After drawing huge crowds during an exhibition in India last spring, Tiger Woods demonstrated that he still has considerable marketing firepower in some locales.
It led to a new business relationship for the former world No 1, whose annual tournament in December will be sponsored by the Hero MotoCorp, one of India’s largest companies, it was announced yesterday.
Woods’s unofficial, 18-man tournament will be renamed Hero World Challenge, beginning this year. The event begins December 4 at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, where Woods once made his home. The 72-hole event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Woods, who has missed the past few weeks because of a back injury, is expected to play.
“I am very excited to welcome Hero MotoCorp as title sponsor,” Woods said. “They are a global brand and a great fit for the Hero World Challenge.”
Hero is the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles, but has virtually no presence in the US market.
Pawan Munjal, the company’s managing director, was in Florida for the announcement and spoke of an expanded footprint for the company. “It is also our love for the game, and especially for Tiger Woods, that we have come on board,” he said.
* with Agency
