Emirates strengthens European Tour relationship

European Tour professional Paul McGinley, Nigel Hopkins, Executive Vice President, Service Departments of Emirates Group and George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, are flanked by Emirates Cabin Crew (Getty Images)

Emirates and the European Tour have signed an agreement for the Dubai-based airline to extend its investment across ten more tournaments until the end of the 2017 season, as well as assume the status of Official Airline of the European Tour.

The announcement was made yestetrday Tuesday, December 17 by Nigel Hopkins, Executive Vice President Service Departments, Emirates Group and George O’Grady CBE, Chief Executive of The European Tour, during a press conference in London.

Nigel Hopkins, executive vice-president of service departments at Emirates Group, said: “Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, and as a global sponsorship platform it has been immensely successful for us. Emirates’ increased investment in the European Tour is a natural move which will expand our global reach to golf enthusiasts across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.”

European Tour chief executive George O’Grady added: “Last month we were delighted to announce the extension of the Race to Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates through to the end of the 2017 and the commitment of Emirates was very much part of the reason we were able to make that announcement. This increased investment will give us the confidence to support our tournaments globally, enhancing not only our widespread geographical footprint but also the development of our business in new markets across the world – a strategy that we at the European Tour share with Emirates.”