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UPS Raising Profile in International Golf World

Dépèche transmise le 29 avril 2009 par Business Wire

UPS Raising Profile in International Golf World

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced it is expanding its international golf sponsorship program in scale and scope as the company signs on as an official supplier of The Open Championship, the oldest and most prestigious of the four major championships in professional golf.

In addition, the global transportation and logistics leader announced it has signed agreements with British golf champion Lee Westwood and rising star Pablo Larrazábal of Spain to represent UPS as global brand ambassadors.

As the Official Logistics and Express Sponsor of The European Tour, UPS already has secured a prominent position with the international golf circuit. The company provides key transportation and logistical support for The Tour, which oversees 53 tournaments spanning more than two dozen countries on five continents.

In addition, UPS is sponsoring six tournaments during each year of its four-year agreement with The Tour. Those tournaments include the Volvo China Open, the Ballantine’s Championship, the BMW PGA Championship, the BMW International Open, Barclay’s Scottish Open and the UBS Hong Kong Open.

The new agreement, also a four-year pact, will add The Open Championship to that list of prestigious tournaments.

“UPS’s association with The Open Championship will be a valuable addition to an already strong program,” said Ron Rogowski, UPS head of global sponsorships. “The UPS international golf sponsorship program gives us a strategic platform to demonstrate UPS’s capabilities on a global scale.”

Another new element of the UPS golf sponsorship program is the addition of professional golfers Westwood and Larrazábal, who will represent UPS during tournament play, at customer hospitality functions and other brand promotion activities and events.

Westwood, who holds 18 European Tour titles and also has won tournaments in the U.S., Africa, Asia and Australia, is currently ranked 15^th in the Official World Golf Rankings. While relatively new to the professional circuit, Larrazábal already has established himself as a top tier player with several impressive finishes during his 2008 rookie season with The Tour, culminating with a win at the French Open. As a result, Larrazábal was rewarded with The Tour’s “Rookie of the Year” prize.

“Lee Westwood and Pablo Larrazábal will bring an important and valuable dimension to UPS’s sponsorship of The Tour,” stated Rogowski. “We look forward to their involvement as we leverage their talents to further enhance our international golf program.”

More information about UPS’s involvement with The European Tour can be found at www.ups.com/golf.

UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the flow of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: UPS), and the company can be found on the Web at www.pressroom.ups.com.