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KPMG Chairman John Veihmeyer and PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua speak at a media event in Seattle on Friday.

Microsoft continues to invest in golf.

The Redmond-based tech giant will be the founding sponsor of the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, taking place at Sahalee Country Club just down the road from Microsoft’s headquarters.

microsoftlogo12121PGA of America, which is conducting the major tournament — one of five annually for the LPGA — made the announcement at a press conference Friday at Sahalee.

Microsoft will also support the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood will speak at the event.

“To have that iconic global brand, which is obviously so important for this region, this state, and the City of Seattle — it would have felt awkward to be here without their support,” said Pete Bevacqua, CEO of PGA of America.

KPMG Chairman John Veihmeyer noted how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella showed interest in participating.

“He’s been really excited about bringing this event to Seattle,” he said.

The Women’s PGA Championship kicks off June 6 and runs through June 12 at Sahalee, which hosted the 1998 PGA Championship and the 2010 U.S. Senior Open.

John Veihmeyer, Chairman, KPMG International Pete Bevacqua, Chief Executive Officer, PGA of America
Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu, two of the LPGA’s top players, answer questions at a media event in Seattle on Friday.

This sponsorship deal comes six months after Microsoft inked a three-year deal with the PGA Tour. The company is investing heavily in the sports world and has partnerships with the NFL, NASCAR, Real Madrid, and other organizations.

“When we look at where we want our products to show up, one of the questions you ask is, what are people’s passion points?” Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela told GeekWire last month. “A few of them really spike to be much, much bigger than all the rest. Sports is really high on the list.”

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