Mastercard has paused its activations around longtime ambassadors Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell following their decision to join LIV Golf. Mastercard SVP/Communications Seth Eisen told SBJ on Friday the brand made the move "recognizing the uncertainties around their standing" with the PGA Tour. Eisen: "We appreciate the role they have played as ambassadors for Mastercard and the Tour for the past several years."
Poulter first signed with Mastercard in 2009, while McDowell has been an ambassador for the brand since 2011.
Mastercard appeared on Poulter’s left collar during LIV’s debut event in London last month but was noticeably absent for the new golf circuit's U.S. debut last week in Portland. The brand returned to Poulter's collar for the Scottish Open this week after he won a court decision that allowed him to play in the PGA Tour/DP World Tour-sanctioned event. Mastercard is the presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational and also has been the official card and payment system of the tour since 1995.
Another brand, Stanley Black & Decker, signed on with Poulter at the beginning of 2022, according to a tweet he sent on Jan. 4. Similar to Mastercard, Stanley’s yellow logo was not seen on Poulter’s shirt during either LIV event. The logo returned as Poulter teed it up at the Scottish Open. SBJ last week asked Stanley about the status of Poulter’s deal with the brand. Stanley VP/PR Debora Raymond this morning responded, “Ian is at the Scottish Open wearing our logo.”
A brand removing its logo from a golfer competing in an event funded by Saudi Arabia would not be unprecedented. When Dustin Johnson competed in the Saudi International earlier this year, his then-sponsor RBC did not have its logo on his apparel. The brand later dropped Johnson along with McDowell once their moves to LIV Golf were made official.
