In the 55 years since, Rolex has become the de facto first name in golf, a godfatherly figure that serves as a custodian of the game’s values through its work with players, tournaments and tour organizers. Its involvement runs deep. From the Ryder Cup and the DP World Tour’s Rolex Series, to supporting amateur championships in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, the green and gold is ubiquitous.
Golf’s top brass are reverential when reviewing Rolex’s impact on the game. “It’s elevated golf,” says Ian Pattinson, who was chairman of the Royal and Ancient until September this year. “Rolex is the Tiger Woods of watchmaking, and other watchmakers have benefited as a result of the relationship [with golf].”
Talk to Gary Player, and the winner of nine major championships remembers not just a financial benefactor that enabled him to travel the world, but “no doubt the greatest sponsor I’ve had.” Player, who signed a 10-year extension to his deal with Rolex in 2017, says his and Rolex’s relationship was always about “more than just money – it was like a family.”
He goes on: “What amazed me about Rolex was the vision they had,” he says, speaking ahead of the 150th Open Championship, of which Rolex is a patron. “Rolex had this vision of a sport. They could see a sport that was played by all.”
Tom Watson, winner of five Open Championships and a Rolex Testimonee (as Rolex calls its ambassadors), picks up the inclusivity theme. “That’s where we have it over every other sport,” he says, his eyes misting. “I can go out and play it with you. That’s the beauty of our game and why golf is so successful from a sponsorship point of view.”
Pelley, who joined the DP World Tour seven years ago and launched the Rolex Series in 2017, is privy to Rolex’s exacting standards. “They challenge everything you do for a level of perfection,” he says. “When we created the Rolex Series events, we had to raise the level of everything, from hospitality to transportation. Everything is done with meticulous detail and precision.” Why? “Because of the reverence of their own brand,” says Pelley.
Watson, now 73, remembers entering the professional ranks and seeing his idols Palmer, Nicklaus and Player wearing their Presidential Rolexes, the name often given to the yellow-gold version of the iconic Day-Date after it was worn by several US presidents.
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