FootJoy, the #1 Shoe in Golf and #1 Shoe on every Tour Worldwide, announced today that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Geoff Ogilvy.
Geoff is an international star who excels under the toughest conditions. A six-time champion on the PGA Tour, Geoff has topped some of the best fields in golf throughout his career. He famously won the 2006 United States Open with a chip-in par on the 17th hole and a clutch up-and-down par on the final hole. The victory was Geoff's first major championship and he became just the second Australian to win the tournament. He has also won three World Golf Championship events, which feature only the top ranked players in the world, including the Accenture Match Play Championship twice.
In 2009, Geoff was the first multiple winner of the season. He led wire-to-wire to win the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, then claimed the second of his two Match Play Championship titles in Arizona where he resides. Geoff is one of only two players to win the event twice.
"Like many Tour players, I grew up wearing FootJoy golf shoes and gloves so putting them on again is a bit of a home-coming for me, said Ogilvy. “I’ve been using the new products and they’re fantastic. I'm really excited to start the season in FootJoy product."
Geoff joins the industry leader at a time when the brand has significant momentum with tremendous new product. The ultra-stable SYNR-G® shoe category continues to be the shoes of choice for many of the game's best players such as Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson. In addition, the new flagship shoe category, FJ ICON, delivers the perfect blend of performance and stylish elegance. FJ ICON has quickly attracted a loyal following from elite players like Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas, Rory McIlroy, Hunter Mahan and hundreds more. As the worldwide leader in golf gloves, Ogilvy will rely on the incredible feel and performance of the legendary StaSof® glove.
"Geoff is a fantastic addition to our staff as he embodies many of the qualities that define the FootJoy brand," said Rob Kelley, Director of Brand Marketing for FootJoy. "He is a global icon who plays the game with passion and integrity and has a proven record of success."
FootJoy®. The #1 Shoe and Glove in Golf
FootJoy ended 2009 just how it began...as the #1 Shoe and Glove at retail and on professional Tours around the world. Our Tour success featured memorable performances from some of the Tour's biggest stars. We recently caught up with a few FJ players to talk about the year that was and look ahead to 2010.
What was your favorite golf memory this year, either from the professional Tours or in your own game? Click on COMMENTS to share your thoughts.
Steve Stricker (SYNR-G, PureTouch Limited) made a run at Player of the Year honors on the heels of three strong wins throughout the year. After beginning the year with five top 10 finishes, Stricker captured his first win of the year in a playoff at Colonial when he stuck his approach to 3 feet on the second hole of sudden death. He was back for more at the John Deere Classic and set the course record with a 61 in round two before closing with a final round 64 to notch his second win in four starts. Strick then notched arguably the biggest victory of his career when he birdied the final two holes to win the Deutsche Bank Championship during the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Lee Westwood (FJ ICON, PureTouch Limited) finishes the year as the highest placed European in the Official World Golf Rankings having won the inaugural Race to Dubai on the European Tour. He last won the Harry Vardon trophy in 2000, reaching Number Four in the World in the process, and equaled that feat in a momentous 2009 campaign. His superb season, capped by victories in the Portugal Masters and the Dubai World Championship, was one of the many highlights of an outstanding year.
Padraig Harrington (SYNR-G, PureTouch Limited) continued to work on some major swing changes and saw the fruits of his labor towards the end of the season. Beginning with the WGC-Bridgestone Invitaitonal, Harrington reeled off an incredible string of six consecutive top ten finishes, including all four FedEx Cup Playoff events which feature some of the strongest fields of the year.
Zach Johnson (SYNR-G, StaSof) got the year started off right by defeating fellow FJ players Adam Scott and David Toms in the first full field event of the year at the Sony Open in Hawaii then successfully defended his title at the Valero Texas Open.
FJ player Lee Westwood has been named European Tour Golfer of the Year following a momentous season which culminated in him winning the inaugural Race to Dubai and being crowned Europe’s Number One golfer for the second time in his career.Westwood, who relied on the new FJ ICON golf shoes and new PureTouch Limited glove since both were introduced earlier this year, won twice on the European Tour, at the Portugal Masters and the Dubai World Championship and climbed to a career-best number four in the Official World Golf Ranking. His final round 8-under 64 in Dubai is considered by some to be one of the greatest final rounds in European Tour history. Westwood's level of consistency, particularly over the second half of the season, was also something to behold as he recorded 11 top ten finishes from his 13 events after the US Open. His victory in the Portugal Masters was his 30th title worldwide.The 36 year old Englishman has been named The European Tour Golfer of the Year on two previous occasions, in 1998 and 2000, and becomes only the fourth three-time winner. Westwood said: “It is a fantastic honour to win The European Tour Golfer of the Year and cap a wonderful season for me and all those who have helped me get to this position.“I have won this award twice before but this probably means more to me in recognising how I have fought my way back to the top. When I last finished Number One in 2000 it was special as I won six events and the World Match Play that year. But to then drop completely into obscurity and come back from that, get back into the World’s top five and crown it all by winning the Dubai World Championship and the first Race to Dubai means a lot."
