High-profile tournament given life thanks to Bridgestone

Up to 10,000 golf fans are expected to descend upon a prestigious Oxfordshire resort in August, when the resurrection of a high-profile English tournament takes place, courtesy of Bridgestone.

The premium tyre manufacturer has unveiled its Bridgestone Challenge event at Heythrop Park near Chipping Norton, from August 25 to 28, which will represent the first English based Challenge Tour event on the golfing calendar since 2012.

The Challenge Tour is one step down from the full professional European Tour and gives some of the most talented amateur players a platform to progress onto the professional circuit, following in the footsteps of the likes of Luke Donald, Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer.

The Bridgestone Challenge event is one of three high profile golfing sponsorships for Bridgestone, with a competition for club players – the DriveGuard Trophy – also taking place in 2016 along with an official partner status of the European Tour’s British Masters event in October.

The decision to create the Bridgestone Challenge at Heythrop Park represents a significant change from more commonplace sports partnerships in the tyre industry, with Bridgestone keen to create a stage for emerging players to realise their dreams and play the game on the highest stage.

Bridgestone decided to embark on a golfing journey after a successful foray into the sport in 2015, where a tournament for amateur players yielded great exposure and significant interest in the company’s premium products.

Bridgestone’s north region consumer sales and marketing director Farrell Dolan said: “We have identified huge potential from the world of golf and are extremely excited to be entering into a series of sponsorships covering such a broad range of the sport.

“Heythrop Park is a stunning location and we are thrilled to be staging an event here, in such a beautiful part of the world. The exposure we will generate from our Bridgestone Challenge title sponsorship is vast which will be making a welcome return to the golfing calendar after a three year absence.”