By Kent Gray
Harry Vardon’s decade-long reign as the face, or more accurately silhouette, of the European Tour has come to an end.

An image of the late, great Channel Islander holding his famed finish has adorned the global tour’s branding since 2008. But European Tour chief Keith Pelley unveiled the tour’s new “modern” look at last week’s BMW PGA Championship, meaning time is up Vardon, a six-time Open winner, the 1900 U.S. Open champion and a member of the ‘Great Triumvirate’ with John Henry Taylor and James Braid.

The new logo will be rolled out October 1 alongside a revamped website and a new App. Together they aim to broaden the circuit’s “appeal to new and existing fans and commercial partners.”

“It is an exciting time for us to unveil our new brand strategy,” Pelley said at the launch held in the European Tour’s recently refurbished headquarters at the Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey. “While we continue to celebrate our traditions and our core audience, the Tour has a strong desire to innovate and broaden the appeal of our sport.”

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley at the launch of the circuit’s new brand strategy. Photo: European Tour.

Max Hamilton, Head of Commercial Partnerships, believes the brand refresh, which focuses on the ‘Driving Golf Further’ strapline which features beneath the new logo, will help the European Tour take the game to new audiences.

“Golf remains the sport of business, with 90% of CEOs playing our sport, however, we believe golf has to modernise and appeal to everyone to thrive. We hope our bold new creative and brand strategy will attract new partners who align with our new brand ideals.”

The European Tour operates 48 tournaments across five continents and features players from 37 nationalities, in addition to having a global television reach of more than 490 million homes.

The 2018-19 Race to Dubai (formerly the Harry Vardon Trophy) culminates at Jumeirah Golf Estates with the DP World Tour Championship from November 21-24.

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