SAN FRANCISCO -- Pilsner Urquell, the official beer of the Open, announced a partnership with World Golf Tour (WGT) to sponsor a virtual 2010 Open Challenge. The Challenge, on www.pilsnerurquell.com and WGT.com, takes place on a virtual version of the host course of the 2010 British Open, The Old Course at St Andrews Links.
In the Pilsner Urquell 2010 Open Challenge, players are virtually transported to Scotland where they can play a nine-shot challenge on the world's oldest course, for free, with just an Internet connection.
"World class golf and Pilsner Urquell go hand in hand," said Herb Heneman, Pilsner Urquell brand director in the U.S. "A move into the virtual golf world with WGT.com is a natural next step for us as we recently became the official beer of The Open Championship. We are privileged to be associated with the gold standard in golf tournaments. And now we are privileged to be the first to sponsor a virtual challenge on the Old Course and bring it to the computers of golf fans everywhere."
St Andrews Links has hosted The Open Championship 27 times since its inception, providing the setting for many of golf's greatest players and most dramatic moments. World Golf Tour and Pilsner have gone to great lengths to recreate the St Andrews Links playing experience from how the grade of the grass affects the roll of the ball to the exact duplication of the sloping of the green through HD imagery, GPS mapping and a patented physics engine.
Players can enter the Pilsner Urquell 2010 Open Challenge for free by visiting www.pilsnerurquell.com or www.wgt.com/tournaments and completing one nine-shot challenge on the virtual Old Course at St Andrews Links before October 1, 2009. One qualifier will be chosen at random to win an all-expense paid trip to the 2010 British Open.
"We are honored to partner with Pilsner Urquell to bring The Open online and make it a reality," said World Golf Tour's CEO, YuChiang Cheng. "The virtual Open Challenge is a great way to toast the 150th anniversary of the British Open and to debut The Old Course at St Andrews Links to golf fans worldwide."
The Pilsner Urquell 2010 Open Challenge marks the second major virtual tournament that World Golf Tour has hosted in conjunction with a world-renowned golf course. In June, World Golf Tour, alongside the USGA, hosted the inaugural Virtual U.S. Open on an online Bethpage Black where nearly 200,000 golf fans competed for the title.
About World Golf Tour (WGT)
World Golf Tour (WGT) offers the most authentic online golf experience, making the game of golf accessible and affordable to all. With its patented no-install HD technology and free-to-play social networking format, WGT enables players to tour exclusive courses worldwide, learn the rules of the game, test equipment, and stay connected with friends. WGT's partner sponsors such as Pinehurst Resort and Kiawah Island Resort provide exclusive luxury benefits such as premium products, prizes and tournament purses. For more information, please visit www.wgt.com.
About Pilsner Urquell
Created in Plzen, Czech Republic in 1842, Pilsner Urquell revolutionized the brewing industry as the world's first golden beer, creating a new style of beer that became known as pilsner, named after its city of origin. For more than a century and a half, Pilsner Urquell has been offering discerning beer drinkers a balanced and refreshing beer that has become the standard against which all others are compared.
Pilsner Urquell is brewed in Plzen in the Czech Republic by Plzensky Prazdroj AS and owned, distributed and marketed internationally by SABMiller. Pilsner Urquell is currently exported to over 50 countries around the world including markets in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Nearly 90 percent of the world's beer is a variation of the original golden beer, making pilsner the most popular beer style in the world and further establishing Pilsner Urquell as a true original. For more information about Pilsner Urquell, visit www.pilsnerurquell.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
World Golf Tour
Jennifer Nichols
(415) 277-4912
wgt@allisonpr.com
Pilsner Urquell
Lori Barthelemy
(414) 931-2094
barthelemy.lori@millercoors.com
