Belgian players will show their appreciation for this support by turning in some great performances.”
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the European Challenge Tour, said: “Having such a prestigious and world-renowned company such as KPMG on board is very exciting for the Challenge Tour and this event in particular.
“With the likes of Hugues Joannes, Pierre Relecom and many other Belgian players chasing their European Tour dreams on the Challenge Tour this year, it is clear that the KPMG Trophy remains a hugely significant event for sport in the country.
“We are delighted that KPMG Belgium shares our vision of developing the next Nicolas Colsaerts, we thank them for their support and we hope this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.”
