McLeod Russel has decided to tee off its branding exercise with Professional Golf Tour of India's year-end tournament. Mr Aditya Khaitan, MD of the Rs 1,500 crore world's largest tea plantation company without a brand told Business Line that McLeod would build its brand equity around golfing.
Mr Khaitan, this year's National Corporate Golf Champion, said McLeod took up three-year title rights for Rs 4.1 crore to the PGTI Royal Calcutta Golf Club Championship, to be held in December.
“McLeod never had a brand for our tea or corporate image. Now on, we would brew our brand strategy around golf alone”, said Mr Khaitan. McLeod has plantations in Asia and Africa.
Mr Khaitan, who will represent India Inc at the World Corporate Golf Championship in South Africa in May, said the four-day domestic event at RCGC would have the highest ever prize money of Rs 1.25 crore. “For the second and third years, McLeod as a title sponsor would pay a prize money of Rs 1.35 crore and Rs 1.5 crore respectively,” he added.
The inaugural edition of the McLeod Russel Championship in the city will see 60 players — based on the evolved rankings till the last week before the tourney. McLeod, however, will have the right to invite five Indians, who are now on international circuits. Four foreign players are likely to participate on PGTI invitation.
Mr Gaurav Ghosh, ED of RCGC, the second oldest course in the world, said the 18-hole parkland course was being redone for the event. “There would be few yards more — around 7,200 yards — and the ‘rough' (the difficult patch) would become a little tougher than usual”.
PGTI has roped in Volvo as the automobile partner this year. “This is the first time we are having automobile partner” said Mr Padamjit Sandhu, director of the professional body. McLeod has been chosen as the individual title sponsor of one PGTI event. The other sponsors of a total of 17 events this year include Tata Steel, DLF, Indian Oil, American Express and BILT. The Bangladesh and Nepal tours, which are under PGTI ambit, will see Golbal Green Energy and Surya Nepal as the respective title sponsor. Golf 10 has replaced Sport18 as the media partner of PGTI.