German automotive company Porsche has struck a deal to become the title sponsor of the European Open, which will this year return to golf’s European Tour schedule for the first time since 2009.
Under the agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed, the tournament will be known as the Porsche European Open.
Agreed with promoter 4sports & Entertainment, the deal will mark Porsche’s first title sponsorship agreement in professional golf.
Last staged at the London Golf Club in 2009, this year’s edition of the €2m ($1.1m) event will take place at Hartl Resort in Bad Griesbach, Germany from September 24-27. It will be the second German event on the European Tour calendar in 2015.
Bernhard Maier, a member of the executive board of sales and marketing at Porsche, said he sees the European Open as the logical extension to the Porsche Golf Cup, a worldwide amateur tournament series intended exclusively for Porsche customers.
He added: “Last year alone we saw 8,000 customers line up for the 150 tournaments around the world. This constantly rising enthusiasm shows that golf presents us with another ideal opportunity to increase the loyalty of our existing customers, attract new target groups to the Porsche brand and strengthen the sporting core of our brand.”