OREANDA-NEWS. November 30, 2012. The Open is golf’s oldest Major Championship and is administered by The R&A. With a 150-year heritage, the Championship has been won by some of the greatest players in the game.

In choosing to support The Open Championship, NTT DATA aims to demonstrate the values it shares with this long-standing event; a strong heritage, international outlook, long-term relationships and continuous innovation. Through branding on the course, online and on TV, the company expects to increase its brand awareness and reinforce its reputation as an innovative IT partner for companies and organizations worldwide.

The Open is a global event with more than 3,800 hours of television coverage broadcast to 498.9 million homes around the world. In 2012, more than 180,000 spectators attended the Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. There were 5.8 million unique visitors to The Open’s official website during the Championship, with 300,000 hours of streamed coverage via the Internet.

Toshio Iwamoto, CEO of NTT DATA, said: “We are very proud to become a Patron of The Open Championship. Aligning ourselves with this prestigious Championship presents an exciting opportunity for us to demonstrate our shared values of success, commitment and performance while also accelerating our global business.”

Mike Tate, Executive Director - Business Affairs of The R&A, said: “We are delighted to welcome NTT DATA as a Patron of The Open Championship. There is a great deal of synergy between a leading global company in NTT DATA and the Championship, which attracts a truly international field and is watched by spectators from all over the world. We look forward to developing a successful association between NTT DATA and The Open Championship.”