The Royal and Ancient (R&A) UK-based golfing body has secured a wide-ranging brand partnership with global professional services firm Accenture.

Under the next six-year deal, Accenture becomes the official business and technology consulting partner of The R&A, as well as an official patron of iconic championships – The Open, Women’s Open, and Senior Open – until 2031.

Accenture will provide business transformation and management consulting services to support The R&A’s priorities across governance, championships, and development of the sport using its expertise in digital, cloud, data, and artificial intelligence.

The R&A said the partnership will accelerate the use of technology in golf by enhancing insights, operations, and fan experiences to build its fan base.

Meanwhile, in its role as patron to The Open, Women’s Open, and Senior Open, Accenture will use storytelling to increase the global reach of the championships.

The R&A chief executive, Mark Darbon, said: “Accenture has a renowned reputation worldwide for its expertise in technology, data, and innovation, and we see this partnership as a valuable opportunity to support our strategic priorities in golf and help shape the future of the sport.

“Accenture will work closely with us to help modernize how we govern and deliver the game, while sharing our ambition to inspire people through world-class championships and showcase golf as a sport for everyone to enjoy.”

Matt Prebble, Head of Accenture in the UK & Ireland, added: “Together, we will apply technology, data, and AI to help open the game to an even wider audience - strengthening the sport’s foundations, enhancing experiences on and off the course, and supporting The R&A’s mission to grow and evolve golf for generations to come.”

The partnership builds on Accenture’s sports client portfolio, which includes American football’s NFL, which secured a five-year partnership in 2024 to work across its football, financial operations, and human resources business divisions.

Accenture also has a three-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with MI New York, the franchise competing in the Major League Cricket US Twenty20 competition, running through 2026.

The new strategic move comes a year after Darbon was brought on to lead the organization, succeeding the long-serving Martin Slumbers, who stepped down at the end of 2024.