SPORTFIVE Bolsters Portfolio With Global Golf Management Acquisition
July 2, 2021
Global sports business agency SPORTFIVE has acquired Global Golf Management, a worldwide golf event management, consulting and sales company.
The acquisition enhances SPORTFIVE’s prominent presence in the sport of golf and expands both its golf event management capabilities as well as its portfolio of tournaments managed.
The acquisition is part of the agency’s recently launched global golf strategy, which makes the sport one of its global growth areas. As part of the strategy, SPORTFIVE is building off its already strong presence in the U.S. and Asia in golf player representation and event management and expands its business around the game, including the development of new business opportunities with golf rightsholders and brands that market in golf.
Global Golf Management’s Principals Mike Harmon and Jeff Raedle will both assume the new titles of Executive Vice President of Golf Events for SPORTFIVE and report to Steve Loy, President, Global Golf for the agency. Harmon and Raedle will lead SPORTFIVE’s Golf Events division in the US, and will now oversee the existing tournaments that the agency manages, including the PGA TOUR events The American Express™ and the Fortinet Championship, as well as its role as an organizer of Capital One’s The Match series of golf events in partnership with WarnerMedia.
Headquartered in Chicago, Global Golf Management has successfully staged nearly 1,000 events on five continents since its inception in 1989, including major championships on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and LPGA, as well as the Olympic Golf competition. Global Golf Management has a role in 30 different professional, collegiate and charity golf tournaments, and is the event manager for the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship and Puerto Rico Open, and the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic and Emerald Coast Golf Classic at Sandestin.
“Golf is one of our global growth initiatives at SPORTFIVE and the acquisition showcases our commitment and enthusiasm to execute our strategy globally,” said Stefan Felsing, CEO SPORTFIVE. “We are certain that with Global Golf Management as part of SPORTFIVE we further enhanced our capabilities and can create even more value for brands, rights-holders, talents and media-platforms.”
“Expanding our presence in golf event management was a key objective when we launched our new golf strategy,” said Loy. “Adding the Global Golf Management team to SPORTFIVE is a huge step towards becoming the global golf agency our global leadership team sought out to become.”
“Over the last two decades, we have been proud to build Global Golf Management into a leading golf event management company,” said Harmon and Raedle. “SPORTFIVE is a dynamic global sports agency with an industry-leading golf practice and we could not be more excited to join the team.”
