BDO USA, a mid-market accounting and consulting firm, has chosen six-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel as their first US golf brand ambassador.
The three-year partnership will include the placement of a BDO logo on the left collar of Horschel’s golf apparel and outerwear during professional golf tournaments, appearances, and activities beginning with the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions this month.
According to a press release from the Chicago-based accountancy, “Billy will help connect sport and golf enthusiasts to the firm’s services.”
Golf is a popular sport for consulting firms to sponsor. As a specific B2B enterprise, consultancies market to company owners and executives – who tend to skew richer, older, and white. That happens to be the primary demographic of golf viewers and casual players, despite whatever diversity and inclusion initiatives are currently being trotted out – and which would take at least a generation to bear fruit.
Protiviti in 2020 named pro golfers Matthew Fitzpatrick and Jennifer Kupcho as brand ambassadors, while Korn Ferry made a substantial investment in 2019 to buy the naming rights to the developmental tour for the PGA Tour.
“We believe Billy personifies the traits that make BDO a leader in our industry and resonate with our middle market clients: a competitive spirit, the relentless pursuit of excellence, and a practiced and strategic approach to our respective crafts,” said Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO USA. “Billy also exemplifies the people-first attitude of our firm through his leadership on the issues of food security and representation as well as his personal values of hard work, continuous learning, and candor.”
Horschel supports Feeding Northwest Florida foodbank through numerous charitable efforts. He also leads the diversity-focused Advocates Pro Golf Association (AGPA) Tour Billy Horschel Invitational, which aims to make golf a more accessible and diversified sport. BDO will also support these efforts, according to the press release.
“BDO approaches business the same way I approach the game of golf,” said Horschel. “Not only has the firm demonstrated impressive growth through its commitment to building a leading middle market organization, its executive team is also dedicated to creating a sustainably inclusive culture. These ideals align with my work inside and outside the ropes, and I’m thrilled that our values and interests in diversity and community empowerment converge and will complement and reinforce one another.”