Business of Golf
Premium watchmaker Rolex and amateur golf’s apex body Indian Golf Union (IGU) have parted ways after a solid partnership of around 15 years to grow the sport in India. The news was broken by IGU through a Twitter post on June 30th saying, “@ROLEX sponsorship of over a decade has ended with gratitude & satisfaction of both parties. We will continue to discuss future partnerships as the game evolves. We remain committed to growing the game & eagerly look forward to hitting the ground running, post COVID. Jai Hind “
@ROLEX sponsorship of over a decade has ended with gratitude & satisfaction of both parties.We will continue to discuss future partnerships as the game evolves. We remain committed to growing the game & eagerly look forward to hitting the ground running, post COVID. Jai Hind 🇮🇳
— IndianGolfUnion (@IndianGolfUnion) June 30, 2021
This is another blow for IGU who has lost critical revenue from the cancellation of the 2021 Indian Open and now the Rolex partnership and could be a fallout of the change of guard in the Union. The controls of the IGU now lie with officers of the Indian Army, many of whom have little or no prior experience with the demands of developing golf in modern times.
It remains to be seen how effectively the IGU will function after international and national travel and tournaments resume again.
The IGU is looking for new partners in the post COVID times, when amateur golf is expected to return in full flow. The governing body usually conducts the Indian Open and around 70 amateur, ladies and junior tournaments in a normal year, besides a host of other responsibilities including developing coaching, referees, course rating and junior development programs.
Rolex in Golf
Rolex’s involvement in golf remains unmatched, providing support not only to elite and up-and-coming players, but also to the main professional tours and governing bodies, as well as the Masters, the US Open Championship, the US Women’s Open Championship and the Open, which dates back to 1860. For almost 40 years, Rolex has been a patron and official timekeeper of the prestigious event played on the United Kingdom’s finest links courses, drawing the widest international field from the four Majors.