Bridgestone Golf, discount the No.1 ball-fitter in the game, has added five-time Ryder Cup star and double Major winner Sandy Lyle MBE to its galaxy of famous Tour players using Bridgestone’s modern golf balls.

Regarded as one of the most naturally gifted British golfers ever to play the game, 54-year -old Lyle will use the highly-rated B-330 golf ball on the European Seniors Tour this season. It forms part of a two-year ball and club deal that sees him alongside fellow Bridgestone Tour staff team members Nick Price and Fred Couples, who uses the same ball and will be defending his British Seniors Open title at Royal Birkdale in July.

The Scotsman – who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last year in recognition of a career that boasts memorable triumphs at The Open (1985) and US Masters (1988) – will also play the Bridgestone balls at this year’s Open Championship at Muirfield and the US Masters in Augusta, scene of his dramatic final hole victory 25 years ago.

“Signing with Bridgestone Golf and joining such a great line up of class players is a real boost for me and I’m really looking forward to playing the B-330 ball which has impressed me a lot,” said Sandy, the first Scottish golfer to win the Masters title among his 30 tournament victories worldwide.

Lyle joins a host of other high-profile players who will tee up a Bridgestone ball this season, including current FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker, Players’ Championship winner Matt Kuchar, former US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, the legendary Lee Trevino and Ladies’ Tour stars Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb and Sophie Gustafson.

“We’re delighted that a golfing legend like Sandy has put his faith in Bridgestone Golf balls,” said Steve Kettlewell, MD for Bridgestone Golf UK. “He will help us to lift the brand profile further across Europe – especially in the UK and Ireland where he is held in such esteem by so many avid golfers,” he added.

Complete Nutrition, the fast-growing nutritional supplement retailer, has announced a partnership with Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Mike Alstott, marking the company’s first national deal with a professional athlete.

Alstott will serve as a spokesman and appear in marketing campaigns to promote Complete Nutrition’s Mancore line of testosterone-boostingand weight-loss supplements geared toward active men ages 30 to 55.

Throughout a 12-year NFL career, six-time Pro Bowl fullback and 2003 Super Bowl champion Mike “A-Train” Alstott was known for his grit, power and meticulous work ethic that allowed him to run through defenders to reach the end zone. Even in retirement, Alstott continues to train hard and eat healthy, making him an ideal representative of Complete Nutrition’s Mancore brand.

“Men my age don’t realize that our testosterone levels are decreasing, but it’s a reality that makes staying fit more difficult,” said Alstott. “Guys often have a hard time getting over that initial hump to where they truly see results. I’ve tried a lot of other supplements and had trouble getting past my plateau until Mancore. Since using Mancore, I’ve trimmed down immensely and my muscles are more defined. People have even told me I look like I’m still in playing shape.”

Mancore 3-Pack, the most comprehensive product in the Mancore line, helps men increase muscle mass, strength and energy, as well as burn fat and improve body composition. The exclusive program contains three complementary products: Total Fat Burn, Testosterone Replenish and HGH Night Spray. These are designed to work in tandem, maximizing the effectiveness of each individual product and helping users look lean and fit.

“We are honored to have such a storied NFL role model as part of the Complete Nutrition brand,” said Amy Bailey, VP of Marketing for Complete Nutrition. “Mike Alstott is a guy the Mancore demographic can relate to and he’s a great inspiration for men across the country to get in shape.”

KFC has extended its partnership with Melbourne Victory in its capacity as the club’s official sleeve partner, clinic for a further two seasons.

The KFC brand is a household name right around the world and the global giant has been unwavering in its support of the club over the eight seasons of the competition.

President of the KFC Franchisee Association of Victoria, Mitch Glanville, said he and his team were thrilled to once again be able to lend their support to Melbourne Victory.

“We had absolutely no hesitation in extending our relationship with Melbourne Victory and see the long-standing partnership as immensely beneficial to both parties,” Mr Glanville said.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director Richard Wilson said KFC have been, and will continue to be, a very important part of the team.

“This relationship has certainly stood the test of time, with KFC having been with us since day one of the competition and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support,” Mr Wilson said.

Michael Phelps, winner of a record 18 gold medals in Olympic swimming, has signed on with Ping to provide his golf clubs starting with an appearance in Wednesday’s pro-am for the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

He was paired with Masters champion Bubba Watson.

