ZTE becomes PGA Tour's first 'official smartphone'

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan and ZTE Mobile Devices CEO Lixin Cheng at the Press Conference in Napa, California on Wednesday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

The PGA Tour has announced that ZTE has signed a three-year marketing agreement to become the Tour's first official smartphone.

The deal, which includes global rights through 2020, was signed on Wednesday by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and ZTE Mobile Devices CEO Lixin Cheng in Napa, California, where the Safeway Open begins the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season.

"The PGA Tour is delighted to introduce ZTE as a new marketing partner as we enter the smartphone category for the first time," said Brian Oliver, PGA Tour senior vice-president, sponsorship & partnership.

"Mobile devices have become such a critical means by which fans watch and get updates on our competition, find information about their favorite players and share PGA Tour-related content. In ZTE, we are partnering with a global leader in the telecommunications industry."

ZTE already has a presence on the tour. As a partner at this year's Farmers Insurance Open, ZTE brought its interactive "ZTE Experience Tour Truck" on site, where fans could test a variety of its products. ZTE also recently became the official smartphone of the RBC Canadian Open and partners with Danny Lee, a PGA Tour member, as its ZTE Axon global brand ambassador.

"Becoming the first official smartphone of the PGA Tour is a historic moment for ZTE," Cheng said. "The tour, with its prestigious brand and global fan base, brings a tremendous opportunity for ZTE to connect directly with golf fans around the world and demonstrate our prowess in mobile technology with our premium line of Axon smartphones."

In addition to utilizing the PGA Tour's online digital assets, select ZTE smartphones will be pre-loaded with PGA Tour Live, the Tour's subscription service that features exclusive early-round coverage of featured groups. ZTE smartphone users will receive a free 30-day trial for the service.