FREED GROUP NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF 2023 WSO
July 21, 2023
Tickets Available for Purchase for 2023 Event at Dundonald Links
Hong Kong-based tech company FREED GROUP, a technology innovator specializing in building proprietary Marketplace Enablement and Enterprise Application solutions with a global vision, has been announced as the title sponsor for the 2023 FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open. The tournament will take place at Scotland’s Dundonald Links from August 3 to 6.
“At FREED GROUP, we believe in supporting athletes in their quest for greatness and we are thrilled to be the title sponsor of this year’s Women’s Scottish Open. Our engagement in acclaimed sports events reflects FREED GROUP’s pursuit of excellence in product and service offerings. We look forward to witnessing these exceptional athletes showcase their skills and hope that our partnership will contribute to the success of this event,” said Abel Zhao, Co-founder & CEO of FREED GROUP.
LPGA Chief Tour Business and Operations Officer Ricki Lasky expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating: “The LPGA is thrilled to welcome FREED GROUP as the title sponsor for the 2023 Women’s Scottish Open. Their investment in the tournament will help elevate the event, ensuring an important opportunity for the world’s best female golfers to showcase their talent. We are grateful for their support and look forward to an exciting competition at Dundonald Links.”
“We are excited to introduce FREED GROUP to the worldwide LPGA audience,” said Sean Pyun, LPGA Chief Business Officer, Asia. “I want to thank Abel Zhao, Co-founder and CEO, and Kenneth Lee, CPO, for their decision to partner with the LPGA, and we look forward to the 2023 FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open.”
The global reach of the Women’s Scottish Open will enable FREED GROUP to strengthen its business worldwide, extending beyond leading consumer brands and platforms to international sports and events. The 2023 Women’s Scottish Open will serve as the milestone that declares FREED GROUP’s presence on the global stage, further advancing the company towards its mission of fundamentally modernizing legacy organizations’ digital infrastructure and commercialization capability around the world.
Ross Hallett, an SVP of EMEA Golf Events at IMG, said: “We are delighted to welcome the FREED GROUP as our title sponsor this year and, together with the continued generous support of our long-term partners VisitScotland, we are looking forward to welcoming a world-class field to battle it out over the renowned Dundonald Links.”
FREED GROUP’s contribution in the 2023 Women’s Scottish Open will provide the world’s best female golfers an invaluable opportunity to compete at the acclaimed Dundonald Links before the final major championship of the 2023 season.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “The success of the Women’s Scottish Open has been built through strong relationships and partnerships, so we are pleased to welcome the FREED GROUP as our new partners on the Women’s Scottish Open. Together with Dundonald Links, who rightfully received so much acclaim from the players, spectators and media last year, we look forward to a great week celebrating and showcasing the very best of women’s golf against the glorious backdrop of the Ayrshire coastline. Golf is huge contributor to Scotland’s economy as was proven by the £300m+ economic activity from last year’s Summer of Golf. However, increasingly important is how tournaments such the Women’s Scottish Open help to deliver on the messages of sustainability, health and wellbeing and in supporting our communities. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to advance our successes in all these areas.”
Japanese star Ayaka Furue, on paper the shortest active player on the LPGA at 5 foot, will be standing tall as she returns to defend her title with six top five finishes under her belt already in 2023 and a tied 8th at last month’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
The 23 year-old commented, “I can’t wait to be back at Dundonald after making such happy memories there last year. I loved the course and enjoyed everything about being in Scotland and playing on such a beautiful links course. It was very special for me to win in my rookie year on the LPGA in the actual home of golf. The last round I played at Dundonald was my best ever and it was the course record, a 10 under par with no bogeys, so I can’t wait to return and I just hope that I can continue where I left off!!”
About FREED GROUP
FREED GROUP is a technology innovator specializing in building proprietary Marketplace Enablement and Enterprise Application solutions. It pioneers the future of digital commerce by bringing the capability of multi-merchant, multi-platform networks onto one single backend system and database. With its end-to-end digital transformation and commerce empowerment solutions, FREED GROUP helps clients and partners from Fortune 500 corporations and brands to SMEs across regions to create new revenue streams, increase customer engagement and enhance servicing level.
Headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore, FREED GROUP operates in more than 10 offices globally with over 150 staff. FREED GROUP supports clients and partners worldwide, including major names such as Samsung, China Mobile, China Life Insurance, BMW and LG. It is the winner of the 2022 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers, 2021 Deloitte Technology Rising Star Award and 2021 United Nations UNWTO Global Start-up Competition, among many others. In 2023, FREED GROUP is named one of the top-10 high-growth companies in the Asia-Pacific region by Financial Times.