Both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR are currently riding the crest of a commercial wave. We have signed five new DP World Tour partnership deals in the past two months, with highlights including UAE based property investment company Aldar, and Danish renewable energy company Vestas, coming on board as top tier ‘Official Marketing Partners’ in recent weeks.
As we sit here in May 2025, our currently contracted sponsorship revenue is now 277% higher than it was at the same time in 2019. With a global pandemic sandwiched in-between straining marketing budgets across the globe, that is a remarkable recovery by any standard. The PGA TOUR has also started 2025 strongly, with 14 deals signed in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
These statistics might surprise some, given the state of flux in the men’s professional game in recent times. But it’s clear that brands are no longer prepared to sit on their hands and wait for a resolution to golf’s internal disagreements – they see the game’s growth and want to be part of it.
Commercial Growth
So, what are the various ingredients that have unlocked this commercial momentum? Firstly, many brands think globally and want a scalable, flexible and global platform to activate from. The DP World Tour plays in 26 countries, which is a USP that other Tours can’t touch (our nearest rival plays in half that). Our revamped season structure – focused around five Global Swings before the Back 9 of nine historic events and the season-ending Playoffs – has successfully reinforced the DP World Tour’s position as ‘Golf’s Global Tour’.
Secondly, golf has enjoyed a mainstream popularity boom. Participation is up significantly since the pandemic – a 44% increase in active players from 2016 to 2023 – and the success of Full Swing on Netflix is bringing new audiences to the sport. That is flowing down into attendance of professional tournaments, with a 8% increase in spectator numbers on the DP World Tour in 2024 vs 2023.
Strategic Alliance Success
Thirdly, as part of our Strategic Alliance, we have been working with the PGA TOUR to identify sponsorship opportunities that can benefit both organisations. This includes existing PGA TOUR partners being able to globalise their marketing platform by signing up with us as well – an opportunity taken up by the likes of FedEx, with others to be announced shortly. That level of co-operation was unthinkable only five years ago.
We are also using the financial security that the Strategic Alliance gives us to invest in the quality of our product. This includes investments in new technology, such as AI, to boost the fan experience. These investments are working, with fan satisfaction scores in 2024 at their highest level in five years, and sponsor satisfaction scores hitting a new record. These investments often require partners to deliver them, and this provides authentic storytelling opportunities for the savvy Tech Partner or Supplier who engages in a formal partnership with the Tour.
Participation and Investment Development
Finally, we have also started reframing the wider narrative to reinforce that golf is on the cusp of a major opportunity. Golf is currently undergoing its “third wave” of major commercial growth. The first was the Mark McCormack and Arnold Palmer driven revolution in the 1970’s that professionalised the game’s commercial structure. The second was the Tiger Woods revolution in the 1990’s, which used his super star appeal to grow the game internationally. These moments pushed golf in the right direction towards a global product, but never quite cracked it. The ingredients are now there – massive spikes in participation, a large influx of investment capital, technology democratising the sport and icons like Rory McIlroy making history – to finally reshape golf for long-term, sustainable success and make it truly global.
At the DP World Tour, we are working hard to make sure that we capitalise fully on the opportunities at hand. Companies in the Middle East are ahead of the curve, with the likes of DP World, Emirates and Aldar using golf as a vehicle to grow their brand and business internationally and enjoying strong returns as a result. Long may that continue.
by Max Hamilton, Group Commercial Director, DP World Tour
