RBC joins the PGA of America as Official Patron

    RBC to Become Official Bank of Major Spectator Championships;
    Co-Presenting Sponsor of Play Golf America Events

ORLANDO, FL, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - The PGA of America today announced that RBC has become a PGA of America Official Patron, the highest level of partnership and designation granted by the world's largest working sports organization.

RBC, which employs approximately 80,000 employees who serve more than 18 million clients through offices in 55 countries, becomes the Official Bank of The PGA of America. RBC offers retail banking, wealth management and capital markets services in the U.S. and will co-develop member benefit programs for PGA Professionals and PGA Professional-staffed facilities, including an exclusive program that provides access to timely education, financial guidance, and world-class wealth management solutions for PGA members.

The PGA Official Patron program is designed to uniquely position each patron within the multi-billion dollar a year golf industry and become a category-exclusive provider of products and services to The PGA of America, its more than 28,000 men and women professionals, top industry executives and golf consumers worldwide.

"The PGA of America is proud to welcome RBC as an Official Patron which is focused on the continued economic vitality of the golf industry," said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka. "The PGA brand represents the gold standard in golf and we seek to align our brand with proven leaders in their respective industries. Golf's global expansion as well as our efforts to grow the game through Play Golf America, will benefit from RBC's commitment to our members and major championships."

"This partnership represents an exceptional opportunity and an ideal platform to reach our target market and to build the RBC brand in the U.S. and internationally," said Jim Little, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, RBC. "We have taken a purposeful approach to building our golf program and we are proud to step up as the Official Bank of The PGA of America. This relationship opens the door to significant benefits, including brand exposure with a highly attractive audience, client hospitality and new business development potential with thousands of members of The PGA of America."

Each PGA Official Patron is recognized with unprecedented visibility and marketing exposure at the PGA's highest-profile Championships. RBC designations from 2010-12 in the PGA Official Patron Program:

    -   Official Bank of The PGA of America
    -   Official Patron of the PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship, PGA
        Grand Slam of Golf
    -   Official Bank of the PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship, PGA
        Grand Slam of Golf
    -   Proud Supporter of the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cup
    -   Co-presenting Sponsor of PGA Play Golf America Days

Among the activities and sponsorship opportunities that RBC will have in the program are:

    -   Serving as host to a "Fan Experience" at PGA Championships and the
        2012 Ryder Cup
    -   Providing exclusive ATM service for spectators at select PGA major
        championships
    -   Sponsoring the golf shop cashier program at the PGA Championship,
        Senior PGA Championship and 2012 Ryder Cup
    -   Serving as a co-presenting sponsor of PGA Play Golf America Days, and
        at similar activities that incorporate the PGA Professional brand of
        golf instruction in key financial centers and markets in advance of
        the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup
    -   Supporting the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and PGA Grand Slam of Golf
        through substantial media commitments on air, online and in print

RBC in Golf

Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We proudly support golf around the world through high profile relationships with the PGA TOUR, the PGA of America and Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA). We are the Official Banking and Financial Services partner of touring professionals Anthony Kim, Mike Weir, Luke Donald, Stephen Ames, Fred Couples, and Morgan Pressel. We are the Official Bank of the PGA of America and title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open. We support emerging Canadian golfers through the RCGA's grassroots developmental programming, their Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and high performance national team. Outside of golf, RBC supports all levels of amateur sport and is the Premier National Partner of the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics Winter Games. RBC is one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization.

About The PGA of America

Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.

SOURCE RBC