What Tiger Woods and English Premier League Have in Common: Barclays

As Matt Kuchar and Martin Laird strolled to the 18^th tee on Sunday, August 29, for what turned out to be a one-hole playoff in the first leg of golf’s FedEx Cup playoff in Paramus, New Jersey, they probably didn’t consider what they had in common with the athletes playing in Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road stadium in the English Premier League (EPL), where the home team drew against Fulham, 2-2, on Sunday. But both were appearing in competitions sponsored by Barclays, the retail and investment bank and wealth management firm with operations in 57 countries.

In addition to its sponsorship of the EPL, which the bank renewed in October 2009 to run from 2010 to 2013, and of golf tournaments such as The Barclays, the Barclays Singapore Open, and the Barclays Scottish Open, Barclays also sponsors individual athletes like Phil Mickelson. Mickelson failed to make the cut at The Barclays, meaning Tiger Woods will remain the top-ranked golfer for at least another week; Woods finished the tournament at seven under, good enough for a tie for 12^th place.