Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
FootJoy ambassador Steve Stricker closed with a final round 1-under 70 to narrowly defend his title at the John Deere Classic. Stricker, who wore custom DryJoys through the MyJoys program and a Pure Touch Limited glove, saw his six shot overnight lead wilt to just two but was able to hold on and defeat fellow FJ player Paul Goydos (FJ ICON style #52062, SciFlex). Inclusive of Stricker and Goydos, 13 of the top 14 players on the leaderboard trusted FJ.
Playing without the same razor sharp precision that had allowed him to record the lowest 54--hole total in PGA Tour history, Stricker played safe most of the day. However, he came through with a clutch birdie after driving into the trees on No. 17 and finished with a 26-under 258 total - a new record for the tournament.
“You don’t want to give shots away and then you end up playing a little safer than you normally do and it leads to tougher birdie putts,” Stricker said. “Then they creep in closer because they were playing some good golf.”
Goydos, who dazzled the golf world with his 59 in the opening round, shot a solid 66 but still fell short of dethroning Stricker, who won for the ninth time in his career. Both players boarded a plane Sunday night for Scotland and will compete in the Open Championship at St. Andrews this week.
“Strick was hard to catch,” Goydos said. “I tried and kept pushing and chipping and grinding and biting at him and doing what I could. But in the end, the putt he made on 17 was a world-class putt. That’s what top five players do, that’s what Ryder Cup players do.”
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
We had a chance to catch up with Ben Crane this week, following his dramatic win last week at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. As you'll hear, Ben has a new outlook on the game this year and it has apparently already paid off with his third career PGA TOUR victory! Ben also talks about not knowing if he had won or not on the 18th green, his offseason work, why he prefers DryJoys, a return trip to the Masters and more.
Click on the image below to watch the interview or click here to view it on youtube.
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
FootJoy players are a perfect four-for-four to start the season as Ben Crane (DryJoys style #53711, SciFlex glove) rode a red-hot putter to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Crane made two birdie putts over 45 feet then tapped in a 30-inch putt for par on the 18th hole for a 2-under 70 and a one-shot victory over fellow FJ players Michael Sim (FJ ICON style #52070, SciFlex glove) and Marc Leishman (FJ ICON style #52070). It was Crane’s third career victory, and first in nearly five years, and this one earned him a trip back to the Masters.
Starting the final round two shots behind, Crane opened with three birdies in five holes, including one from just over 45 feet on No. 3. He expanded his lead to three shots with another 45-foot birdie putt on the 11th.
Sim, the 25-year-old Australian who earned his Tour card following three victories last year on the Nationwide Tour, kept with Crane the entire round and had his chances to the very end. After missing his birdie chance on 18, Crane tapped in his par for the win and a 13-under 275 total that earns him a trip back to Augusta National for the first time in three years.
Don't forget to enter the FJ WINS, YOU WIN Sweepstakes for your chance to win the FJ products Ben Crane was using on Sunday.
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
Troy Matteson (DryJoys Tech style #53523, StaSof glove) birdied the second playoff hole to win the Frys.com Open on Sunday at Grayhawk Golf Club. After bogeying the final two holes in regulation to fall into the three-man playoff, Matteson had a second chance at the 17th and 18th and would not let the opportunity pass him by. Relying on past experience of winning this tournament as a rookie in 2006, Matteson denied two rookies this year who were trying to capture their first career PGA Tour victories and playing privileges for next year and beyond.
Matteson rolled into Sunday with a three-stroke lead, thanks to back-to-back 61s on Friday and Saturday – a PGA Tour record for lowest score in consecutive rounds. However, he stumbled at the end of the final round and found himself battling two young guns.
After all three players parred the first playoff hole, Matteson hit his approach within 3 feet on the 464-yard par-4 17th hole. With shadows stretching onto the green, he rolled in the putt for his second PGA Tour win.
The victory capped a strong final two months for Matteson as he made the cut in his final eight events and finished in the top 20 three times. The 29-year-old’s first Tour victory came as a rookie in 2006, when he won the Frys.com Open in Las Vegas.