How well do you know the 2011 FJ tour staff?
Can you identify the 12 players below based solely on their footwear? Click on COMMENTS and give us your best shot. We'll let you know how many you got correct and might even provide some hints...Also, the first person to identify all 12 golfers will receive a limited edition FJ belt buckle along with your choice of FJ Sport golf shoes! Please only 3 guesses per day and we will tell you how many of the twelve you guessed correctly.
Stuck? Visit the newly redesigned Players section of FootJoy.com for a complete listing of FJ Tour players.
For additional rules and regulations click here. Good Luck!!!
Joost Luiten won the rain-shortened Iskandor Johor Open at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club with a three round total of 15 under par. Joost narrowly beat out fellow FootJoy staffers Daniel Chopra (-14) and three time major champion Padraig Harrington (-13) on his way to the victory.
The Dutchman opened the week with a spectacular eight under par 63 to grab the early lead. Stumbling early in his second round to a front nine three over par-38, Joost fought back birdieing his last three holes to finish the day at one under par - nine total.
Starting the final day four strokes behind Chopra, Joost would have to put together another great round to give himself a chance to win his first European Tour event. Joost wearing FJ Sport and FJ RainGrip shot a front nine, five under par 30 to race up the leaderboard and take control of the tournament. Now with the lead, Luiten makes one birdie and eight pars to close out the field and win by one.
Luiten later said of playing with the lead, "My caddie said to me, when we had four holes left to play, ‘The only guy you’re going to lose to is yourself’, and I think he was right. I just had to play my game and let the other guys chase me. If they do chase me, well done, we come back. But it was good enough, so I’m really happy."
Joost's victory gives him a European Tour exemption through 2013, and becomes his fifth consecutive top ten finish on the European Tour.
For more read at EuropeanTour.com
Kevin Na shot a fearless six under par 65 to win the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Na wearing the new black and white asymmetrical FJ ICON started his final round tied at the top of the leaderboard with two time 2011 PGA Tour winner Nick Watney (FJ Sport), Na knew the the tournament would not be given to him. He would have to go out and take it.
Na responded to the challenge brilliantly with birdies on three of his first four holes, taking an early two stroke lead over the proven winner Watney. However, after a Na bogey, Watney would pull even on the par three fourteenth at 20-under par.
The bogey seemed to awaken Na as he rattled off three straight birdies (15-17) to take control of the tournament at 23-under par. On the final hole both players exchanged pars and Na joined the ranks as a PGA Tour winner.
Adam Scott (FJ Sport and StaSof) won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational by four shots with brilliant golf over the weekend. Scott's tournament began with a bogey-free round of 62, one stroke off the course record, to take the early lead in the Championship. A second round 70 would not hurt Adam as he shot a four under par 66 on Saturday to retake the lead.
Entering the final round one stroke ahead of the field, Scott shot a one under par 34 on the front side to stay in control of the tournament. On the back nine Scott ran away with the tournament making four birdies, including a chip-in birdie on the par 3 twelfth. Scott would cap off his captivating weekend with a birdie on the last to win by four shots over world number one Luke Donald finishing in second. This is Scott's first WGC Victory, which also moves Adam back into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings.
While the 2011 - 2012 catalog has been printed and delivered to our sales reps, the books have not hit every proshop yet. We know it's difficult to wait and, well, it's difficult for us, too! We're extremely excited about the new line-up from top to bottom and can't wait to hear your feedback. So we're going to give you a sneak peek at the some of the new styles for next year. We are eager to hear what you think so click on the Comments button and share your feedback.
Enjoy!
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Matteo Manassero (FJ SPORT & StaSof) shot a final round 68 to finish at 16 under par and win the Malaysian Open. Matteo holed out for an eagle on the par 5 tenth hole to grasp a share of the lead. He would card two more birdies on the back nine to seal the deal. This is Matteo's second win on the European Tour, both coming before his 18th birthday which he will be celebrating Tuesday April 19th. The victory also moves Matteo to 33rd on the world rankings. Matteo later said of his victory, "It’s a great achievement after just 11 months of professional golf. It’s a great achievement for myself and gets me into the Majors...I’m really proud of that and the next target will be winning another tournament and keeping the momentum going. It’s going well and we’ll see what happens." Rory Mcilroy (FJ SPORT & PureTouch) would not disappoint and finished solo third.
