You tune in to the majority of large-scale sporting events around the world and while you can’t guarantee a packed out stadium or even top-class performances 100% of the time, you can count on Rolex having a presence in front of millions watching around the world.
Whether it be Tennis, Golf, Horse-racing, or even the F1 which has continued to grow in popularity since the release of the Netflix Drive to Survive series, Rolex has for decades ensured its presence at the heart of these sports.
If you read much of WatchPro’s Golf-related content, you will have realised by now that I’m a big fan of the sport and ensure that if there’s ever a chance to get Golf and the world of watches in the same story, I’ll have the by-line.
Recently though, what has peaked my interest as a Golf fan is the steamroller that seems to be the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour which is set to hold its first event in Hertfordshire, the county in which I coincidentally now live.
Maybe it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock given the exclusivity of Centurion Golf Club, but hosting its inaugural event just outside of St Albans doesn’t seem to have connotations of global domination that the PGA and DP World Tours would have you believe in the media.
A number of senior Tour players have already requested release, including former world number one and Audemars Piguet ambassador Lee Westwood who was lampooned for his comments at the weekend on the matter.
This means it is certainly is not going to be a zero.
The vast amounts of money on offer would be enough alone to garner interest, but the added media storm surrounding the event, mostly fuelled by the PGA Tour itself looks set to ensure millions of eyes are on Greg Norman and just what his LIV Golf series can offer in what is promised to be a shorter, more exciting format.
With that said, and in addition to the millions of eyes that will be on the first and subsequent events around the world, is it just a matter of time before we see the Rolex branding plastered around wherever the fresh format takes itself?
We all know the Rolex branding and marketing machine is a beast that will categorically not attach itself to something that is either a flop, too controversial or both.
However, if the likes of Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, the latter of whom coincidentally sported a Rolex Cellini on his PGA Championship winning Sunday in 2021, as well as a few of the younger golfers manage to move the LIV Golf needle, it could be an exciting prospect for Rolex to be at the helm of another major sporting event within the golfing world.
Of course the LIV series will have to make the right decisions, attract the right players and ensure it stays far enough away from any controversial politics to be where it wants to be but, as is with the power of the crown, having Rolex on board would be an important step in the right direction for Greg Norman and his plans.
