- Whoop named official fitness wearable of the PGA Tour
- Fitness tracker manufacturer valued at US$1.2bn after raising further US$100m in October
Golf’s PGA Tour has announced a multi-year partnership with fitness tracker manufacturer Whoop.
The deal sees the company named the official fitness wearable of the PGA Tour, including its senior Tour Champions event, as well as a sponsor for the US-based golf organisation’s Active outreach health initiative.
To highlight the partnership, Whoop and the PGA Tour are enabling golfers' heart rates to be monitored during defining moments throughout the season, including crucial shots, with real-time metrics integrated into video content. Featured players will receive a US$10,000 contribution to the charity of their choice.
Whoop will also activate and create custom content within PGA Tour Active, enabling supporters to get an inside look into the performance training technique used by players on the tour.
The tie-up builds on an existing relationship between the two parties agreed last summer, when Whoop distributed more than 1,000 straps to players, caddies and other essential personnel at PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Champions events.
At the RBC Heritage in June, Whoop’s wearable device helped prevent a more serious Covid-19 outbreak when Nick Watney noticed his respiratory rate had increased significantly overnight, prompting a rapid test which saw him immediately pull out the tournament to isolate.
The deal also sees players and trainers continue to receive Whoop’s latest products and technology, with the company now gaining an amplified onsite presence at all PGA Tour events to provide further support.
“Whoop has organically grown amongst the world’s best golfers for years and we are proud to take our relationship with the PGA Tour and all athletes to the next level,” said Will Ahmed, Whoop’s founder and chief executive.
“This partnership is particularly new and innovative in that it will bring heart rate and other engaging physiological metrics directly into the fan experience.”
The PGA Tour deal follows Whoop raising a further US$100 million in funding last October as part of a Series E financing round that valued the firm at US$1.2 billion. Venture capital company IVP, along with golfers Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, were among the investors.
Whoop
