The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) announced that OWL Sport, the revolutionary performance pickleball brand that headlines the USA Pickleball’s Quiet Category, has secured the title sponsorship for The OWL APP Newport Beach Open on July 3-7, 2024, at the Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach, California. The world-class competition is the APP Tour’s third Major tournament of 2024, welcoming more than 1,600 pickleball players of all ages and skill levels from around the country and internationally —including the sport’s elite professionals.

“We are thrilled to have OWL Sport elevate their investment and commitment to the APP as the title sponsor for the APP Tour’s premier west coast event of the year,” said APP Chief Revenue Officer Ryan McSpadden. “As the world’s first and world’s best pickleball tour, we share a mutual commitment to excellence with OWL Sport, elevating the game and bringing an exceptional experience for all players and fans alike.”

The OWL APP Newport Beach Open is a USA Pickleball-designated “Golden Ticket” event, in which gold medal winners earn the chance to pre-register to compete in the 2024 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships in November. As a Major APP Tour event, pro players will compete for their share of a $150,000 prize pool.

Competition at The OWL APP Newport Beach Open is open to all skill levels 3.0 through 5.0, plus those playing at the pro level, across a wide range of age brackets. Pro and amateur player registration is open through June 23 on theapp.global.

“Joining forces with the APP Tour for The OWL APP Newport Beach Open is our first major event entitlement, and one we could not be more excited about,” commented OWL Sport Chief Marketing Officer Rick Schwenk. “We look forward to seeing players at all levels, from 3.0 to top professionals from around the world, showcasing their skills and seeing the OWL paddle high performance, technology and incredible noise reduction on display. This is going to be a fantastic pickleball event as we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday in Southern California.”

Named after nature’s silent apex predator, the OWL became the first pickleball paddle on the market with multiple patent-pending design features that deliver noise reduction in both hertz and decibel levels. Now, the innovative brand adds its first event title sponsorship alongside an impressive list of ambassadors that includes the likes of tennis legend John McEnroe, Super Bowl champion quarterback Drew Brees, three-time Grand Slam champion Tracy Austin and many more ambassadors across the globe.

USA Pickleball (USAP)—the sport’s national governing body—created the Quiet Category in September 2023 to reduce the sport’s sound output during recreational play by recognizing pickleball products that help diminish acoustic output without negatively impacting performance. After rigorous testing, the OWL quickly became the first paddle product certified by USAP for the category and the first in the category that is officially approved for use in all USAP-sanctioned events like the APP Tour.

The OWL pickleball paddles are now available for purchase at www.owlpaddle.com, on Amazon and at select retail partners.

Additional event information, recent news and more are available at theapp.global and on Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.