Yokohama Has Signed an Agreement with RTJ Golf Trail to Be The Title Sponsor of LPGA

Yokohama Tire Corp. has signed a multi-year agreement with the Robert Trent Jones (RTJ) Golf Trail to be the title sponsor of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament in Prattville, Ala. The 2014 tournament will be held at the Senator Course at Capitol Hill, located about 10 miles from the state capital of Montgomery, Sept. 18-20. It will be called the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. "This is an opportunity for Yokohama to get our brand in front of a new audience," says Andrew Briggs, Yokohama's director of marketing and product planning. "The LPGA and RTJ Golf Trail are world-class organizations. We'll work directly with them to maximize our agreement, incorporating dealer and consumer activities throughout the year to further promote our full line of tires." Briggs adds that the LPGA sponsorship fits into Yokohama's expanding sports marketing program, which includes partnerships with the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers; the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens; and Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees. "From Lorena Ochoa winning here twice to Lexi Thompson becoming the youngest winner in the LPGA at that time, golf history has been made in Prattville," says John Cannon, president of the RTJ Golf Trail. "With Yokohama as the new title sponsor, this tournament will be an even larger international event. Yokohama brings its global presence to showcase some of the premier women golfers from around the world. All eyes of the international golf community will be on America's original golf trail." Funded by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail was built to help expand tourism, recruit industry and attract retirees, thus strengthening the state's economy while adding to the quality of life for all Alabamians. The RTJ Golf Trail has 26 courses on 11 sites across the state.