May 2, 2005
Bridgestone Becomes Official Sponsor of World Golf Championships
(PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL) -- The International Federation of PGA Tours has announced that Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. has
become an Official Sponsor of the World Golf Championships for 2005.
Bridgestone Sports is a worldwide leader in manufacturing and marketing premium golf equipment including balls, clubs and
accessories.
"We are pleased to announce Bridgestone's new role as an Official Sponsor of the World Golf Championships," said PGA TOUR
Commissioner Tim Finchem on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours. "We look forward to a long-term relationship
with Bridgestone and hope that it will grow over time."
"We are honored to enter into this relationship with the World Golf Championships," said Hisashi Kawano, the president of
Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. "The World Golf Championships is a highly regarded international series of events that fits
perfectly with the international nature of the Bridgestone family of brands."
The World Golf Championships series features elite players in a variety of competitive formats at venues around the world.
Since the series debut in 1999, World Golf Championships have been held in seven countries. When the Algarve World Cup in
Portugal is held this November, that number will increase to eight.
The agreement will allow for Bridgestone to advertise and leverage on-site relationship building benefits around each of
the three remaining 2005 World Golf Championships events. The next World Golf Championships event is the NEC Invitational,
August 16-21 at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, followed by the American Express Championship at San Francisco's Harding Park
Golf Course, October 4-9 and the Algarve World Cup in Portugal, November 15-20 at the Victoria Clube de Golfe-Vilamoura,
in the Algarve region of Portugal. The first World Golf Championships event of the year, the Accenture Match Play Championship,
took place in February at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California and was won by David Toms.
Additionally, Bridgestone gains the right to promote its Official Sponsor status in all of its advertising.
Accenture, American Express, NEC and Portugal are worldwide Umbrella Sponsors of the World Golf Championships, while JELD-WEN,
Kohler and Bridgestone are Official Sponsors.
About the World Golf Championships
This year marks the seventh year of the World Golf Championships, which debuted in 1999. The World Golf Championships are
sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan
Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The World Golf Championships include the Accenture
Match Play Championship, American Express Championship, NEC Invitational and Algarve World Cup in Portugal.
For more information, please visit worldgolfchampionships.com.
# # #
Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. manufactures and markets premium golf balls, clubs and accessories globally including the North
American market under the Precept and Bridgestone brand names. Based in Tokyo, Bridgestone Corporation is a worldwide leader
in the manufacture of automotive parts, most notably tires, and industrial goods, and chemical products. Bridgestone is
represented on a world stage by a number of internationally famed golfers including, Fred Couples, Stuart Appleby, Shigeki
Maruyama and Nick Price.
Contact Information:
James Cramer
Director, Public Relations
World Golf Championships
Tel: (904) 273-3293
jcramer@pgatourhq.com
Jared Kelowitz
Account Manager
Jeff Dezen Public Relations (JDPR)
Tel: (864) 233-3776 x24
jaredk@jdpr.com
# # #
Bridgestone Golf, Inc., based in Covington, GA, manufactures and markets premium
golf balls, clubs and accessories under the Bridgestone and Precept brand names.
Bridgestone is represented on a world stage by a number of internationally famed
golfers including
Fred Couples, Matt Kuchar,
Davis Love III, Paula Creamer,
Brandt Snedeker, Nick Price,
and Lee Trevino.
Bridgestone Golf, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Sports Co. Ltd.,
whose headquarters are in Tokyo.
Bridgestone Golf, Inc. is proud to be the #1 Ball Fitter in Golf as the industry
leader in live launch monitor fittings. Bridgestone provides three ways for golfers
to find the ball that best fits their game: live fittings through the
Bridgestone Ball Fitting Challenge, live online
chats with ball fitting
experts through its B-FIT service, and an easily accessible
Online Ball Selection Guide. For more
information on ball fitting, including a complete schedule of Ball Fitting Challenge
events, visit www.bridgestonegolf.com.
