The Royal Bank of Canada pledged its fealty to the PGA Tour on Monday.
RBC officially re-upped as title sponsor for multi-year deals to remain on the marquee for the RBC Canadian Open and the RBC Heritage, in a deal announced via a PGA Tour release.
As ScoreGolf’s Jason Logan put it, the company’s “pledge to the PGA Tour puts to rest any angst or questions regarding the bank’s commitment to the sport, particularly in (Canada) given the enormity of its involvement.”
RBC assumed title sponsorship of the Canadian Open in 2008 and in 2011 it rescued the popular Heritage Classic on Hilton Head Island, S.C. It renewed those deals by six years in 2016 and planned to do the same again during the 2022 RBC Canadian Open at Toronto’s St. George’s Golf and Country Club. But then LIV Golf came along and launched the same week. RBC hit the pause button, sticking with the Tour via a series of one-year sponsorship deals while it evaluated how the Tour dealt with its existential threat.
Mary DePaoli, chief marketing officer for RBC, speaking at a press conference at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open media day, made her frustration known with a damning analogy.
“It’s like they’re flying the plane and building it at the same time,” she said.
She added: “We are all watching the PGA Tour, right now, try to sort through a business model that has been under some significant strain, and has still not fully resolved itself. And that’s still TBD. So, it’s requiring a lot of patience.”
That patience has been rewarded. The Tour’s TV ratings have rebounded this season after declining the previous year and fan engagement is trending in the right direction.
“We have seen the Tour listening to the players and fans and then incorporate what they want to see and we felt that was very positive and we are seeing it in the results,” said DePaoli in an exclusive interview with ScoreGolf.
The RBC Heritage viewership numbers surged 62 percent on the weekend over 2024, while, the RBC Canadian Open jumped 18 percent according to the Sports Business Journal. DePaoli told ScoreGolf that both tournaments also enjoyed increases in attendance and merchandise and concession sales.
“We wanted to ensure that the next chapter of the PGA Tour’s business model would focus on things that are important to RBC,” DePaoli said to ScoreGolf on Monday. “And that is enhancing the game in North America, ensuring audiences remain engaged and continue to grow, strong sponsorship commitments from top global brands and high player engagement. We believe the PGA Tour has the momentum and future vision to deliver on all those things.”
Despite the continued uncertainty in the men’s professional game, RBC joins AT&T, 3M, John Deere and Valspar among title sponsors that have re-upped for multiple years in 2025.
“It has been a very effective sponsorship for RBC over the last decade-and-a-half,” she said. “It has gone from strength to strength, and with the growth in audiences and participation in the sport and the enhancements the PGA Tour has made by listening to its players and fans, we are proud to continue our focus on golf in the future.”
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