European golfing tour PGA EuroPro Tour has announced that it will be sponsored by the gambling site 888.com’s poker brand, 888poker, in 2013.
The sponsorship renews 888poker’s 2012 association with the golf tour, extending the poker site’s tenure as the main title sponsor.
In a press release, PGA EuroPro Tour said the tie-up between the two will see new promotions and events added to this year's sponsorship in the hopes of bringing together fans and players of the tour.
Barry Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport, which promotes the PGA EuroPro Tour, welcomed the ongoing partnership.
“I am absolutely delighted that 888poker will be the title sponsor of the PGA EuroPro Tour once again in 2013,” he said. “We enjoyed a fruitful relationship with 888poker in 2012 and are thrilled that they want to be a part of the PGA EuroPro Tour once again this summer. 888poker is an extremely professional, forward thinking and highly successful company who have an established name and brand that is great for the Tour to be linked with. The Tour is stronger than ever this year and I am really looking forward to what should be a great year as the Tour and 888poker continue to build on the strong relationship built in 2012.”
Founded in 2001, the EuroPro Tour has established itself as Europe’s leading developmental golf tour with the top five in the Order of Merit at the end of each season advancing to the Challenge Tour. In 2012, winner Paul Maddy collected £32,000 winnings playing in the tour, which has featured Ryder Cup winners Nicolas Colsaerts and Ross Fisher in previous years, as well 2010 Open winner Louis Oosthuizen and 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel.
Other notable golfers including Scott Jamieson, Thomas Aiken and Jamie Donaldson, who have all won European Tour events in 2013, have also played on the PGA EuroPro Tour in previous years.
888.com Senior Vice President Itai Pazner said, “Last year’s tour was a great success for our poker brand and offered our online player’s access to the prestigious PGA Tour. We hope this year our new integrations will take the partnership to the next level.”
888poker.com claims to be one of the biggest online poker sites in the world with over five million registered users.