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A Proud Partnership: Rolex and The Open

The Open Championship and Rolex have much in common. Both have been thrilling aesthetes for well over a century and both set the standard for quality in their respective fields. It was inevitable really that the two prestigious icons would become intertwined somehow and so it has proved. The Geneva-based luxury brand has been a proud sponsor of the championship for 30 years now. It is also the official timekeeper for the event.

Rolex’s tie-up with the game’s oldest major is reflective of its overall commitment to golf. In 1967, Arnold Palmer became a Rolex ambassador, marking the start of the brand’s association with golf. Today, the Rolex roster of golf sponsorships has grown to include the names of some of the game’s best-known players. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Phil Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer and Annika Sorenstam are among the proud athletes to wear one of the brand’s luxury timepieces away from the fairways.

Rolex’s association with the Royal and Ancient, golf’s governing body, has been a fruitful one. In 2004, the relationship was extended to Rolex sponsoring the publication of the English language version of the Rules of Golf and its global distribution. Rolex has also provided support to help the R&A grow the amateur game. The brand is also the official partner of the USGA, the European Tour and title sponsors the world rankings in the women’s game.

In recent times Rolex has been very much behind the drive to bring golf into China. Despite the long heritage and traditions associated with Golf in the west, just over 25 years ago, the sport was practically non-existent in China. In 2010 Rolex signed a partnership agreement with the China Golf Association and sponsored the first official translation of the Rules of Golf into Chinese. It marked a determination by the brand, not just to be associated with sport but to further its reach into what is the world’s fastest growing nation.