The Indian Golf Union has finalised a long-term exclusive partnership with Nimbus Sport to stage and market professional Golf in India, including events like the prestigious Indian Open, the Indian Masters and the Indian Classic.
The landmark deal between IGU and Nimbus Sport is spread over three years and will feature number of golf events across the Country.
Apart from taking the Indian Open to new heights and reviving the Indian Masters, IGU has also decided to add the Indian Classic to give further lustre to professional golf in India. The Indian Golf Union holds the rights to all three events.
Rohit Amin, the President of Indian Golf Union said: “We are extremely pleased to enter into a long-term exclusive partnership with one of Asia’s leading sports management companies, Nimbus Sport. This agreement will not only ensure the presence of three world class IGU-sanctioned events in India, but will also ensure a significant increase in the funds available with the IGU to invest in development of the sport of golf in India. The growth of Indian Golf has to be fuelled by financial investments and marketing prowess. Our partnership with Nimbus Sport will deliver this and much more.”
Speaking on the partnership, Yannick Colaco, COO Nimbus Sport added: “This agreement with the IGU is part of our commitment to building the commercial value of the sport of Golf in Asia through long-term investments. The Indian Open, Masters and Classic are prestigious events which, in stature, deserve to be on par with the best in the continent.”
In 2013, the Indian Open will celebrate its 50th edition. The Indian Open is the oldest and longest running professional golf event in India, and it has often been spoken of as the ‘fifth Major’ by Indian stars like Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa.
The Indian Open, started in 1964 with encouragement from Peter Thomson, then one of the world’s top golfers, who won the British Open five times. In the time since, it has become a flagship event for Indian golf and is one of the leading National Opens in Asia.
Currently carrying a purse of US $ 1.25 million it is jointly one of the richest full field event on Asian Tour. It has been sponsored by Hero Honda for the last six years.
The next edition of the Indian Open is scheduled for October 2011.
Each of the three Indian Events are expected to be rotated across cities in the country to ensure that golf fans across the country get an opportunity to be a part of and witness world class golf events.
The Indian Open thus far has been held in Delhi and Gurgaon and in Kolkata in its 47 years of existence.
The Indian Golf Union’s amateur teams have brought India medals at the 1982, 2006 and 2010 Asian Games, besides amateurs winning the Faldo Series Asia events three times in last six years. The Indian junior team also won the Asian junior title.
Source: http://4moles.com/contents/show/759-igu-and-nimbus-sport-announce-landmark-partnership