Sunday at Bay Hill was the toughest final round on tour this year and Martin Laird (SciFlex) emerged from the calamity to claim the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Laird's day included a 3 stroke lead and also 3 stroke deficit in a span of 7 holes. Laird later said, "When I saw I was three down, I didn't have a choice. I had to start playing some good golf. I had to make birdies. Steve was playing too good. That was really the focus. It was trying to get this trophy."
He did exactly that with birdies on 15 and 16, followed by clutch pars on the final 2 holes to finish victorious.
Steve Marino (FJ Sport and SciFlex) finished in solo second after two plugged lies derailed his chances to win.
This is the 4th victory for the SciFlex glove this year.
Mark Wilson began the day with a 2 stroke lead in the frost delayed Waste Management Open over fellow FootJoy player Jason Dufner. Dufner (FJ Sport) birdied the famed par 3 16th and the drivable par 4 17th to force a playoff with Wilson. After exchanging pars on the first playoff hole, Wilson laid back with his tee shot and struck a smooth 7 iron approach that set up a 9 footer for the win. Wilson, trusting FJ Icon Style # 52354 and a SciFlex glove emerged from the playoff to win the Waste Management Open for his second victory in only three starts this season. "I'm just enjoying the ride here and that's just kind of the way I'm going to look at the year here, just ride this train as long as I can," Wilson said of the victory.
Mark Wilson (FJ ICON #52308, SciFlex glove) went bogey-free over the final 36 holes Sunday en route to capturing the Sony Open by two shots over fellow FJ players Tim Clark (DryJoys Tour style #53767) and Steve Marino (FJ Sport style #53102, SciFlex). Wilson shot a 5-under 65 in the morning to take a one-shot lead into the afternoon round. Despite only six minutes between rounds, he closed with a 3-under 67 for his third career victory.The win came with some anxious moments, courtesy of Marino and Clark. Marino was 13 under and needed an eagle on 18, which looked improbable when his drive splashed out of the bunker and onto the side of a hill.With his feet in the sand, and the ball about chest-high on the hill, Marino lashed at it with a fairway metal and watched it hook onto the front of the green and stop 40 feet away."I saw the ball, and I thought, 'OK, eagle is going to be pretty tough for him to make.' It was one incredible shot," Wilson said.Marino's eagle putt narrowly missed, and Wilson pitched to 4 feet and made a birdie he didn't need. He finished at 16-under 264.The big move of the day came from Clark, and he was on the other side of the course.Because of the 36-hole final -- forced by a washout in the first round Thursday -- players did not change groups for the afternoon. Clark started the day six shots out of the lead, shot 66 in the morning and made his move on the front nine -- his last nine holes. His birdie on No. 6 took him to 12 under, then he nearly made an ace on the par-3 seventh for a tap-in birdie and gave himself two good looks at the end.With this win, Wilson earns his second trip to Augusta for the Masters. His first came in 2001 as a spectator. Wilson won the Honda Classic in 2007, but a month later Augusta National changed its criteria to invite most PGA TOUR winners. He won in Mexico two years later, but that doesn't count toward the Masters because it is an opposite-field tournament.Wilson finally returns to Augusta as a player, and he can only hope his celebration ends by April."From what I've learned over the years is the more you succeed out here, the more people expect of you," Wilson said. "But I'm going to enjoy this like crazy."
FJ player Matteo Manassero shot a 4-under 67 in the final round to win the Castello Masters and become the youngest winner ever on the European Tour. Manassero wore FJ Sport style #53102 and a StaSof glove en route to victory. At 17 years and 188 days old the Italian teenager beat the previous record set by the winner of the 2008 Johnnie Walker Championship who was 18 years and 113 days "I am too young to have a drink, I am too young to drive so I will not be buying a car and I have not got a girlfriend who would like a present," he said."But this was my first chance to win a tournament, which I never thought would come so quickly and to do it is unbelievable. My first aim when I turned professional was to win enough money to keep my card for next year and I achieved that in September."Manassero started the final round at the Club de Campo Del Mediterraneo two shots behind the overnight leader. But at 16-under he eventually won by four shots.