Phelps got a tour of Ping’s Arizona facilities, where he was fitted for a set of clubs that accommodate his 6-foot-4 height, long arms and large hands. He’s already noticed a big improvement in the flight of his ball.

”It’s pretty wild,” he told The Associated Press. ”It’s crazy to think this sport is so technical. A lot of sports are very technical, but one of the (Ping) guys said there’s 50-something different shafts they can put on the clubs. I’m used to having a pair of goggles, a small, medium or large swim cap, and a jammer to put on, and that’s it.”

Ping added a few special touches to Phelps’ clubs, including accents in both gold and red, white and blue.

”We’ve custom-built his clubs to ensure he has every chance to improve, and we believe he’ll dedicate himself to golf with the same intensity he gave to swimming,” said John A. Solheim, the company’s chairman and CEO. ”His global presence as a golfer will bring PING tremendous exposure and just as importantly, shed additional light on the game in general.”

Phelps has been working with renowned coach Hank Haney for an eight-episode series on the Golf Channel that begins Feb. 25. While the swimmer-turned-golfer is not sure how far his new sport can take him, he’s sure enjoying the ride so far.

”You can’t put limits on anything,” Phelps said. ”There’s so much I could do. Maybe I can get good enough where I can make the Olympics in golf.”

The sport is joining the Olympic program at the 2016 Rio Games.

”Hey, you never know,” Phelps said, with a chuckle. ”Being a golfer at the Olympics would be kind of fun.”

Stanley Cup champions, Los Angeles Kings have announced nine new commercial partnerships for the 2012-13 season. 

Travel Alberta, Tiffany & Co., The Flame Broiler, Graham Watches, GEICO, Cornerstone OnDemand, United Healthcare, Jersey Mike’s and Northrop Grumman join the organization’s roster of sponsors for this season.  

“We are excited to add these nine organizations to the team’s sponsor portfolio” said Kings Senior Vice President, Corporate Partnerships Bill Pedigo. “There’s a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on the increased visibility and attention on the Kings and we are looking forward to working with each of our partners to execute against that.”

The new partner involvement has already kicked-off with such activations as Graham’s On-line ‘Countdown to the Season’ and Tiffany’s launch of the Kings Championship Fan Line.

Cornerstone onDemand will become the Presenting Partner of all Overtime Periods at STAPLES Center while The Flame Broiler, GEICO and Jersey Mike’s will all increase their presence at Kings home games atSTAPLES Center.

United Healthcare will be the lead sponsor on the Kings Food Drive taking place in March and Northrop Grumman will take over and expand the fan favorite in-game feature, ‘Hero of the Game.’  

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iON Worldwide, the global consumer electronics, today announced it has entered into an agreement with big mountain skier and avalanche-safety advocate Dean Cummings and his companies to exclusively use and endorse iON Cameras. 

Cummings and iON will be exhibiting at the SnowSports Industries American (SIA) Snow Show in Denver from January 31 to February 3. Cummings will be signing autographs on Friday, February 1 at 4pm MST at the iON exhibit, booth #2957.

Under terms of the three-year agreement, Cummings and his companies — H2O Guides, Dean Cummings’ Steep Life Protocols and Tour, and H2O Outdoor Gear — will exclusively represent the new iON Air Pro 2, GPS-enabled iON Adventure and other iON cameras in his adventures, appearances, films, tour, engagements, courses, guide service and on his website. iON cameras will also be available for purchase on the H2O Outdoor Gear site. 

Cummings selected to use and endorse iON Air Pro and Adventure series cameras following an extensive evaluation of rugged point-of-view (POV) cameras. Significantly, Cummings cited a preference for the overall quality and feature-set of the cameras, but especially for iON’s Wi-Fi capabilities.

“iON offers the most impressive array of technology in a small package of any electronics I’ve worked with,” Cummings said. “In addition to fantastic optical quality, the compact cameras are waterproof, lightweight and easy to use, with built-in GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity. All are highly resistant to cold and have a long battery life. For durability, iON is the best choice of POV camera for use in remote ski terrain.”

Cummings is internationally recognized as one of the preeminent world-class big mountain skiers and mechanized ski guides working in glaciated terrain in the world today. He is a renowned leader in outdoor safety and avalanche awareness education. Throughout his career at the forefront of the evolution of ski equipment and technique for big mountain skiing, Cummings has been on both sides of the lens, capturing ski footage in some of the most remote and extreme environments.

