PUMA announced a collaboration with Leisurecorp, partners with The European Tour in creating The Race To Dubai, which has replaced The European Tour Order of Merit and will culminate in The European Tour’s grand finale event, the inaugural Dubai World Championship. The collaboration officially begins at the South African Open Championship at Pearl Valley Golf Estates.
The Race to Dubai, will feature the world’s top players including PUMA’s stand-out players Geoff Ogilvy and Johan Edfors, as well as up-and-coming PUMA-sponsored South African golfer Tomas Aiken. They will fight for 60 spots in the season ending Dubai World Championship and a share of the US $10 million purse. An additional $10 million prize fund will be split between those finishing in the top 15 in The Race to Dubai. The Dubai World Championship will take place at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Leisurecorp’s signature development, in November 2009.
The collaboration between Leisurecorp and PUMA, the sportlifestyle company known for injecting color, style and fun into the golfing world, will definitely not be par for the course. PUMA has introduced a unique approach to The Race To Dubai with the introduction of two limited edition golf shoes featuring graphical representations of iconic buildings of countries featured in The European Tour – collectively known as The Race to Dubai skyline.
The Race to Dubai Skyline Swing Crown GTX, a pure performance shoe with Smart Quill technology, features 38 “quills” on each outsole to maximize traction and comfort while minimizing weight. The second shoe, the C-Hopper, is a sportlifestyle shoe offering anti-rotational outsoles with cleats and street caps, designed to be worn on and off the course.
PUMA will also have a presence at select tournaments in The Race to Dubai by supplying apparel to physios in The Race to Dubai Physio Truck, staff and player apparel and footwear, featured PUMA Golf product in pro-shops, and a number of unique events and promotions for fans to get them engaged as only PUMA can. Golf fans at these select tournaments can win a pair of PUMA Skyline shoes and be eligible for the grand prize - a trip to the Dubai World Championship.
“We are thrilled to partner with Leisurecorp and be a part of The Race to Dubai,” said Bob Phillion, PUMA Golf International Business Unit Manager. “The fact that the tournaments are played across four continents and attract players from around the world really speaks to the global nature of the PUMA brand. The freshness and innovative thinking Leisurecorp brings to the tournaments and to the game of golf fit the PUMA Golf mantra of being stylish, inclusive, colorful and fun.”
PUMA entered the golf category in 2006, immediately catching the eyes of golfers with their vibrant, stylish, fun and always modern world of golf. Since 2006, PUMA Golf has exploded and continuously expands its product selection to include fashion pieces driven by sport and technology, always focusing on making the golfer look better, feel better and play better. Today, PUMA golf athletes include top players such as Ogilvy and Edfors as well as Jeff Overton and Erica Blasberg.
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