Woody Austin’s head-first fall into a pond during the 2007 Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club has become one of the most iconic moments in the event’s history. After the American’s tee-shot found the water on the drivable 14th hole, Austin chose not to take a drop. Instead, he took off his shoes and attempted the near impossible: playing it out of the water. The ball remained wet, and Austin got soaked.

Even though Austin birdied the last three holes to halve the match, his choice on 14 was perhaps ill-advised. Just like using the same password over and over.

In July, Canadian company 1Password announced its partnership with the Presidents Cup, joining Rolex and Cognizant. 1Password is a password manager company used by more than 150,000 organizations, including the PGA Tour, according to Melton Littlepage, 1Password’s chief marketing officer.

“Our goal is to be a household name, not because we have the gear that you see and wear all the time, but because we keep you safe,” Littlepage said.

Littlepage says the company knew it wanted to break into the golf world earlier this year when it was putting together a strategy for an awareness campaign. 1Password used a third-party analytics firm to research the company which might find prospective buyers. That data led 1Password to golf.

Then, in a moment Littlepage characterizes as fortunate, the company got a call from the PGA Tour. Through prior work at a software company that sponsored players such as Jason Day and Marc Leishman, Littlepage had a good relationship with the tour. Now, the tour was asking if 1Password would become the third global partner of the Presidents Cup.

“1Password is a very proud Canadian business, and so it was the right opportunity at the right time,” said Littlepage, pointing to this week’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

It’s a great opportunity for 1Password, but also for the PGA Tour and Presidents Cup. Ryan Hart, executive director of the Presidents Cup, says they are a perfect fit because their company statuses and values align.

“[1Password] is a challenger brand,” Hart said. “And if you think about the Presidents Cup as a whole and how it’s grown over time, in many ways, it’s somewhat of a challenger in its own right.”

While 1Password competes with other password manager companies such as Bitwarden, the Presidents Cup, as an international team competition, competes with the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup’s history dating to 1994 competes with a Ryder Cup that debuted in 1927.

1Password and the Presidents Cup also share the values of putting people first and giving back to communities. Since the Presidents Cup began 30 years ago, more than $56 million has been donated to 475 charities worldwide. Hart says he credits Deane Beman, commissioner of the PGA Tour from 1974-1994, for this mandate of giving back.

“[The PGA Tour] tries to create as much value as they can for the communities that they work,” Littlepage said. “They do business in a way that just 100 percent resonates with our values as a company.”

Littlepage called this donation the first of many givebacks to the community as 1Password continues to financially support local causes and hopes to maintain a long-term relationship with the PGA Tour.

In August, 1Password joined Rolex and Cognizant in donating $250,000 to First Tee – Canada, an organization that aims to make golf more accessible for children and provides them with life skills and values through the game. According to Hart, more than 100,000 kids have been registered into the program since its inception in 2020.

“It’s a really important endeavor as the PGA Tour tries to help the community develop an affinity and love for the sport and provide an outlet for kids,” Littlepage said.

Littlepage called this donation the first of many givebacks to the community as 1Password continues to financially support local causes and hopes to maintain a long-term relationship with the PGA Tour.

The partnership will provide opportunities for 1Password to gain greater prominence. In addition to signage around the course, TV viewers will see 1Password’s commercial based on Austin’s 2007 tumble on Golf Channel and NBC. Radio listeners will hear 1Password ads on SiriusXM.

Onsite at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, spectators with access can gather at Club 1Password, a multi-level venue located between the 15th and 16th holes. The venue can hold up to 5,000 spectators, and Littlepage says he expects it to sell out.

“Think of it as the largest sports bar in Canada,” Littlepage said.

While enjoying the golf and atmosphere, Club 1Password will also host a unique putting contest between American and International fans. In a head-to-head matchup, whoever sinks a long putt first will win.

“We think hundreds, or perhaps 1,000 a day, can play through that engagement and have a lot of fun doing it,” Littlepage said.

1Password will also have a representative on the course in Mackenzie Hughes, one of three Canadians on the International team captained by Canadian Mike Weir.

Littlepage says Hughes is a centerpiece of 1Password’s strategy and provides the company with a pathway to tell people about a risk-based approach to golf and life.

“For him, it’s shot selection and club selection,” Littlepage said. “For us, it’s password hygiene. It’s about having the deliberate approach and not doing dumb things like trying to hit over water from 280 yards out or using that same password three times in a row.”

By the end of the event, Littlepage says he hopes 1Password spreads that message to hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions worldwide.

“You should have a password manager,” Littlepage said. “And if everybody was to believe that, just like everybody now believes that you should wear a seatbelt, then that’s going to be great for 1Password.”

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