“We are thrilled and honored to partner with Dean and his H2O team, as we know they will be using our cameras in some of the harshest environments known to man,” said Giovanni Tomaselli, founder and CEO, iON Worldwide. “I am looking forward to seeing some amazing footage, as well as getting some solid feedback on the performance of our cameras in such challenging conditions.”

Sporting Kansas City announced today it has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Boulevard Brewing Company, who become the official craft beer sponsor of the MLS team.

The five-year deal expands last season’s informal partnership between the two homegrown organizations.

“The synergy between our two brands has been incredible, so we’re obviously thrilled to continue the partnership in an even bigger way,” said Andy Tretiak, Chief Marketing Officer of Sporting Club. “We’re already working on some cool new programs for the upcoming season.”

“This has been in the works for a long time,” said Jeremy Ragonese, Boulevard’s Director of Marketing. “Our mutual fans have been outspoken in their support for an alliance between Boulevard and Sporting KC, and their passion for our brands makes this a natural fit.”

The brewery will serve as title sponsor of the Boulevard Members’ Club, enjoyed by fans before, during and after games at Sporting Park. The club – adjacent to the Members’ Stand – is home to the most vocal supporters of Sporting KC. In conjunction with its local distributor, Central States Beverage, Boulevard will also implement a variety of programs and initiatives throughout the city in support of the new alliance. Central States is also the brewery’s partner in the new agreement.

“We are excited to partner with such an iconic Kansas City brand as Boulevard,” said Jake Reid, Chief Revenue Officer of Sporting Kansas City. “They fit perfectly with our demographic, and we know our fans will enjoy the atmosphere in the Boulevard Members’ Club.”

F1 teams, Toro Rosso and Sauber have revealed new sponsor partnerships ahead of the new season.

Toro Rosso has renewed its agreement with OMP Racing for another year, ensuring that the Italian company will continue to supply safety equipment and technical clothing for its drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, and the rest of the team

The agreement, however, also provides for the possibility of installing new super-light seatbelts inside the cockpit of the new STR8, which will be officially presented on 4 February. The seatbelts have been produced by OMP using Dyneema, self-proclaimed as ‘the world’s strongest fibre’, after two years of study and research.

Ricciardo and Vergne, meanwhile, will be kitted out with racesuits, boots, underwear and gloves made by OMP, as will other team personnel. 

“We are pleased to continue our relationship with OMP,” team manager Gianfranco Fantuzzi commented, “Over the years, we have developed an excellent relationship and OMP is always attentive to our requests, supplying items to our specific needs to the highest standards, while always meeting the tight deadlines that are part of working in the F1 environment. And, of course, as an Italian team, we appreciate not only the excellent quality but also the Italian style element of everything we get from OMP.”

Sauber, meanwhile, has signed DEKRA as an ‘official partner’, building on the company’s existing relationship with new recruit Nico Hulkenberg. 

“It’s gratifying to be able to combine the interests of all three parties in this way,” team CEO Monisha Kaltenborn said. “In DEKRA, the team welcomes a partner that has been a firm fixture of the F1 scene for many years. We keenly anticipate this new partnership and look forward to a successful season.”

Betfair, the world’s largest betting exchange has announced a partnership with Australian Super League team, New South Wales Waratahs for 2013 as an official partner.

“We have proudly supported Australian rugby for the last two seasons and it is a pleasure to announce our continued involvement as an official partner of the Waratahs for 2013,” said Betfair Australasia Chief Executive, Giles Thompson.

“New South Wales is destined for a successful season with the acquisition of superstar Israel Folau, breakthrough Wallaby newcomer Michael Hooper and highly regarded coach Michael Cheika. We will be following their progress with interest and look forward to sharing the journey with all Waratahs supporters.”

The agreement will see Betfair represented through stadium and sideline LED signage at Waratahs’ home games and provide for integration of Betfair messaging via the Waratahs.com.au website.

Waratahs Rugby CEO Jason Allen said: “We’re thrilled to have Betfair on board for the coming season and delighted that they have chosen to take their partnership with us to another level.

“In the same way that we are devoted to giving our members and supporters a state team to be proud of, we are also committed to continuing to grow and develop our relationships with our partners and other valued stakeholders.”