The Professional Golfers’ Association is delighted to announce a new five-year national partnership with leading logistics operator M&H Logistics. As part of this partnership, M&H Logistics will be the new title sponsor of the Scottish PGA Championship.
This year will see the 100th staging of the Scottish PGA Championship. The M&H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship hosted by Gleneagles will take place over the King’s Course on 17-20th October 2016, marking the culmination of this season’s Tartan Tour Order of Merit.
“This exciting new partnership takes the Scottish PGA Championship to the level we should be aspiring to,” said Shona Malcolm, the PGA in Scotland secretary. “We wanted something special this year to mark the tournament’s 100th staging and this also sets the standard for the rest of our events.”
The success in securing a title sponsor for the Tartan Tour’s marquee event follows the PGA’s appointment of David Longmuir, the former chief executive of the Scottish Football League, last October to explore sponsorship and commercial opportunities throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
“Credit where credit is due because David brought M&H Logistics to the table and we are really looking forward to working with them,” added Malcolm.
M&H Logistics Managing Director, Tom Wotherspoon, said: “This is M&H Logistics’ first move away from football sponsorship and, in making this decision, we had to choose the correct partner. The fresh and dynamic ideas we were presented with made us feel that the PGA’s vision of a productive partnership mirrored our own future strategy.”
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones added: “This is an exciting development for the historic Scottish PGA Championship and with the support of M&H Logistics we look forward to an exciting future for the tournament. In addition we are delighted to welcome M&H Logistics on board as a PGA Partner and forging a successful partnership in the years ahead.”
Past winners of the Scottish PGA Championship include two former Open champions, Sandy Lyle and Paul Lawrie, as well as three Ryder Cup captains in Eric Brown, Bernard Gallacher and Sam Torrance.
The field for this year’s event will be limited to 66 players, with two separate qualifying events taking place at Crieff on 30 and 31 August.
“The prize fund for the M&H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship hosted by Gleneagles will be significantly enhanced from recent years,” said Malcolm. “We believe the King’s Course is the right venue for the event, especially after it has recently undergone an extensive redevelopment programme.
“Gleneagles has been a great supporter of the tournament, having hosted it now since 1999, and we are delighted that support is continuing.”
Bernard Murphy, Managing Director at Gleneagles, added: “We’ve been proud hosts of this event for a number of years and are delighted to continue our long association with The PGA by hosting the tournament’s 100th staging.
“This year we’re particularly looking forward to showcasing The King’s Course, which was officially re-launched last week, following an extensive development programme to restore the course to its original glory.
“The layout of The King’s, which is now in keeping with James Braid’s original design vision nearly 100 years ago, presents golfers with a different playing experience and demands different skills – a challenge which I have no doubt the players will relish.”
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