Rory McIlroy And The PGA Tour Reflect On Partnership That’s Lasted For Over Half The Logistics Giant’s Lifespan

FedEx’s
FDX
sponsorship relationship with the PGA Tour is one of the longest running in professional sports. The partnership dates back to 1986 when FedEx came onboard as the title sponsor of the St. Jude Classic, an annual tour stop that has raised over $65 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

A couple decades later, FedEx became the title sponsor of the PGA Tour, lending its name to the season-long points race that was introduced in 2007. This new format replaced the traditional money list and incorporated a progressive cut playoff, leading up to the Tour Championship as its grand finale.

“We were a scrappy entrepreneurial startup in 1973 and that is still core to our DNA. When we launched the FedEx Cup, the goal was to create a season ending champion, bring together the best golfers in the world and have them go out there and compete,” Richard Smith, president and CEO of FedEx Express, explained.

The idea of the points race sets was to create a season-long narrative that builds towards a crescendo in much the same way that other major sports culminate in a playoffs format.

“When you’ve got 47 tournaments over the course of the year and they’re all connected to a points system, it allows you to define our greatest champion and it brings more meaning to every shot and every single tournament,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said.

“That resonates with tournaments, that resonates with fans and all of our tournaments are proud to be beneath that umbrella and help to build that umbrella. It really is the connective tissue to the PGA Tour, our players, our tournaments and our partners,” he added.

Three-time FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy was a teenaged golf sensation when the FedExCup came into effect and he remembers its implementation making the schedule feel more cohesive.

“When I was growing up as a kid watching PGA Tour golf, I never felt like the season had a definitive ending,” three-time FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy explained.

“It never felt like the Tour Championship was as big as it could be. Once they transitioned to this playoff model in 2007, it gave the tournaments leading up to and the Tour Championship more of an identity and a lot more for guys to play for—you potentially win the playoffs and the FedEx Cup and at that point win $10 million which was the biggest prize in all of golf,” he continued.

“It felt like we were playing towards something and in that sense it’s worked really, really well. There’s been some different iterations of it over the course of the years, trying to tweak it, learn from different formats, and try to make it better like going from four events to three to avoid clashing with the NFL season. Overall, it’s been a huge success,” McIlroy said.

The prize money has also almost-doubled since the format debuted, with Rory rewarded with $18 million for overcoming a six-shot deficit heading into the final round of at the Tour Championship. We’re currently in the thick of the 17th edition of the FedEx Cup and the partnership was last renewed in 2018 tethering the Tennessee based shipping giant to golf’s top echelon through 2027.

FedEx attributes the longevity of the partnership to the organizations shared cultures. In addition to a deep seeded commitment to the spirit of competition, the charitable mission of both organizations is another tie that binds the shipping tian with the highest rung of professional golf.

“We are both very passionate about charitable endeavors and enriching the communities that we serve and where we operate so that’s another thing that brings us together,” Smith said.

“It’s been great for our brand and to our customers who love golf. Shockingly, a lot of people in business who make decisions about transportation enjoy golf so its been a great sponsorship for us and for 37 of the 50 years of our existance, this partnership has been there in one form or another,” he added.

When a couple starts dressing alike or finishing each other’s sentences, you know they’ve been seeing each other for quite some time. Enduring sports sponsorships have a similar tell—when the corporation’s verbiage seeps into the game’s parlance. Drives are often ‘sent’ down the fairway and approach shots that fly over the green are said to be ‘airmailed.’

Asked about FedEx’s influence on golf speak, McIlroy at first implies that the connection may be tenuous but allows that it may have an influence.

“I don’t know if you’re thinking a little too much into that but it could be a play on words. FedEx is a massive partner of the PGA Tour and honestly one of our most important ones so I wouldn’t be surprised if announcers try to wind those words into the commentary sometimes,” McIlroy admitted.