Zach Johnson shot a closing 6-under 64 Sunday to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by three shots. Zach earned his seventh career PGA Tour victory and the first for the new FJ SPORT golf shoe. FJ SPORT is designed and developed for the player seeking bold, athletic-inspired performance golf shoes. Utilizing striking patterns and color, FJ SPORT integrates proven performance attributes and premium materials. Zach wore FJ SPORT style #53102 and a StaSof glove during his most recent victory. With a 21-under 259 total, Zach not only set a new tournament record, but recorded the lowest four-round total on the PGA Tour since FJ player Geoff Ogilvy won the season-opening SBS Championship at 22-under 270. With storms surrounding the golf course all day Sunday, Zach endured several weather delays to earn the coveted plaid jacket. Johnson's clinching shot at the 381-yard 17th was his fifth birdie on the back nine. Three of those birdies came on putts of at least 22 feet in a four-hole stretch. He took the lead for good when he drained the longest of the three, a 25-footer at the 427-yard 15th hole soon after the initial weather delay."I love it. There's a reason I love playing here and keep coming back," Johnson said. "The course does suit me as far as shot-making. I just feel honored."
Once again, when FJ WINS, YOU WIN. Click here for your chance to win FJ SPORT and StaSof, just like Zach wore en route to victory at Colonial.
We recently visited with Michael Breed, host of "The Golf Fix" on The Golf Channel, down in Orlando. We not only had the opportunity to see Michael in action as he filmed an episode of the popular "Golf Fix program" at TGC's new high definition studio, but we also spent some time with him on the range at Bay Hill. Michael is not only a well-known TV personality but a highly acclaimed instructor as well. Currently the head golf professional at Sunningdale C.C. in New York, Michael was previously an assistant pro at Augusta National, among other locations. His unmatched energy level, his likable personality and his seemingly endless supply of game-saving tips have made him successful at each stop in his career. He is a fantastic guy to spend time with and we hope to work with him again in the near future.
In this video, Michael uses a FootJoy golf shoe box to demonstrate four tips that can help save your game. Click here to view the video on YouTube. Click here to view more tips on Michael Breed's website.
-- By Mike Feeney, Senior Product Development Manager Worldwide - FootJoy
O.K. so this obviously isn't your father's FootJoy. Actually it can be, but it’s not the traditional brown/white saddle that’s been a staple in golf for so many years. This is FJ SPORT. It’s young, fast, colorful, and best of all it features all the performance and quality you’ve come to expect from FootJoy.Around 18 months ago we started working on FJ Olympian (the working name for this group of shoes) with several goals in mind:
#1. It needed to look different and it needed to look cool.#2. It needed to be a performance shoe that offered great platform stability, waterpoof protection and comfort from tee to green.#3. Lastly, it needed to be reasonably priced so that everyone had an opportunity to give it a test drive!
Hopefully you agree goal #1 was achieved. The uppers are athletic-inspired, while maintaining a look that’s acceptable on the golf course. There are cool molding details throughout and colorful RF weldings in the heel area. The full TPU outsole is molded, then painstakingly painted in matching colors and metallics giving it a high tech appearance. Our designers research color trends throughout the year to determine what trends will be visible in the upcoming months and years. The orange, yellow and blue that we chose are spot on. What’s also cool about these styles is that we’ve matched the cleat color to the upper color tying it all together.
One thing we won’t compromise at FootJoy is performance and quality. As mentioned above, the outsole is full TPU (which provides exceptional stability) and the design of the traction elements offers excellent grip during the swing. At the same time, it;s lightweight and flexible - further enhancing the performance benefits. The uppers are a combination of waterproof leather and a full membrane providing optimal waterproofing. Each style is built on the Laser last which gives the user the best fit and comfort on the market. MacNeil Stinger III cleats round out the features by adding Tour proven traction and performance.The development team worked closely with all it’s vendors to offer the best materials and features at a reasonable cost. In the end we were able to offer the FJ SPORT at a competitive price in the hopes that they will appeal to a wide range of golfers.On a side note, we’ve been testing all the FJ SPORT models on a number of European Tour players for the past several months. The feedback has been phenomenal and they are all thrilled with the performance and fast-forward appearance of these styles. Hopefully, you will agree that FootJoy has hit a homerun with this new category. Give ‘em a try!
[Gallery: fjsport_intro] This is the very first look at an entirely new category from FootJoy, called FJ SPORT. Click on COMMENTS to let us know what you think!
Designed and developed for the player seeking crossover-inspired performance golf shoes, FJ SPORT delivers a fresh new look to the FootJoy line up. Stepping out from traditional styling, FootJoy brings to market this new category of shoes that deliver the same comfort and performance you expect from the #1 shoe in golf but with a new youthful flair.
Features & Benefits