Rolex supports the noblest institutions, the most legendary tournaments and the greatest players in golf while encouraging the development of the game at all levels.
Its contribution to the sport stretches back more than 50 years. From elite players and legends of the sport, all men’s and women’s Major championships and the foremost professional tours, to the world’s leading team events, amateur tournaments and international organisations, Rolex is united with the world of golf in the quest for excellence.
The origins
Rolex’s relationship with golf began in 1967 with Arnold Palmer. He and fellow Testimonees Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – affectionately known as The Big Three – were instrumental in modernising and popularising golf worldwide. This seminal relationship has continued to expand and flourish in the ensuing decades.
The men’s game
Rolex has partnered The R&A, golf’s governing body, since the late 1970s, in a wide-ranging relationship that has pioneered the sponsorship of the most revered tournaments. Rolex is Patron of The Open, organised by The R&A, presenting sponsor of The Senior Open Championship, and was the first company to provide official clocks for a Major championship. Since 1980, Rolex has supported the USGA, which organises the U.S. Open, and has partnered the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club since the late 1990s. In 2021, the Swiss watchmaker forged a landmark association with the PGA of America, becoming its Official Timekeeper and Official Partner of its three annual Major Championships, including the PGA Championship.
Rolex supports all four of the tournaments that make up the elite World Golf Championships series, and has formed partnerships with the fast-growing Asian Tour. Rolex partners the PGA TOUR® in the United States, along with The European Tour and its Rolex Series, comprising the premium category tournaments on its International Schedule.
Rolex backs many of the sport’s greatest players, men and women spanning several generations who have shaped the game and continue to determine its future, athletes whose skill and application have earned them a place at the pinnacle of the professional game. Like the Swiss watchmaker, they share a perpetual ambition for excellence and superior performance.
These Testimonees include:
- established champions Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau (all United States), Jon Rahm (Spain), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Adam Scott (Australia) and Hideki Matsuyama;
- the Rolex New Guard, comprising Americans Cameron Champ and Matthew Wolff, Joaquín Niemann of Chile, and in the women’s game, Mexico’s Maria Fassi and Swiss No. 1 Albane Valenzuela;
- golf legends such as The Big Three and American great Tom Watson.
The women’s game
In the women’s game, Rolex partners all five of the women’s Majors: the ANA Inspiration, the U.S. Women’s Open, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s British Open.
The Amundi Evian Championship, supported by Rolex since 2000, is the only Major played in continental Europe. One of Rolex’s longest-standing relationships in the sport is with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, the peak organization overseeing the women’s game. Binding all of the world’s primary women’s tours is the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, which the brand has supported since their inception in 2006.
Some of the top-ranking LPGA Tour players are Rolex Testimonees, including:
- Major winners Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Lexi Thompson (United States) and Lydia Ko (New Zealand);
- legendary golfers Annika Sorenstam (Sweden), Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) and Nancy Lopez (United States).
Team spirit
Rolex partners several team events that enable golfers to briefly set aside the pursuit of individual glory to represent their country or continent – and enjoy the gratification that comes from competing as a collective unit. The Rolex-sponsored Arnold Palmer Cup, for college/university golfers, is contested by teams of 24 (12 men, 12 women), one representing the United States, the other an international selection.
At the professional level, The Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup™, the World Cup of Golf and the Solheim Cup are established events that attract huge crowds and a passionate following.
Support at every level
Rolex is proud to support the finest amateur championships, including the Asian Amateur, the Latin America Amateur Championship, the Amateur Championship in the United, Kingdom (under the auspices of The R&A) and the USGA’s U.S. Amateur Championship, an event won by Palmer, Nicklaus, Mickelson and Woods, who would all go on to become Rolex Testimonees. Rolex is also a Premier Partner of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), including at its season-ending event, the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
This grassroots support nurtures the sport’s future champions. Many a Major winner has benefited from such assistance in their developing years.
Championing excellence
Driven by its universally recognised excellence, Rolex has drawn on its own heritage in watchmaking to embrace the rich heritage of golf. The brand’s bold, pioneering spirit and exacting standards are qualities it shares with golf’s leading institutions, tournaments and players.
