RBC deepens commitment to Canadian golf
RBC becomes partner of Team Canada High Performance Program
and RCGA National Amateur Championships
RBC announces new funding initiative to support Canadian
pros advancing to LPGA and PGA TOUR
PGA TOUR players Stephen Ames and Mike Weir become 'Team
RBC' Ambassadors
TORONTO, January 21, 2010— RBC today announced
a significant extension of its golf sponsorship programs that
will help fund and enhance grassroots and developmental programs
across Canada.
Building Canadian Competitive Golf Excellence
Already the title sponsor for Canada's national golf championship,
the RBC Canadian Open, RBC will help fund Team Canada, the
Royal Canadian Golf Association's high performance national
amateur golf team program. RBC will also contribute support
to the resurgence of Canada's national amateur golf championships,
conducted by the RCGA.
"We are proud to support the RCGA's vision to drive
excellence in competitive amateur golf, building on the recent
accomplishments of national team players like Nick Taylor,
Matt Hill and Jennifer Kirby at the collegiate, national and
international level," said Jim Little, RBC chief brand
and communications officer. "Extending our support to
Canada's national amateur championships not only allows talented
Canadian players to compete in world class competitions on
home soil, but also offers so many more golf enthusiasts and
volunteers across the country the long-term opportunity to
get involved and be a part of this great sport."
"We applaud RBC for their long-term vision in supporting
an environment that will build competitive golf excellence
in Canada," said Scott Simmons, RCGA executive director
and CEO. "Programs that promote grassroots and amateur
competition as well as those that help support training and
high performance opportunities are critical to Canadian golfers
developing their competitive potential."
Supporting Emerging Talent
RBC also announced plans to deepen its relationships with
Canada's emerging and established touring professionals.
RBC is creating a new initiative to help young male and female
professional golfers make the jump to the professional ranks
on the PGA and LPGA Tours. Beginning in 2010, RBC has created
a new initiative to support emerging Canadian professionals
making the transition to the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour -- including
2010 graduates Graham DeLaet and Chris Baryla on the PGA TOUR,
and Lisa Meldrum and Samantha Richdale on the LPGA Tour --
by providing a combination of funding and tailored, comprehensive
financial planning and private banking services through its
RBC Sports Professionals program. Athletes who elect to sign
up for the program will become RBC ambassadors and carry corporate
branding on their golf bags as they compete each week on the
world's stage.
"This step is a very important element of my development
as a professional and my hat is off to RBC for taking a leadership
role here and identifying the need," said DeLaet. "It's
clear they really get it and are doing an admirable job connecting
all the dots through support of Canadian player development
from the grassroots all the way up to those of us fortunate
enough to make the leap to the PGA TOUR. I'm pleased to be
joining their program and am looking forward to meeting everyone
on their team."
Weir, Ames Join Team RBC
In addition, RBC is enhancing existing relationships with
PGA TOUR pros Stephen Ames and Mike Weir by entering into
new multi-year extensions with both players. RBC becomes the
official bank for Ames and Weir and both will have RBC branding
prominently featured on their staff golf bags when they compete
each week on the PGA TOUR. The partnerships are anchored in
philanthropy with RBC continuing on as presenting sponsor
of the Stephen Ames Cup and the Mike Weir Foundation entering
its second year as the national charity partner of the RBC
Canadian Open.
"I have been fortunate to have had a very close partnership
with RBC for a number of years now and I'm thankful to see
that continue," said Weir. "More importantly, however,
I'm excited about their support at the amateur level and their
investment in the future of Canadian golf. We are seeing many
great young Canadian golfers coming up and the support of
RBC will not only help them succeed, but will provide the
opportunities for even more amateurs to pursue their dreams
in the sport."
"Canadians are showing every week that they can compete
with the best in golf," said Ames. "RBC's grassroots
commitment to the game will be a boost to the next generation
of players that will pay dividends for years to come. Their
strong commitment to charity, both through the RBC Canadian
Open and my own charitable foundation, is also something that
I've appreciated personally, not only for the future of the
game, but also for the future of the programs that benefit
communities across Canada."
Ames kicked off his season on the PGA TOUR last week at the
Kapalua event in Hawaii while Weir made his first start yesterday
at the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, California. Weir and
Ames join American standout Anthony Kim forming 'Team RBC'
on the PGA TOUR.
"Over the past two years, supporting the RBC Canadian
Open has given us an opportunity to engage so many of our
clients, employees and community partners in an event that
they enjoy," said Little. "We're very pleased to
take the next step and invest further in the long-term future
of golf in Canada by playing a greater role in nurturing the
next generation of national golfing heroes and further developing
the game that so many Canadians love."
RBC AND THE RBC CANADIAN OPEN
In partnership with the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA),
RBC is the title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open, the third
oldest national golf championship worldwide, next only to
the British Open and the U.S. Open. With a history of great
players and premier fields, the RBC Canadian Open provides
golf fans with the opportunity to experience the excitement
of a world class event on Canadian soil. RBC also sponsors
all levels of amateur sport, from grassroots programs in local
communities to national sport organizations and elite-level
athletes, and is Premier National Partner of the 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games.
ABOUT THE RCGA NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
The RCGA National Team Program incorporates advanced coaching,
sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition.
The RCGA allocates over $1 million of its resources annually
to the National Team program, encompassing strength and conditioning,
sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and technique development.
Players who are selected to the National Amateur and National
Developmental Teams represent Canada at six to 10 internationally-sanctioned
golf competitions throughout the year. The intent of this
comprehensive program is to aid Canada's top up-and-coming
amateur players in all areas of their development, helping
Canada produce the best golfers in the world.
Team Canada, the pinnacle of the RCGA's
High Performance Program, provides access to world class resources
including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management,
equipment, elite competitive opportunities and builds on the
support that team members have received in their development
years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university
programs and provincial golf associations. The RCGA's High
Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly sponsored
by Titleist, Foot-Joy and Under Armour. For more information
about Team Canada or to make a donation towards the development
of Canada's future golf stars, please visit www.rcga.org/teamcanada.
ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing
body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600
clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the
National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country,
the RCGA's mission is to grow participation in and passion
for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions
of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help
shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete
development, CN Future Links, Canada's national junior golf
program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian
Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status,
handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives
the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the
RCGA conducts Canada's most prestigious golf championships.
The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women's Open attract
the best professional golfers in the world, while regional
junior and national amateur championships showcase the best
in Canadian golf.
For further information on what the RCGA
is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.
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Further information:
Matt Gierasimczuk
RBC Media Relations, 416-974-2124, matthew.gierasimczuk@rbc.com
Dan Pino
Director, Media and Public Relations
Royal Canadian Golf Association
(t) 1-800-263-0009 ext. 406
(c) 416-434-5525
(e) dpino@rcga.org
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