Lee Westwood, Europe’s No. 1 player and the 4th ranked golfer in the world, signed a multi-year contract to continue playing PING golf equipment, PING Chairman & CEO John Solheim has announced.
Westwood, who received his first set of PING clubs as a teenager in the mid-1980s, signed the new agreement on the eve of the Chevron World Challenge in Los Angeles.
“It’s been an amazing year all the way around,” said Westwood, whose recent victory at the Dubai World Championship clinched the year-long Race to Dubai title which crowned the European Tour’s leading money winner. “My two wins and the consistency I showed to become Europe’s No. 1 player again clearly make this my best year to date. To extend my agreement with PING at the same time brings me great comfort going forward as I look to continue my momentum into 2010.”
Westwood owes his six-shot victory in Dubai to a flawless final round in which he hit every fairway and every green in regulation en route to a course-record 64. In carding a four-round total of 23-under-par, he relied on 14 PING clubs, including a G10 driver, i15 3-wood, Rapture V2 5-wood, i10 irons, two Tour-W wedges and a Redwood Anser putter.
As part of the new agreement beginning 1 January 2010, Westwood’s headwear will prominently display the PING brand on the front and back and he’ll continue to carry a PING bag.
“I’ve been with PING since my junior golf days,” added Westwood, a six-time Ryder Cup participant. “They’ve been a leader in innovation for more than 50 years. The confidence I have in their technology makes my job a lot easier. I can focus on winning tournaments knowing my product will perform at the highest level. Whether I’m in Europe, America or another part of the world, they look after my equipment needs on a daily basis. Their service is unmatched.”
In addition to his two wins this year, Westwood posted 11 top 10 finishes, including ties for third in the Open Championship and PGA Championship. Since turning professional in 1993, the 36-year-old Englishman has won 31 times worldwide.
“We’ve been fortunate to be a part of every one of Lee’s wins as a professional,” said Solheim. “His loyalty to PING has helped elevate our brand worldwide as he’s won in every corner of the world. His performance this year has been exciting to watch and to see it culminate with his win in Dubai brings everyone at PING great joy knowing he’ll continue to represent us in the years ahead.”
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