Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America just announced that SAP, a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, has agreed to become a Worldwide Partner to golf’s longest-running team competition – the Ryder Cup.
The partnership agreement extends to both the 2025 matches on Bethpage Black in New York this September and in 2027 at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland.
“It’s a wonderful partnership because SAP really digs in to make sure that we can create a better fan experience,” said Jeff Price, Chief Commercial Officer for the PGA of America who was joined by European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and American Vice Captain Jim Furyk.
All three were attending SAP Sapphire, the company’s flagship conference and customer event. This annual gathering for global business leaders, IT professionals, and SAP partners is held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, which has also long been home to the annual PGA Show.
Established in 1927, the Ryder Cup is a biennial competition that pits 12 of the top professional golfers from the U.S. and Europe against each other in head-to-head match play. It has become one of the world’s greatest sporting events, captivating an audience of millions around the world.
“It’s nearly 50,000 people a day on site and each is going to have a separate experience. Some will park at Jones Beach, while others will take the train,” added Price. “So, being able to have an integrated customer data platform from SAP, allows us to really target the experience the customer is going to have, and to be able to communicate to them through various channels is a huge step forward for the Ryder Cup.”
SAP is Europe’s largest company and has established a track record of partnering with several of the world’s biggest sports teams, leagues, and organizations to streamline their business processes.
“At SAP, we believe in the power of technology to enhance the fan experience, and this partnership allows us to bring that vision to life for millions of golf fans around the globe,” said Christian Klein, Chief Executive Officer of SAP. “By integrating our customer data and engagement solutions, we will create a more personalized, connected, and seamless experience – both on and off the course. We look forward to helping the Ryder Cup set a new standard for fan engagement.”
SAP says its solutions will help the Ryder Cup gain a deeper understanding of audience and customer behavior, drive engagement, and deliver personalized experiences at scale while paving the way for future AI-driven innovation and a globally connected fan journey.
“We are always on the hunt for new technology partners who can make golf’s greatest team contest even better, and SAP’s solutions can do just that,” added Richard Atkinson, Chief Ryder Cup Officer, Ryder Cup Europe. “In return, as a Worldwide Partner, we will provide them with a world-class platform to tell their story to an increasingly diverse fan base that spans the globe.”
SAP’s Vice President of Sports Sponsorships Dan Fleetwood says it will receive significant visibility at each match through on-course branding, global television advertising, and in the Ryder Cup Village through fan-focused activations.
“For us in the world of sports and entertainment sponsorships it’s really trying to connect with people at their passion points, and utilize these great platforms as a way to showcase our technology,” Fleetwood said. “The Ryder Cup had a very specific need around how to continue to connect with their fans at the event and on a continual basis.”
SAP will also work with the Ryder Cup’s content team to amplify its partnership through social media.
Plans call for the Ryder Cup to use SAP solutions to enhance the fan experience. SAP’s Customer Data Platform unifies fan data from multiple sources, creating a single fan profile. SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement will then use that data to deliver personalized content across marketing channels. SAP Datasphere will harmonize customer and business data, making it ready for visualization in SAP Analytics Cloud, where insights can be turned into action. Both SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud are part of SAP Business Data Cloud.
“From a business standpoint, SAP understands there are lots of vendors that we work with from food and beverage, to ticketing, to what we do from a merchandise standpoint, so bringing all that data together in support of the business analytic side, the profitability of the Ryder Cup can be enhanced, but most importantly it starts with a better fan experience,” added Price.