Noah Steele might not be a name you are familiar with yet, but BetRegal is betting that he will be someone who will be on your radar very soon for Ontario sports betting.
The sportsbook announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with the 24-year-old golfer from Kingston, Ontario, on Thursday. Steele, who went to Sam Houston State in Texas (three-time NCAA tournament champion), currently plays on the PGA Tour’s Latinoamerica circuit, where he currently sits 40th in the season-long points race (next event is in Brazil April 21-24).
Another golfer from Ontario (Listowel) who played collegiately in the U.S., Corey Conners, also was on the Latinoamerica Tour before joining the PGA Tour full time. After his third straight Top 10 finish at the Masters, Conners moved up odds boards for this week’s RBC Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Most notably, on the local front, Steele won the 2021 Osprey Valley Open (PGA Tour Canada) as an amateur, by six strokes (23-under par), including a final round 65. That win was against a field of professionals.
He finished second at the 2021 Brudenell River Classic, and that propelled him to a third-place finish on the PGA Tour Canada points list, securing him a full card for the 2022 Canadian schedule.
He signed with One Eleven Management Group in January and launched his pro career. So he's an up-and-coming player, one of One Eleven’s “elite professional golf prospects,” one to keep an eye on this summer with the PGA Tour Canada schedule.
To start, Steele will wear the BetRegal logo on the chest of his golf shirts during competition, but BetRegal head of marketing Aly Lalani says its marketing relationship with the young golfer will expand from that.
BetRegal Likes Golf’s Potential
BetRegal already has a deal with the PGA of Canada, the member-based, non-profit association representing club professionals, announced last August. That’s a three-year agreement in which the Canadian company is the Official Sports Betting Partner of the association. The annual golf championship is now called the BetRegal PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade Golf and adidas Golf.
BetRegal is also the Official Sport Gaming Partner of the CFL.
Lalani said golf is a sport in which they see real potential from a sports betting perspective.
“We feel it’s a very intriguing avenue for us to pursue,” he said. “We feel golf is an avenue where we can really create a connection with consumers. I’m more intrigued by the ability to go out and touch people, introducing ideas and concepts of sports betting, on the golf course and after, having a beer with your friends.
“[With Steele], we wanted to start thinking about somebody who represents us, the smaller Canadian underdog looking to make a splash with these other big guys. In this case, let’s start on the ground floor, and be part of that journey.”
‘We’re Investing in a Winner Here’
Lalani said it’s more than a sponsorship deal for the company.
“Noah is an absolute assassin on the golf course. From a brand perspective, we really like him. Plus he’s just a good kid from Kingston,” Lalani said. “This is less about us driving acquisition. It’s more about getting behind somebody who we identify with.”
They will work out some interesting stuff on the wagering front as the relationship grows. One idea is a prop for Ontario sports betting apps around how many birdies Steele gets in a tournament. There might be a charitable component to that as well, a live tracker where with every birdie Steele gets in a tournament BetRegal will donate a sum to a charity of choice.
“We will have some betting markets on him,” Lalani said. “There’s all kinds of stuff we can do. We’re investing in a winner here.”