Lee Westwood (FJ ICON, PureTouch Limited) fired a course record 8-under 64 Sunday to run away from the field with a six shot victory at the Dubai World Championship. The 36-year-old shot four rounds in the 60's to finish the week with a 23-under total and lead the way for FJ players who swept the top four positions on the leaderboard. Ross McGowan (FJ ICON style #52070, StaSof glove) carded a final round 68, including five straight birdies from the 12th, to secure second place at 17-under after a sustained charge from Rory McIlroy (FJ ICON MyJoys, PureTouch Limited) who birdied five holes on the back nine to finish third at 15-under. Padraig Harrington (SYNR-G style #53918, PureTouch Limited) finished in a tie for fourth. Westwood also secured the season-long Race to Dubai and recognition as the European Number One for the second time in his career. He came to the final event trailing Rory McIlroy. Westwood's victory was the 32nd victory worldwide as a professional and his second victory on The European Tour this season. It also moves Westwood up to World Number Four in the Official World Golf Rankings, matching his highest career position.“I’m delighted to be standing here and it’s got to be the best day of my golfing career. I think that's about as good as I've ever played under this pressure," said Westwood.“Hopefully there will be more, maybe a Major in the future. Some of the young players coming through, like Rory McIlroy, put me under a lot of pressure so it will be tough. I’m going to enjoy the rest of 2009.”
We've been meeting with some of our Tour players over the past several months to take them through the more than 2 million custom combinations available in FootJoy's MyJoys program. Watch the video to hear what they think of the program and to see what custom combinations they chose! Click on COMMENTS to let us know which pair were your favorite.
To view this video on YouTube or a mobile device, click here.
Click on the image to launch the video.
Billed as the place "where golfers unite to talk about everything golf," The Hacker's Paradise recently received a pair of very stylish MyJoys featuring Lilac Large Lizard Print and Lime patent leathers. Josh from THP will be reviewing the MyJoys process as well as the shoes themselves in the next few weeks before he cleans them and places them among his collectables! Check out the thread when you have a chance to read what the THP community thinks of the shoes and poke around the site which has some pretty cool features and very active golf enthusiasts.
Lee Westwood ended more than two years without a title by capturing the Portugal Masters by two shots. Wearing the new FJ ICON golf shoe and PureTouch Limited glove from FootJoy, Westwood closed with a 6-under 66 on Sunday and finished with a 23-under 265 total for his 30th career win. Westwood came out hot, converting birdies on his first four holes but it was his final birdie at the 17th hole that sealed the victory. Westwood went long and left at the 589 yard 17th and although he was able to take a free drop he still faced a tricky shot."All I could see was trees (right in front of him) and water (over the green) - and I had a really tight lie," he added.However, from around 30 yards he almost holed it, tapped in for birdie and had his two shot lead that he would take the clubhouse. In addition to getting back to his winning ways, Westwood also takes over the lead in the European Tour's Race to Dubai, passing fellow FJ ICON fan Rory McIlroy, and climbs back into the top five of the world golf rankings, a goal of his since 2007.
Ross McGowan captured his first career European Tour victory, and first win for FJ ICON on the European Tour, by winning the Madrid Masters by three shots this past weekend. He fired a stellar 12-under 60 on Saturday to build a seven shot lead and held off several players who made a charge during the final round to seal the victory. Earlier this year, McGowan, who had long suffered from back problems, discovered that the pain was due to a leg-length discrepancy. Working with his trainer and the FootJoy Tour Staff, Ross was given some specially-built FJ ICON golf shoes that feature one shoe built up by 0.50cm. As with all FootJoy golf shoes, the fitbed in the new FJ ICONs is removable to accommodate orthotics for people like Ross who require additional support. "Since switching to the new custom ICONs 6 weeks ago, I have found them to be incredibly comfortable and stable. Because of this, my performances have benefited, culminating in my maiden win at the Madrid Masters."McGowan, English amateur champion three years ago, will remember his Saturday 60 for as long as he plays, although it does not count as a European Tour record-equalling round because lift, clean and place was allowed on the wet fairways all week. At 24-under through three rounds, he was one better than the all-time European Tour record after 54 holes and was threatening the all time record of 29-under. While the record is still in tact, McGowan met his ultimate objective with his first Tour win. "I came here this week in form and it's lovely to come away with the trophy," he said. "Once I saw where some of the pins were it was a lot trickier and my game-plan was to hit as many greens as I could. It means a lot to win - that's another goal out of the way and hopefully from here I can progress and move on to bigger things."
Jay Haas (FJ ICON style #52203, SciFlex glove) won the Senior Players Championship by a stroke, birdieing the 18th hole Sunday to match the course record with a 6-under 64 in the final Champions Tour major of the season. Haas, a golf icon in his own right, recently switched to the new FJ ICON golf shoe and and has now won consecutive events including this week where he finished with a 13-under 267 total for his third senior major title. He now has 14 career Champions Tour victories, including another he picked up two weeks ago when he won the Greater Hickory Classic.Haas took advantage of a well-placed 6-iron from 185 yards on his second shot on the par-4 18th hole. His shot dropped on the right side of the green, then rolled within 3 feet of the cup for an easy birdie.
