54 is ending a landmark year with a familiar success, scooping the World Golf Awards’ Business of the Year crown for a fifth consecutive time at a lavish ceremony in Madeira.
54, which rebranded from Performance54 this year, collected the award at the Savoy Palace in Funchal to cap another remarkable year of delivery for some of the golf world’s top governing bodies, rights holders, federations, investors, developers, brands, content creators, destinations and events.
Although boasting a rich and successful heritage in golf, the agency has seen exponential growth in recent times, extending its footprint into new territories, and growing its service offering across a diverse range of sporting assets. All of this is not to mention a number of acquisitions and investments 54 has made in 2024, including global production agency, MOB Film; Vietnamese golf consultants, Golf Development Solutions; and sports broadcast innovators, Creator Sports Network.
54 CEO, Ed Edwards, who has overseen the firm’s expansion over the last 18 months, said: “It goes without saying we are very proud to have been recognised this way once again by our industry peers at the World Golf Awards. There are few more prestigious gatherings of our industry and our fifth ‘Business of the Year’ award is fantastic encouragement for everyone at 54 as we head into year-end.
“Our vision has always been to bring new, innovative solutions to the market in the hope of maximising the impacts of sport. Our growth is testament to that philosophy and, as always, we owe a great deal of thanks to our clients and partners for placing their trust in us in helping them achieve their own ambitions in and through sport.”
Many among 54’s client portfolio were also celebrating wins at the 11th World Golf Awards, which brought together golf tourism leaders from nations across Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Latin America, North America and Oceania, where leading names from the golfing world were joined by VIPs and figureheads from the golf tourism industry.
It was a particularly successful evening for 54 client Terras da Comporta, which saw its Dunes Course awarded with a hat-trick of much-coveted accolades: World's Best Golf Course, Europe's Best Golf Course and Europe's Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility.
Sentosa Golf Club won Singapore’s Best Golf Course and Asia’s Best Golf Course for The Serapong, while it was also named Asia’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility, thanks to its world-renowned best-practice in environmental sustainability.
Finca Cortesin, the host venue for the 2023 Solheim Cup in Andalusia, was named Spain’s Best Golf Course, Adare Manor scooped the award for Ireland’s best golf course, Antognolla captured the top golf course accolade in Italy, while The Grove was voted England’s Best Golf Hotel.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club was named the World’s Best Golf Event for the second consecutive year after another sell-out in 2024.