National Car Rental and the PGA of America Announce Partnership Renewal

An an Official Partner, National joins a select group of companies that provide significant, broad-based support of the Association, its Championships and membership programs.

ST. LOUIS, Jan 20, 2015 – National Car Rental and the PGA of America today announced the renewal of their partnership at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show, extending National’s designation as an Official Partner and the Official Rental Car of the PGA of America. The five-year agreement features National serving as the Official Rental Car of the PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid; an Official Partner of the 2016 and 2018 Ryder Cups; Title Sponsor of the National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship and Founding Partner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

As an Official Partner of the PGA of America, National joins a select group of companies that provide significant, broad-based support of the Association, its Championships and membership programs. National also plans to continue its support of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America, created to “improve lives through golf” through its three pillars of Youth, Military and Diversity/Inclusion.

“Since 2012, National Car Rental has supported our most cherished spectator championships and has played a key role in celebrating the work of PGA Professionals nationwide while helping us grow the game of golf at the local level,” said Pete Bevacqua, PGA of America Chief Executive Officer. “We are very pleased to continue our partnership with National, whose commitment to personalized service reflects one of the most trusted brands in the transportation industry.”

National and the PGA also announced the return of the National Car Rental PGA Pro-Am Series, which runs from March to October of this year. More than 10,000 amateur golfers participated in last year’s inaugural Pro-Am Series, which the PGA of America and National created to help further the PGA’s mission to grow interest and participation in the game of golf at the grassroots level. The Pro-Am Series links together over 90 new and existing amateur tournaments across the 41 PGA of America Sections nationwide. Keegan Bradley, winner of the 2011 PGA Championship, and his father, PGA Professional Mark Bradley, will continue to serve as ambassadors for the Series. The father-son team will also promote the National “Go Like A Pro” mobile experience, a customized, golf-themed tour bus that will travel to select events throughout the National Car Rental PGA Pro-Am Series.

“With our shared commitment to service and professionalism, National’s partnership with the PGA of America remains a natural fit,” said Rob Connors, assistant vice president of brand marketing for National Car Rental. “We know many of our business travel customers have a passion for the game of golf, and we are proud to work with the PGA to promote the game on both the local and national level.”

National Car Rental will commit advertising support to PGA major championship broadcasts, along with PGA-branded programming, including on-air, digital and print. In addition:

• National Car Rental will extend specially priced car rental rates to PGA Professionals, the 41 PGA Sections and the PGA’s family of nearly 90 corporate partners. PGA Professionals also will be given the opportunity to extend preferred rental rates to their club members and guests.
• PGA Professionals will be afforded access into National Car Rental’s Emerald Club, the car rental industry’s first comprehensive frequent-renter program, which expedites the rental process by offering counter bypass as well as Drop & GoSM service with convenient e-receipts. National features the Emerald Aisle – an exclusive section of the lot where members can select any vehicle as long as they reserve a mid-sized car – at 62 locations in the U.S. and Canada, including the top 50 airports for business travel.

For more information about the National Car Rental PGA Pro-Am Series, please visit www.nationalcargolf.com. Beginning March 1, fans can follow the Series on Instagram and Twitter @NationalCarGolf and participate in the conversation using #proamseries.

SOURCE: PGA