Callaway sign up two more top prospects

Callaway Golf announced Thursday it has signed Si Woo Kim and Hudson Swafford to endorsement contracts. Both will start using the company’s woods, irons, wedges, putters and golf balls.
The terms of the deals were not made available.
Kim, a 22-year-old South Korean, won his first US PGA Tour event two years ago at the 2016 Wyndham Championship. In May he won the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Si Woo Kim

 

“Si Woo is one of the best young players in the game,” said Tim Reed, Callaway’s senior vice-president of global sports marketing. “As we saw at The Players Championship last year, he’s a complete player, and he has the talent and the mindset that will continue to serve him well on the US PGA Tour. We’re thrilled to welcome him to Callaway.”

Swafford, 30, hails from Tallahassee, Florida. and was a stand-out at the University of Georgia. He won the CareerBuilder Challenge last season.

Rookie of Year Schauffele signs up to play 

Callaway clubs and ball

NEWS RELEASE
A day after announcing it had signed Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Callaway made some more news by inking Tour Championship winner and last year’s US PGA Tour rookie of the year Xander Schauffele to an endorsement deal to play its woods, irons, wedges and ball as well as an Odyssey putter (Schauffele has used an Odyssey putter for several years).

Schauffele, who was with TaylorMade last year, enjoyed a stand-out initial season on the US PGA Tour, winning twice, including the Tour Championship, as well as finishing T-5 at the U.S. Open. That success brought him the tour’s Rookie of the Year honours. He currently stands 25th in the World Rankings.

Other equipment news:
When PXG (Parsons Xtreme Golf) launched in September of 2014, there were certainly a fair share of sceptics.
But, in three-plus years, they’ve built a strong stable of PGA and LPGA Tour staffers that validate the clubs and the list is growing.
Recently, Anna Nordqvist, the No. 7 ranked female player in the world, and Katherine Kirk, a three-time LPGA Tour winner, were added to the “PXG Troops” and will play the clubs in 2018.
“I am excited to join the PXG Troops in 2018 and I look forward to playing their clubs,” said Nordqvist in a statement emailed to LPGA.com.
“I played their wedges in 2017 with much success and was very impressed with the rest of their clubs and the companies attention to detail and strive to be the best in the business when I tried them in the fall.
"I’ve had a very warm welcome to the team and it has been a great process getting fitted for my new equipment.”
Nordqvist had a 50, 54 and 58 degree PXG wedge in her bag in 2017.
Nordqvist and Kirk join seven other LPGA Tour professionals currently under contract with PXG: Austin Ernst, Christina Kim, Lydia Ko, Brittany Lang, Alison Lee, Ryann O’Toole and Gerina Piller.
“I’m really excited about joining PXG,” said Kirk in an email to LPGA.com.
“Equipment is such a huge part of success and I was so happy to earn my first win in seven years at Thornberry with PXG clubs. I have no doubt it’s the best equipment I have ever played.
"Bob Parsons is a pioneer. He’s put together an amazing team of people and I’m delighted to be joining their troops.”
While Nordqvist and Kirk weren’t under contract with PXG last year, both used custom fit PXG clubs to win on the LPGA Tour. Nordqvist won the Bank of Hope Founders Cup and The Evian Championship while Kirk won the inaugural Thornberry LPGA Classic.
“The signings highlight our ongoing efforts to emphasize the exceptional talent on the LPGA Tour and the importance of women in golf,” said Bob Parsons in a statement. “They are both exceptional talents.”
PXG has shown a strong commitment to women’s golf, not just at the professional level. They currently sponsor six Division I US college golf programs and support the men’s and women’s teams equally.
 
 

Rickie Fowler opened the final round of the Hero World Challenge in style, carding seven straight birdies en route to a course-record 61, and he never looked back as he topped an elite field by four shots in the Bahamas. Go Inside the Win

Bubba Watson to play Volvik ball in 2017

By  

E. Michael Johnson (Golf  Digest)

When reports surfaced in mid December that Bubba Watson would use a Volvik golf ball in 2017, a spokesman for the company said, “I can’t confirm or comment at this point.” Watson, however, erased any doubt in Hawaii as he readied for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, saying that he signed a contract with Volvik on New Year’s Day to play the company’s ball.

Left-hander Watson, who had played the Titleist Pro V1x, had his interest piqued watching players use the ball during the World Long Drive Championship and his management team had some Volvik balls waiting for him when he returned from playing the HSBC Champions in China in November. “I took five balls out and hit all kinds of shots,” Watson said. “Teddy [caddie Ted Scott] bought some and tested them as well. And we couldn’t come up with anything wrong with them. Then it comes down to the fun factor—how could you not want a colored ball when you have a colored driver.”

Well, when you’ve been one of the best players in the world with a pair of Masters titles, things other than color would matter for most. But Watson, who is often reluctant to change equipment, is not your typical player who endures endless hours of product testing.

 A player with impeccable feel, Watson often knows right away whether a product suits him or not, and such was the case with the Volvik S4 ball.

“I can hit a shot and tell you if it’s good or bad.”

The Volvik S4 is designed for high swing speeds and Watson said he noticed a slight difference in spin rate from his Pro V1x but that it wasn’t anything significant. “I’ve tested many balls over the last eight years,” he said. “I can tell when there’s a difference.”

Having a company willing to listen to his input also was important to Watson. “The companies I want to be with are the ones that let me have some influence and be part of the decision-making,” he said. And already Watson has some ideas, having already asked about the possibility of making balls with a pink-and-white swirl or camouflage finish.

For now, however, the company is scrambling just to get him something other than white. Although Volvik is known for its coloured golf balls, the S4 is only available in white. Volvik, however, had some pink S4s produced just for Watson and got them on the USGA conforming list. 

Watson also hopes to soon have the lime green available as well, saying that was his  favourite.

As for whether he would use the white or pink at the Hyundai, Watson said, “I might just rotate them. White one day, pink the next.”

BALL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR : Joel Hopwood, senior assistant professional at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club and joint  secretary of the NE Alliance, tells us that the Volvik ball is not available yet at UK golf club pro shops!