Hero’s association with golf is now well established, including events in India and the one with Tiger Woods in the Bahamas. How did it all begin and what was the inspiration?
Hero MotoCorp has had a long and cherished association with golf. It all started back in 1995 when we sponsored a hole-in-one in an international tournament in India. That was the beginning of a relationship that has gone from strength to strength over the years.
Our association with golf is truly global, as we have been partners of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), the Ladies European Tour and the Asian Tour in the past. We have been the title sponsors for the Hero Indian Open for the men since 2005 and the women since 2010. Both these events are on their respective European Tours.
What has inspired me over these decades is the growth of the sport in India and indeed across the world. It is truly gratifying to see the young Indian golfers — both men and women — who are now competing globally with remarkable results.
Golf is about patience, a long-term vision, grit, consistency and above all integrity and these are the key traits that are applicable to business and life as well. So when I started playing myself, I could easily instil these qualities which have stood me in good stead over the years.

Having already been involved with sports around the world, the year 2023 sees Hero add two more events to the portfolio in the Middle East with the Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi and Hero Dubai Desert Classic in Dubai. How do you see this partnership?
The Hero Cup and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic have further strengthened our long-term association with the DP World Tour. The Hero Cup is a unique platform that brings together established and emerging golfers from Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe in preparation for the iconic Ryder Cup. Similarly, the Dubai Desert Classic is an iconic tournament and brings with it a rich legacy.
Hero MotoCorp has rapidly grown into a global brand with a footprint in more than 43 countries across multiple continents including Asia, Africa, South and Central America and Middle East. Moreover, this region holds a special place in my heart, as I unveiled VIDA — Powered by Hero — our new emerging mobility brand in Dubai in March 2022.
Our association with the DP World Tour, therefore, is a partnership that we value immensely.

You are quite the golfer yourself. How is your game going?
I have been fortunate enough to have played at some of the best golf courses in the world. My work keeps me very busy with a tight schedule and lot of travelling. So I play whenever time permits me. I usually try to play early morning on weekends.

And do you have any favourite golfers you like to follow on the course or check on their scores each week?
I am a fan of the sport, first. So, I am always cheering for exciting action. I keep myself updated with young and upcoming players.

How do you rate the UAE courses? Do you have a favourite?
The courses here are fabulous. They are an added motivation for me to come to the UAE as often as I can. As I said earlier, I have played on courses across the world and I can say the ones here can hold their own. The Emirates Golf Club in Dubai is truly remarkable in terms of the playing conditions and the hospitality.

You were inducted into the Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame for your contributions to the sport. How have you seen the sport develop in your home and what are your plans to grow the game further?
The growth of the game in India and many other Asian countries has truly been gratifying for us. This is the motivation for us to keep promoting the game and the emerging players. When we came into golf in the late 1990s, it was still in its early stages; now two-and-a-half decades later, the scenario is totally different — from the quality of courses to the number of talented players coming from small cities and towns in India.
Even at the global level, we are trying to create platforms — such as the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, the Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic — that enable us to take the sport forward and provide a platform for the youth and budding golfers to showcase their talent.

Finally, did you manage to catch up with Tiger at the Hero World Challenge? Did he give any hints about his hopes for the year ahead?
Yes, we spent some quality time together during the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in November and early December last year. Tiger is an icon and an inspiration to everyone across the globe. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing him in action whenever he chooses to play in a tournament.

The post Speaking with Hero MotoCorp CEO Dr Pawan Munjal at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Hero Dubai Desert Classic brings together Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, and the DP World Tour’s longest-running event in the Middle East. The tournament returns to Emirates Golf Club on January 26-29 for its 34th edition and will once again boast a stellar field headed by world No. 1 and two-time Dubai Desert Classic winner Rory McIlroy.

The tournament was elevated to Rolex Series status in 2022 and will once again form part of the traditional ‘Desert Swing’, which annually attracts golf’s leading players to the region. The four-week series of events begins with the Hero Cup — a new team matchplay contest aimed at giving European players experience in the format ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup — followed by back-to-back Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and concluding at the Ras al Khaimah Championship.

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The new agreement extends Hero MotoCorp’s long-term relationship with the DP World Tour which began in 2015 at the Hero Indian Open. Since then, Hero has also supported the Hero Challenge — a series of fast-paced showpiece events and short form social and digital content, which have taken golf to new audiences — as well as the Hero Open, which featured on the DP World Tour schedule from 2020 to 2022.

Hero MotoCorp will be title partner of three events on the 2023 DP World Tour International Schedule — the Hero Cup, Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Hero Indian Open.

Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman & CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said: “We continue to have a long-term partnership with the DP World Tour, and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is an extension of this engagement. We are delighted to be associated with this iconic event and will now be supporting two much-awaited marquee tournaments in the Middle East — the Hero Cup and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic — as part of the traditional Desert Swing. It surely promises to be an exciting start to the season, and we look forward to seeing world-class golf on display.”

Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director – Hero Dubai Desert Classic, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hero MotoCorp as the new title partner of the Dubai Desert Classic as we once again prepare to host a global field at Emirates Golf Club.

“Hero have been supportive of golf, and particularly innovation in the game, for a number of years and we look forward to working together to continue the evolution of the tournament as we enter our second year as part of the Rolex Series.”

Keith Pelley, CEO of the DP World Tour, said: “It is my pleasure to welcome Hero MotoCorp as the new title partner of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. We are proud to further develop our long-term relationship with Hero MotoCorp and thank Dr Pawan Munjal for his continued support of golf in general and the DP World Tour in particular.

“January promises to bring yet another memorable edition of this historic event, as we once again welcome some of the best players in the world to Dubai for the second Rolex Series event of 2023, two weeks after an exciting season-opener in the new Hero Cup.”

The Dubai Desert Classic was the DP World Tour’s first event in the Middle East region in 1989, with former champs including major winners Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazábal, Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson, McIlroy, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau.

The post Hero MotoCorp announced as title partner of Dubai Desert Classic for 2023 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The list is Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s wealthiest celebrities.

Tiger Woods ranked in a tie with author James Patterson for ninth at $800 million, which positions himself in the years ahead to have a go at adding “billionaire” to descriptions of him.

Lest he get too cocky, Michael Jordan is worth more than twice as much, at $1.7 billion, fourth on the list.

Just ahead of Tiger is Diddy at $825 million, while Kylie Jenner, the wunderkind who is the sole owner of Kylie Cosmetics, is No. 5 at $900 million.

George Lucas is a runaway No. 1 at $5.4 billion.

Last year, Woods was ranked eighth at $750 million. Woods’ improbable comeback from injuries, capped by a victory in the Tour Championship, already has paid dividends to his bottom line in 2018 and is likely to continue doing so into the future. Last month, it was announced that Woods has signed a multi-year deal with Discovery Inc. to provide content on its streaming video platform, GOLFTV.

He also has endorsement contracts with Nike, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Hero MotorCorp, Monster Energy and Kowa, the latter a Japanese pharmaceutical company.

The post Tiger Woods’ net worth is $800 million, $50 million more than a year ago, according to Forbes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.