PGA Sponsors: Top brands breaking through among golf fans

May 5, 2023
Jessa Morris

Capturing the attention of US golf fans, more than 82MM Americans between 13-64 have engaged with the PGA Tour in the past year.

But the last year has been dominated by controversy with the emergence of a newcomer on the scene, Saudi-backed Liv Golf. The challenger has attracted some of the world's best golfers and introduced new formats. It’s still early, but consumers have no doubt taken note, and LIV Golf has seen strong gains when it comes to engagement which sits at 27% of the US population between ages 13-64. The property trails the PGA Tour by just 12%.

Despite the shakeup, the PGA still holds the top spot not only among US golf fans but among sponsors too.

Using consumer opinion as our guidepost, our latest Sponsor Impact report measures the performance of top brands sponsoring the PGA Tour, its majors, or the broadcasters of its events.

Preview the report now!

Who Sponsors the PGA Tour, and golf generally?

The PGA Tour has a long list of partners, spanning brand categories from sports betting to professional services. That list grows deeper when you consider brands sponsoring events, athletes, and broadcasts. We measured new and endemic brand to golf including NetJets, ADP, Titleist, FedEx, RBC, Callaway, and Taylor Made.

Golf fan demographics: breaking down US fans

As with any partnership, knowing your audience is key to achieving strong results. Luckily, we’ve been keeping tabs on golf’s biggest fans in the USA, through our Insights Platform.

This is what we know about PGA Tour fans:

50% are male, among PGA engaged
28% are female, among PGA engaged
Most popular among Americans ages 25-39
51% of those most engaged make 100K or more.
48% of engaged have kids in the household
Among those engaged, 78% play golf themselves.

Which sponsors scored highest in aided awareness among consumers?

When it comes to sponsor performance, non-endemic sponsors, including AT&T, FedEx and Mercedes-Benz, prove they break through claiming the top 3 spots.

A significant 48-point spread exists between top and bottom-performing sponsors, each of which activates through player, tournament, and broadcast deals.

Download a free preview of the report

Find out which brands round out the top 6 in aided awareness, as well as which 6 sponsors are driving impact through favorability and purchase consideration.