Golf can be a sport with a relatively high barrier to entry for those looking to take it up themselves. But the gates to golf courses hosting professional tournaments are wide open. Spectators can stroll around prestigious golf clubs that are normally difficult to access, often for less than the price of admission to other professional sporting events. It is also a chance to see top-level players up close.

When you visit a golf course on tournament day or watch a broadcast, you may notice the company names attached to the tournament title almost as much as the players themselves. That is because professional golf tournaments have become a highly effective marketing tool for companies. Even the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour holds around 30 events a year named after corporate sponsors. The schedule is packed from spring through fall.

The biggest reason companies host sporting events is for natural brand exposure. When a company runs a television commercial, consumers immediately recognize it as an advertisement. But during a golf broadcast, the company’s name repeatedly appears as part of the tournament title. Players talk about their goal of winning a particular championship while commentators mention the tournament name countless times. The brand becomes naturally embedded in the sports content.

If a tournament successfully establishes itself over time, the company name can also become associated with a tournament with its own history and tradition.

Another important benefit for sponsoring companies is the opportunity to meet customers and business partners in person. Unlike conventional advertising, professional golf tournaments allow companies to invite potential investors to the event.

Companies also frequently organize “pro-am” events, in which professional players competing in the tournament play alongside amateur participants such as VIP guests and customers. They play golf and share meals, creating opportunities to build relationships. Even if a company spends billions of won, the potential benefits can go beyond those of conventional advertising.

Sponsorship can also significantly enhance a company’s image. Sports are particularly well suited to creating a positive social image. By supporting a tournament over many years, nurturing promising young players and operating programs linked to the local community, a company can build an image not simply as a business that makes money, but as one that contributes to sports and society.

The Mediheal-Hankook Ilbo Championships is doing just that by giving six amateur players the opportunity to compete and helping them improve their competitiveness. On the day before the tournament, Mediheal-sponsored players also invited junior golfers to play a round together.

The nature of golf itself is another reason companies favor sponsoring tournaments. Golf matches last for a long time, and television broadcasts continuously show not only the players but also the course, spectators and various parts of the tournament venue. Company logos appear repeatedly on the grounds, flags, scoreboards and advertising boards, creating numerous opportunities for brand exposure.

Professional golf in Korea also has relatively loyal fan bases on both the men’s and women’s tours, making it useful for companies looking to target specific consumer groups.

Of course, hosting a tournament does not immediately translate into profit. Prize money, tournament operations, broadcasting and promotion are all significant expenses. As a result, the success of a tournament cannot be judged simply by ticket sales or immediate increases in revenue.

Companies generally consider a combination of long-term effects, including brand awareness, corporate image, customer relationships and media exposure. At times, tournaments face criticism for excessive spending precisely because their impact can be difficult to quantify.

Even so, the effects can be seen.

Mediheal’s sunscreen, sheet masks and other products, promoted through its partnership with Hankook Ilbo, are reportedly popular not only in Korea but also among players on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.

Kim A-rim, who came to Korea for the tournament, said that based on her experience, about eight out of 10 players use Mediheal products. Mediheal sponsored the LPGA Tour for about four years through 2022, so the effects of that sponsorship appear to be continuing.

Park Hyun-kyung, who won the Earth Mondamin Cup on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour in June, an event offering the tour’s largest prize purse of about 4 billion won (about $2.82 million), also shared an interesting experience.

A Japanese player saw the “Mediheal” logo on Park’s cap and told her that she buys Mediheal products directly from overseas. The products themselves may be popular, but if that popularity also translates into greater awareness of the brand overseas, it would certainly make for a worthwhile investment from the company’s perspective.

'Open' vs. 'Championship'

Golf tournament names often reflect the events’ formats and traditions. Terms such as “Open,” “Championship” and “Masters” each carry their own meaning.

Tournaments using “Open” in their names, such as the U.S. Open and The Open on the PGA Tour, or the Korea Women’s Open in Korea, indicate that the field is, in principle, open to a wide range of competitors. They are not limited exclusively to professional players and may give qualified amateurs an opportunity to compete.

Tournaments using “Championship,” such as the Mediheal-Hankook Ilbo Championships, refer to a competition to determine the best players in a particular region, country, tour or association. The PGA Championship and U.S. Amateur Championship are representative examples in the United States.

That does not mean “Open” and “Championship” are completely opposing concepts. The Open, one of the PGA Tour’s major championships, is officially known as “The Open Championship.” Its field is open to players who meet certain qualifications, while ultimately crowning a champion from among those who make it through the qualifying process.

Put simply, it can be viewed as a competition to determine the “ best in the world” among both professionals and amateurs.

“Masters,” meanwhile, can roughly be understood as a showdown among the very best players. The most famous example is the Masters Tournament, held every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, in the United States. “Masters” is less a general classification of tournaments than a proper name referring specifically to this event.

Though less common, some tournaments carry the title “Invitational.” As the name suggests, these events have a relatively closed format in which only players invited by the organizers can compete. Because the organizers handpick the field, however, such tournaments are generally likely to feature a high level of competition.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.