21 November 2012 16:35 GMT

The R&A has announced that NTT DATA, the global IT innovator, is to become a Patron of The Open Championship.

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.”

Headquartered in Tokyo, NTT DATA has business operations in over 35 countries. Its emphasis is on long-term commitment, combining global reach with local intimacy to provide premier professional services from consulting and systems development to outsourcing.

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 organisations worldwide.

The Open is a global event with more than 3,800 hours of television coverage broadcast in approximately 190 countries 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 TheOpen.com during the Championship, with 300,000 hours of streamed coverage via the Internet.

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.”

The 2013 Open Championship will be staged at Muirfield from 14-21 July, 2013. For more information or to purchase tickets please click here.

For more information, please visit www.nttdata.com