The European Tour and Ryder Cup Europe today announced Tour Consumer Experiences, an 11-year strategic venture with industry-leading sports marketing and data technology company Two Circles.

Tour Consumer Experiences will combine the European Tour and Ryder Cup Europe’s knowledge of creating world-class golf experiences with Two Circles’ extensive insight around sports fan behaviours and technology-driven sales and marketing capabilities.

The new venture will manage sales and marketing of all ticketing and premium experiences for the next three European editions of the Ryder Cup and select European Tour events until 2031, and see the introduction of innovative new products that enhance the event experience and grow ticketing and premium revenue.

In addition to the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, Rome, Italy, the 2027 edition at Adare Manor, Ireland and the 2031 edition, at a venue to be announced, the venture covers the annual BMW PGA Championship and Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, two of the European Tour’s premium Rolex Series events, and several other annual tournaments.

Tour Consumer Experiences is made up from personnel from all three parties covering marketing, data and insight, premium sales and ticketing operations. Two Circles will also invest significant resources into the venture.

The venture has already enjoyed a successful start, with a record-breaking first weekend of sales for this year’s BMW PGA Championship following the launch of flexible ticket options for the prestigious tournament last Friday.

Guy Kinnings, Deputy CEO European Tour, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to announce this venture with Two Circles. Fans are one of the key drivers behind the success of our events, in particular The Ryder Cup, and we look forward to working with Two Circles to develop consumer experiences for all spectators at our tournaments.

“We have seen remarkable increases of fan engagement with the European Tour and Ryder Cup Europe over the last 12 months, despite not being able to have fans on the ground at our events, and this will help us tailor our general admission ticketing strategies and premium on-site experiences for supporters of elite golf in Europe.”

Gareth Balch, CEO of Two Circles, added: “Globally there is a huge and growing demand for live experiences, and sport offers that rare mix of unscripted drama with a fantastic day out with friends and family. When it comes to unscripted drama in a unique setting, The Ryder Cup is up there with the best of the best.

“We’re hugely excited to be embarking on this new venture with the European Tour and Ryder Cup Europe. Together, by using deep fan insight to evolve eventday products and how they are marketed, we believe we will deliver even more unforgettable fan experiences across golf.”

Two Circles was founded in 2011 and in addition to the European Tour works with numerous leading international sports properties including The R&A, UEFA, Premier League, Wimbledon and the NFL.

About The European Tour

The European Tour is ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.

Innovative: The European Tour is driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We have recognised the need for golf to modernise for future fans and we are committed to engaging new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport.

Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, disability golf and promoting the health benefits of playing golf.

Global: Since the European Tour was formed in 1972, players from 36 different countries have won tournaments, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with Rolex, BMW, Callaway, DP World, Emirates and Workday as Official Partners.

The European Tour also manages the developmental Challenge Tour and the Legends Tour (formerly known as the Staysure Tour) which is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older.

The European Tour is also the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe, the body which, alongside the PGA of America, administers golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.

About Two Circles

From a global network of teams in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Bern, Two Circles uses data to grow direct relationships between sports and fans, driving business growth for over 300 of the world’s leading sports rights-owners including the NFL, Premier League, UEFA, F1, The R&A and Wimbledon. Two Circles’ technology-enabled, service-led offering helps clients grow revenue across their eventday, sponsorship and media businesses. In 2020, Two Circles was named Sport Industry Agency of the Year for the third time.

For further information:

Neil Ahern, Senior Press & Communications Officer, European Tour
nahern@europeantour.com

Matt Cutler, Head of Communications, Two Circles
matt.cutler@twocircles.com