The PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe today announced a new six-year partnership with Capgemini that will begin at this year’s Ryder Cup.
Following this inaugural year as a Worldwide Supplier to the 43rd Ryder Cup, Capgemini’s status will elevate to Worldwide Partner for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, 2025 Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, N.Y., and the 2027 Ryder Cup in County Limerick, Ireland, where its industry leading digital transformation capabilities will help to enhance the Ryder Cup for its fans and organizers.
The worldwide partnership with the Ryder Cup, one of the most significant events in sport, which brings together the best of the best from around the world through team competition and helps advance golf across the globe, is a momentous first step in Capgemini’s golf story. This partnership reflects Capgemini’s focus on building and celebrating talent, team spirit and high performance – all of which are at the heart of both Capgemini and the Ryder Cup.
This year’s Ryder Cup, the biennial men’s team contest between Europe and USA, was postponed from September 2020 and is set to begin on the Straits course at Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, on Friday. Capgemini will feature prominently in its new role at Whistling Straits and will look to provide technical support and transformational solutions to the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe throughout the course of the six-year sponsorship.
As a global leader with almost 300,000 team members in 50 countries, including well-established operations across Ryder Cup host countries in the United States and Europe, Capgemini will promote the Ryder Cup across all its international locations to further grow a diverse global fanbase.
Through its deep technology and business transformation expertise, Capgemini will be a true partner to the Ryder Cup, working with Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America to constantly adapt, master and apply the latest innovations in technology and sport through the lens of precision and accuracy, which are fundamentals of success in both industries.
Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of Capgemini said: “At Capgemini we share the values of golf and its premiere team competition, the Ryder Cup, an incredible international event and great opportunity for the Group. I am thrilled that Capgemini will bring its deep expertise in technology to the world of golf for the first time in 2021 and for the coming years. This new long-term, worldwide partnership reflects the international breadth and diversity of the Capgemini Group and what international teams, comprising top talent, can accomplish when working together toward a common goal.”
“Capgemini’s reverence for the Ryder Cup and respect for its values provided both sides with an ideal starting spot to begin our relationship,” said PGA of America President Jim Richerson. “We’re very happy with our new partnership with Capgemini and look forward to welcoming them to the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, but we love the path we are taking together toward Italy in 2023, New York in 2025 and Ireland in 2027.”
Guy Kinnings, the European Tour’s Deputy Chief Executive, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The Ryder Cup is a truly global sporting event which connects people around the world so we are delighted Capgemini, a global leader in the technology industry, will be part of our commercial family for the next four editions, including as a Worldwide Partner from Rome onwards. Technology plays such an integral role in a modern Ryder Cup and Capgemini’s innovation and expertise in this area will unquestionably enhance our ability to successfully deliver one of the world’s most watched sporting contests.”
The Ryder Cup announcement comes on the heels of Capgemini becoming a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup France 2023 and joining World Rugby as its Digital Transformation Partner. Both the golf and rugby partnerships lead Capgemini’s sponsorship strategy of embracing global sporting events that are driven by team spirit, precision and high performance.