Recognized as the preeminant amateur team event, the Walker Cup is a men's amateur competition played every other year between a squad from the United States and another representing Great Britain and Ireland. It always features some of the very best young players who you will soon be watching compete on professional tours around the world. While there are many differences between the two sides, when this year's 42nd Walker Cup Match was played at the 6,846-yard Merion Golf Club, the 10 players on each side had one very important equipment choice in common...they all chose to wear the new FJ ICON golf shoes from FootJoy. The teams chose two styles each, one for the morning fourball matches and one for the afternoon singles matches. The United States team, which defeated the GB&I team 16.5 - 9.5 to win for the third consecutive time, wore the FJ ICON white pebble, traditional saddle (style #52005) during the morning matches and the new white and black sport saddle (style #52070) during the afternoon. The GB&I team opted for custom shoes through FootJoy's MyJoys program that featured their team logo on the heel of the shoes. They also wore the white pebble traditional saddle in the morning but opted for a white and black saddle (style #52039) in the afternoon. Overall, it was the third consecutive win for the Americans, who now hold a 34-7-1 all-time record in the Walker Cup. Check out some images below. [Gallery: 09walker_cup]
[Gallery: dbc_day2] Another stunning day at the TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts as the top 100 players in the world made final preparations for the Deutsche Bank Championship. Once again we were collecting feedback on the new FJ ICON line and working with the players to design some custom shoes through the MyJoys program. We shot some video wth the players talking about the custom process and options that we'll share in the next few weeks. In the meantime, click on the image below to see some highlights from Thursday.
[Gallery: dbc_day1] We were on the range Tuesday at the PGA Tour's second playoff event, the Deutsche Bank Championship. We were not only checking in with our FootJoy players but also set up a large display to show them the full line of FJ ICON styles and all the options available through the MyJoys program. In short, the players were thrilled! Check out the pictures from Wednesday and we'll post video next week so you can hear what players such as David Toms, Charley Hoffman, John Merrick and Jason Bohn think of FootJoy's new flagship product and all the custom options!
FootJoy was once again the #1 shoe and glove at the United States Amateur Championship, contested last week at Southern Hills Country Club. In fact, 45% of the field relied on the comfort and stability of Tour-tested FootJoy shoes like FJ ICON, SYNR-G and DryJoys, while 35% counted on FJ gloves like PureTouch Limited, StaSof and Sciflex to keep their grip secure as the temperature, and the pressure, escalated. Both participants in the grueling 36-hole final round wore FootJoy shoes and gloves and the champion became one of the first winners in FJ ICON. The youngest competitor to ever win the championship at age 17, he wore the black and white sport pattern, style #52070. The champion earns an exemption into next year's U.S. Open and British Open and, if tradition holds, he'll be invited to play in the Masters, too. Not bad for a kid who's still a senior in high school."I can't believe it. I just won," said the winner, who was missing the first week of school at Bradenton (Fla.) Preparatory Academy to play in the tournament. "I've said it before, but my goal was to make it to the first round and then somehow I made it this far. I think I got lucky."
[Gallery: firstlook_fjicon_myjoys] For months, you've heard us talking about the millions of ways you'll be able to customize FJ ICON once they're available in MyJoys (September). Well, we recently ordered some samples we'll be taking to the Deutsche Bank Championship next week to show the players as they begin to customize their own, and thought we would share them with you as well. These are some of the first samples off the line and they look incredible! Click on Comments and let us know what you think. Which is your favorite?
Michael Sim collected his third win of the season Sunday at the Nationwide Tour's Christmas in October Classic, earning him an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR and recognition as the first professional to win in the new FJ ICON golf shoes. The 24-year-old Sim, wearing FJ ICON style #52005, ended the week at 20-under 264, posting a rhythmic 65-67-65-67 pattern that included only two bogeys, one each on Thursday and Friday. The victory gives Sim an instant promotion to the PGA TOUR this year and will make him fully exempt on Tour next year, just the ninth player in Tour history to earn the promotion.Sim, the former No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, also broke Troy Matteson's single-season earnings record of $495,009 set in 2005. He has eclipsed the record in just 12 starts and is averaging a whopping $43,923 for every week he tees it up."It's very relieving," said Sim, who collected his second win at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in mid-May. "I'd been in this position before and I wasn't able to get it done. I tried to stay in the moment as best I could. In Omaha I found it really difficult to stay focused on the last day. Fortunately I learned how to deal with those distractions. I did everything right today."To learn more about FJ ICON, click here to see the styles, click here to visit the new FJ ICON microsite and click here to read an interview with Jack Erickson, VP of Golf Footwear for FootJoy.