Just an hour and a half’s drive from Long’s Newbury Street Rolex boutique is the Newport Golf Club in Newport, Rhode Island, where the first predecessor of the United States Golf Association was founded in 1894 – a few years after Massachusetts native Thomas Long opened a jewelry store in Boston in 1878.
But the history of the sport goes back much further. As early as the 15th century, the sport originated as a game on the east coast of Scotland. Every July, the biggest names in golf return to England for the Open Championship.
Rolex’s association with golf began in 1967 when Arnold Palmer became the first witness to the sport. Since then, Rolex has been the official timepiece of the game and a major partner of many top tournaments and golfing stakeholders.
By tradition, The Open Championship is always played on links courses, i.e. courses located on the sea, on sandy soil, with few water hazards or sparse trees. Due to the unpredictable weather conditions, the 156 players who participate in the tournament each year need to have plenty of fight, self-control and humility, as there can be heavy rain, strong winds and even heat waves.
With its unique history, the wild beauty of the coastal courses where it is played, and its knowledgeable fans, The Open Championship is forever etched in the history of world sport – from the showdown between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in the 1920s, to the battle between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in 1977, and the tears of Tiger Woods when he won his third trophy in 2006.
Rolex has a special relationship with golf based on shared values: respect for tradition, a sense of responsibility, technical precision, elegant movements, a relentless pursuit of excellence, and a commitment to future generations.
Today, Rolex’s partnership with the game of golf extends to many areas: with governing bodies and world rankings, with the greatest names in international golf, and with major tournaments and global tours, at men’s and women’s, professional and amateur, senior and junior levels.
