Tag Archives: Tim Hunt

DP World Tour, Golf & Apps

European Tour – Challenge stars at BMW PGA in new ‘Your Race to Dubai’ fan game!

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May 20, 2015 – The European Tour has launched Your Race to Dubai. The new fan game enables golfers to take on top tour pros in match play every week via the live-scoring app, Golf GameBook.

Golfers simply challenge the stars of The European Tour to a match play game and record their own scores using the free Golf GameBook iPhone app, then earn ranking points based on each match’s outcome.

The launch of Your Race to Dubai coincides with The European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Surrey, May 21-24, giving golfers the opportunity to challenge defending champion and World Number One, Rory McIlroy and major winners Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.

The scores of professionals will be updated automatically and instantly on the Golf GameBook app, so fans watching tournament rounds in real time will know whether they are up or down in their match play. The app has been specially configured to automatically adjust for amateur handicaps as well as the different courses being played by the tour pros.

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Tim Hunt, Marketing Communications Director of The European Tour, said: “Technology and social media has brought fans closer than ever to their heroes. Now, with Your Race to Dubai, golfers can go a step further and compete week-after-week with the stars of the game playing on The European Tour.”

Each week, before a European Tour event, the pros available to challenge on Your Race to Dubai are updated with 10 contesting that week’s event. These will be made up of five from the top of the latest Race to Dubai ranking and five additional wild cards.

Among the wild cards for the first week of Your Race to Dubai is Mikko Ilonen, a five-time European Tour winner including the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship.

Mikko Ilonen, who is also a Golf GameBook ambassador, said: “From my experience of playing with golfers in Pro-Ams, people get a kick out of going up against a tour pro and Your Race to Dubai is a fantastic means of opening this experience up to a global golf audience.  

“It’s fun that golfers around the globe can now play against me this week. I have already been contacted by golfers at my local club in Finland who have been practising in preparation of challenging me, so there will be some pressure on me there!”

The full list of European Tour professionals available to challenge in week one of Your Race to Dubai include:

Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Mikko Ilonen, Danny Willett, Alex Noren, Branden Grace, Martin Kaymer, Joost Luiten, Graeme McDowell and Anirban Lahiri.

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Kalle Vainola, co-Founder of GameBook, said: “Your Race to Dubai is unique in sport because it enables fans to go head-to-head and compete with the best in the game on a weekly basis. Golfers can now have a real European Tour experience for themselves against the likes of Rory, Rose, Garcia and Stenson, and they can do so from anywhere in the world.”

More information at www.yourracetodubai.com, www.golfgamebook.com and www.europeantour.com.

Golf & Apps, Golf & Social Media

Golf GameBook – Fans take on European Tour stars in new ‘Your Race to Dubai’ game

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March 20, 2015 – Golf fans around the globe will soon be able to take on stars of The European Tour in a new match play challenge powered by live-scoring app Golf GameBook.

The groundbreaking ‘Your Race to Dubai’ game enables amateur golfers to use scores recorded on the free Golf GameBook iPhone app to challenge top tournament professionals competing in European Tour events in the same week.

RTX 2.0 300x250 black satin ESThe exciting new concept, which will be launched in time for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, May 21-24, puts fans in the unique position of going head-to-head with their favourite players, including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, during live tournament play.

From the comfort of their own home, fans watching the tournament on TV or online, and simultaneously using the Golf GameBook app, can see their match play round unfold hole by hole, sharing comments and score updates on social media.

Each result counts towards a global ‘Your Race to Dubai’ ranking, ending at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, November 19-22.

Tim Hunt, Marketing Communications Director of The European Tour, said:  “Many of our European Tour professionals are already familiar with Golf GameBook and have used the app for live scoring, sharing pictures and comments during tournament Pro-Ams. It has proved popular and so developing this concept into a global ‘Your Race to Dubai’ weekly game, available in 26 countries, is a great way for fans to engage with the Race to Dubai and inspire them to play their best golf.”

The scores of professionals will be updated automatically and instantly on the Golf GameBook app, so fans watching tournament rounds in real time will know whether they are up or down in their match play. The app has been specially configured to automatically adjust for amateur handicaps as well as the different courses being played by fans and professionals.

Kalle Vainola, co-Founder of GameBook, said: “Your Race to Dubai offers golfers a unique experience and brings a whole new meaning to their rounds. For most golfers, the thought of playing with the likes of Rory, Justin or Henrik is a dream; but with our match play all golfers, whether they are in Europe, Asia or the Middle East, can enjoy a European Tour experience and the opportunity to go head-to-head with some of the best professional golfers in the world.”

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HOW ‘YOUR RACE TO DUBAI’ WORKS

  • Using the Golf GameBook app, fans challenge a nominated European Tour professional to a match play round at a European Tour event, selecting a specific tournament day.
  • Fans play an 18-hole round at least one day before the nominated tournament round, keeping score with the Golf GameBook live-scoring app.
  • Using the app on iPhone or iPad, the fan can then watch the match play round unfold live during the European Tour event, hole by hole, sharing comments, score updates and results on social media.

Developed by PGA professionals who themselves have previously played on The European Tour and Challenge Tour, Golf GameBook is now the fastest growing golf community in the world with more than 850,000 downloads. It was also recently shortlisted for both ‘Best Use of Technology by a Sponsor’ and ‘Best Sports App’ at the Sports Technology Awards 2015.

With nearly 2.5 million rounds of golf recorded so far, Golf GameBook is a free live scoring app that offers social interaction between players and friends on the course.

More information at www.yourracetodubai.com.

DP World Tour, Golf & Cinema, Golf & Social Media, MyGolfGuay

European Tour – New ‘Drama on the World Stage’ ad campaign

February 26, 2015 – Everyone has, at some point in their lives, been so captivated by a moment of sport that time stands still and nothing else matters except seeing what happens. That is precisely the concept behind The European Tour’s latest ad campaign, ‘Drama on the World Stage’, which is aired for the first time this week.

The ad – shot in super slow motion and to a haunting Mozart soundtrack – features US Open Champion Martin Kaymer hitting a bunker shot to the 18th green of the DP Tour World Championship, Dubai; a shot which literally entrances everyone watching.

Martin Kaymer said: “Making the film was great fun and I was proud to be involved in it. It was very cool the way it was done and it was great to be a part of something like that. It’s always great to promote The European Tour because we have so much to offer – and it’s good that we can show people what a good product we have.”

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The ad captures that dramatic moment in time and focuses on the reactions of fans both at the event and around the world as they stare, transfixed, at the shot as it unfolds. From a distracted barman to interrupted lovers, everyone’s attention is held.

Around the green itself, thousands of spectators and photographers are enthralled, while in the adjacent television studio 2014 Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley and Sky Sports presenter David Livingstone watch in awe as the ball rolls towards the cup and hangs on the edge as the music reaches a crescendo.

The ad launches this week and will be shown by Sky Sports in the UK and The Golf Channel in the US, as well as being offered to broadcasters through European Tour Productions. The global campaign will reach into all of The European Tour’s key territories throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Tim Hunt, Marketing Communications Director for The European Tour, said:  “The success of our previous campaign, ‘Every Shot Imaginable’ has given us the confidence to develop this new campaign, focusing even more on the talents of some of The European Tour’s leading players.”

“The ability of our players to deliver dramatic sporting moments across the world, and the increasing engagement of our global fan base were the inspiration behind the idea. We hope everyone will enjoy the ads and that they will inspire fans to continue to watch the incredible performances of our players week in, week out on The European Tour.”