Tour chiefs beeming

The European Tour claim they are the envy “of all other sports” after announcing today that car giants BMW will extend their involvement in golf.

The company are becoming the new title sponsor of the Italian Open, which will be played at Royal Park in Turin on May 7-10.

Last June BMW celebrated the 20th anniversary of their tournament in Munich, while for the past four years they have backed the European Tour’s flagship PGA Championship at Wentworth.

George O’Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, said: “This is exciting news for the Italian Open and we salute BMW for their vision and leadership in, once more, joining forces with the Tour and the Italian Golf Federation to support an event with such a rich history and tradition.

“To have BMW as a partner, with their renowned commitment to standards of excellence in promoting golf tournaments, is the envy of all other sports. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership in Italy.”

Magnus Wiese, head of BMW Golfsport marketing, said: “We are delighted to reconfirm our strong partnership with the European Tour and to forge this new relationship with the Italian Golf Federation.

“The Italian Open has a long and rich history and fits perfectly with the BMW brand which we believe will ensure a successful future for the tournament.”