Zurich to Sponsor Inaugural 2009 Asian Amateur Golf Championship

August 20, 2009

Zurich Financial Services Group has signed up as one of five exclusive partners of the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship, scheduled to be held at the Mission Hills Golf Club’s World Cup Course in Shenzhen, China, from October 29 to November 1.

Zurich chose a propitious moment for its decision to co-sponsor the event. It comes on the heels of Korean golfer Y.E. Yang’s victory over Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship tournament last weekend. Yang became the first Asian golfer to win one of the four “majors.” His success highlights the increasingly international nature of the ancient game, and, as a result, makes sponsoring tournaments a more attractive proposition for international companies like Zurich.

The Group’s bulletin explained that the “event is a joint initiative by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A [Royal and Ancient St Andrews – the Scottish home of golf] and will feature a field of up to 120 top amateur golfers from golf associations across the Asia-Pacific region.

“An invitation to play in the 2010 Masters Tournament awaits the winner, while both the winner and the runner-up will gain a place in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship being played next year at St Andrews, Scotland.”

Geoff Riddell, Zurich’s Chairman of Global Corporate & CEO of Asia Pacific & Middle East, expressed his support for “such an exciting event.” He indicated that it would give Asia-Pacific amateur golfers a “chance to compete in two of the most important and famous golfing events in the world.” He also described the tournament as a “unique platform for the amateur game in a region where golf’s popularity is increasing significantly.”

Riddell added: “Zurich is already a proud sponsor of golf tournaments in Switzerland, the US and around the world and sees golf as a perfect metaphor for Zurich’s customer focused brand positioning ‘deliver when it matters’.”

Source: Zurich Financial Services – www.zurich.com

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