Many remember Chris Wood for his T5 performance in the 2008 British Open as an amateur and instant success seemed imminent for the Englishman for placing so high on one of golf's grandest stages.  Fast forward to the 2013 Qatar Masters, where Chris Wood capitalized on all of his potential by claiming the championship with a final round 69 to win by one. 

Beginning the day with a three stroke lead, Wood showed some early jitters with a double on the 223 yard third hole.   He fought back to even par for his round with two late birdies on the front nine.  Wood's play steadied on the back nine making seven pars and one birdie through the first eight holes.  One stroke back on the final hole Wood, in FJ SPORT Spikeless, unleashed a bomb right down the middle of the fairway leaving him a six iron into the the par five.  With great precision Wood played the six iron to 10 feet of the hole.  Two putts for a playoff and one putt for the win, Wood curled the putt right into the heart of the hole for eagle, fist pumping his way to his first European Tour victory.

"There’s an enormous weight lifted off my shoulders today, I feel like I can go on and win more."  Continuing, still elated from the closing eagle, "I knew it was going to be hard no matter how I played - winning on The European Tour is not easy. I've been knocking on the door in previous times and it's not happened. To get it today, to get my first win, it's such an honor. I'm so pleased.”

This is Wood's first European Tour victory in his 116th European Tour event.  The win will also move Wood into the sixties on the Official World Golf Rankings, potentially earning him a spot in the Accenture Match Play.  Chris Wood is also the first FJ player to win in one of our spikeless models.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson carded a final round 68 to take home the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship by a single stroke.  Donaldson, in FJ ICON and StaSof, posted a smooth 34 on the front nine that included two bookend birdies and seven pars.  His unflappable play continued for the first eight holes on the backside until a three putt bogey on the last gave his chasers some hope.  They failed to capitalize on their opportunity, giving Donaldson the win.

“It’s pretty surreal really, I’ve played really good all week although I’ve got away with murder up the last" Donaldson stated post round.  Continuing "I played the pro-am on Wednesday and thought the course was too difficult and I had no chance,I thought if I could get a decent finish I would be chuffed...To be holding this trophy is just mad." 

This is Donaldson's second European Tour victory, his first coming in the Irish Open at Royal Portrush the previous year.  The win also moves Donaldson inside the top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

INTRODUCING M:PROJECT FROM FOOTJOY
Minimal Construction = Maximum Feel

(Fairhaven, MA) -- FootJoy, the #1 Shoe in Golf, announces the introduction of an all new footwear category called M:PROJECT™.  With a tremendous selection of industry-leading platform stability products already embraced by players around the world, FJ’s new M:PROJECT category gives players a new option – lightweight, ultra-flexible, minimally constructed footwear delivering maximum feel and real-time feedback.  

“At FJ we believe that there is no single shoe that is best suited for every type of player which is why our Footwear team develops products with specific types of players in mind.” said Mike Foley, Director of Marketing, Footwear. “The M:PROJECT is the perfect extension to FJ's performance lineup.  This new category targets players seeking lower profile, minimalist-type footwear.  Not only does the player get a better sense of the ground beneath them, they also are more tuned-in to the movement of their lower half throughout the swing.”

Doug Robinson, Vice President of Footwear Design & Development Worldwide and his team have tested thousands of players from elite Tour professionals to amateurs at the state-of-the-art Shoe Box testing facility in Brockton, MA.  Working in conjunction with Dr Greg Rose at TPI, their respective teams have observed a segment of players who require more movement in their feet in order to create the proper ground force reactions in their golf swing.

According to Dr. Rose, “M:PROJECT is designed for the golfer to increase the movement, to feel the ground and sense things underfoot they could not before.  With each step you take you start creating more mobility, which teaches you how to create more power in your golf swing. ”

Features and Benefits:
·    M:SPEC™ leather by Pittards® - thin-yet-strong specification, supple and comfortable feel
·    MP:627 Last – generous forefoot shape allowing the toes to spread and grip
·    ProTect™ toe guard – designed to provide abrasion resistance in a high wear area
·    L.T.D Outsole – Laser Thin Duramax™ acts as a low profile, highly flexible conduit from ground to feet.
·    P.I.N.S™ System – thinner spec receptacles and cleats deliver low profile performance
·    Stealth™ Cleat by Softspikes® - dynamic, low profile design, exclusive to the M:Project category
·    High Performance Mesh – lightweight, breathable, comfortable
·    Two year waterproof warranty – both leather and mesh styles will offer a limited two year warranty

M:PROJECT is available in ten style options, five cleated and five spikeless.  All cleated options feature the exclusive M:SPEC leather.  Including one featuring the BOA® Closure system™.  Three of the five spikeless models are offered with high performance mesh upper construction.

Louis Oostuizen of South Africa won the Volvo Golf Champions event at Durban Country Club with a Sunday best, six under par 66 to win by one stroke. 

Starting the day five strokes back of the lead, Oosthiuizen  made up solid ground on the front nine shooting a four under 32 to creep within one of the lead.  Continuing his near perfect play on the back, Louis, in DryJoys Tour and SciFlex, birdied his first two holes to take sole possession of the lead.  Oosthuizen added another birdie at the 14th before a late bogey at the 16th gave others hope at catching him. Their pursuit would be in vain with Louis parring the final two holes to take home the championship.

The win coupled with seven top tens in his past eight starts has moved the former Open Champion Oosthuizen to number four on the Official World Golf Rankings, his highest ranking ever.  This was Louis' sixth European Tour victory.

Volvo Golf Shoe Count:
FJ - 58%
Nearest Comp. - 18%

Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy and safe holiday and New Year! Thank you all for your tremendous support in 2012.

- Team FJ