Guide to who sponsors the Masters and its fans | SponsorPulse
- April 9, 2024
- SponsorPulse Staff
It's Masters Week! Golf enthusiasts around the globe are getting their lawn chairs and polos out to take in the 88th edition of the Masters Tournament. The most prestigious tournament in golf will take place April 11-14, 2024 at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia.
Let's set the stage for this year's tournament by taking a look at some of the storylines going into the week, who sponsors the Masters, and who its most passionate fans are.
Who's the favorite to take The Masters?
The Valero Texas Open finished in epic fashion on April 7, 2024, with Denny McCarthy carding a final round 9-under 63 to push a playoff with red-hot Akshay Bhatia. Bhatia claimed the victory on the first playoff hole in a rather unusual playoff that saw McCarthy's approach go into the water, and Bhatia call for his trainer to tape him up midway through the hole. His victory earned him a spot to compete in his first ever Masters Tournament.
The Valero Texas Open has taken the shape of many of the PGA Tour's tournaments thus far in 2024, with leaderboards heading into final rounds being a combination of the world's top golfers and many non-household names. Many of those non-household names have captured their first or second PGA Tour victories.
Valero Texas Open - Akshay Bhatia (2nd PGA Tour victory)
Texas Children's Houston Open - Stephan Jaeger (1st PGA Tour victory)
Valspar Championship - Peter Malnati (1st PGA Tour victory)
Puerto Rico Open - Brice Garnett (2nd PGA Tour victory)
Cognizant Classic - Austin Eckroat (1st PGA Tour victory)
Mexico Open - Jake Knapp (1st PGA Tour victory)
Farmers Insurance Open - Matthieu Pavon (1st PGA Tour victory)
The American Express - Nick Dunlap (1st PGA Tour victory)
Beyond some new and up-and-comers, world #1 Scottie Scheffler has been in great form claiming The Players and the Arnold Palmer, while finishing in the top 10 across 7 of 8 tournaments he's competed in. Pair with that some strong play from the likes of Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, and Jordan Spieth to name just a few, we're set for a great week of golf.
What's happening with LIV & PGA?
There continues to be a great deal of questions surrounding next steps between LIV and PGA, with players becoming more vocal about the impact this is having on the sport and its fans. The Masters will bring together players from these two rival tours and will feature 13 LIV players ready to compete. Included among them is the 2023 Masters Champion, Jon Rahm who recently departed the PGA to join LIV. Other notables to keep an eye on include Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Tyrrell Hatton, and Cam Smith.
Although LIV Golf isn't reaping the benefits of mainstream broadcast coverage, fan engagement has increased since its inception, while that of PGA has started to decreased.
Among those who engage with each professional golf property, their passion for the league seems to be moving in opposite directions with the PGA seeing recent increases and LIV going in the other direction.
Who sponsors the Masters?
The Masters has elected to take a unqiue approach to sponsorship by limiting the number of corporate partners to six. These sponsors include AT&T, Delta. IBM, Rolex, UPS, and Mercedes-Benz. Their activations are generally limited to broadcast spots and light (if any) integrations into the broadcast.
Tournaments like the Waste Management Phoenix Open or the RBC Canadian Open feature lead sponsors and countless activations that enhance the fan experience. However, the Masters Tournament keeps the course pristine and free of brands. This approach has been relatively consistent with other major golf tournaments, but leaves significant revenue on the table with the number of brands sponsoring and, or, activating the golf space. The brands actively investing in PGA-related sponsorships include Adobe, AVIS, BET365, BETMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, Bridgestone, Charles Schwab, Citi, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Grant Thornton, John Deere, Mastercard, Michelob ULTRA, Mitsubishi, NetJets, Pacific Life, Rolex, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, United Airlines.
Who are the fans of the Masters?
The Masters reaches more than 80MM Americans annually, with 1 in 5 of those fans excited for the annual event, and 1 in 10 showing a deep passion for it. Among the tournament's fans, just under 8MM of them are more likely to purchase the products and services of its sponsors. So let's take a look at who's the most engaged fan base.
The Masters attracts an older, affluent, and male audience, that actively participated in sports. The tournament has a significant opportunity to drive engagement and build its fan base with the female and ethnic demographics.
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