Nike Golf has announced the addition of Paul Casey to its professional Tour Staff. Ranked 29th in the world rankings to begin 2005, Casey will play a full complement of Nike clubs and the Nike One Gold golf ball.
“More than anyone else in golf, Nike puts its golfers first and treats them like athletes,” said Casey, beginning his first year with full exemption on the PGA Tour. “They truly care about helping us compete and will get us the equipment we need. This is not a common approach in our industry and also the reason Nike will dominate golf some day.”
Paul Casey joins fellow Tour Staff players Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Stephen Ames, Justin Leonard, Paul Azinger, John Cook, and 21 other top professionals playing the Nike Ignite Driver. Casey will play the 410cc Ignite while Cink, Cook and Woods have moved to the 460cc Nike Ignite for proven distance control. The 460cc driver is the largest allowed by the USGA.
“Right now I am hitting the ball farther than ever. Technology, or the lack thereof, has held me back the past couple years. With the combination of the Ignite and the Nike One ball I feel like I have not only caught up but I will leap-frog a lot of players because of the innovation that Nike’s given me,” said Casey after a recent test in his hometown of Phoenix. “Nike Golf is going to get me back among the Tour leaders in distance and consequently, contending on a weekly basis.”
Nike Golf introduced NexTi, the strongest form of titanium used in a driver, with the debut of the Ignite last spring. This first-time face material is so strong that it allowed club maker Tom Stites to create a driver face that is incredibly thin with a sweet spot that “practically reaches to the edges around the face”.
In addition to the Nike Ignite, Casey will play Nike Golf’s Forged Pro Combo irons and Forged Wedges. Nike Golf’s Tour Staff has proven to prefer the precision and performance of forged clubs versus cast. More than 30 professionals are currently using Nike Golf’s Forged Blades, Forged Pro Combo irons or forged prototypes developed for their specific needs.
The Nike One Gold golf ball in Casey’s bag, the same ball played by Tiger Woods and Stephen Ames, is the most sophisticated and innovative ever introduced by Nike Golf, featuring three covers for distance, control and responsiveness on the greens
Nike Golf www.nikegolfeurope.com.
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