Sep
06
The endless hours Charley Hoffman spent working in his sand game paid off in a huge way Monday, leading to an impressive five shot victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. After finishing last season ranked near the bottom in sand-save percentage, Hoffman began working with short-game specialist James Sieckmann and noticed immediate improvements. Every one else noticed the improvements late Monday afternoon.
Tied for the lead and standing awkwardly in the greenside bunker at TPC Boston's 13th hole, the ball below his feet, Hoffman popped the ball out perfectly, landed it halfway to the pin that was 48 feet away, then watched it make a beeline right to the cup. Birdie. He hadn't just saved par, he gained a stroke and a lead that he wouldn't give away.
"I can tell you right now -- if I wouldn't have met that guy (Sieckmann), I wouldn't have won this golf tournament," Hoffman said. "I could barely get it out of the bunkers before, pretty shocking.
That was just one highlight of many for Hoffman who dropped 11 birdies en route to a memorable 9-under 62 that tied the tournament's 72-hole record of 22-under par. After starting the day four shots off the lead, Hoffman came roaring out of the gates with four birdies over the first five holes to jump into contention.
Equally as noticeable as Hoffman's improved sand play were his color co-ordinated custom green StaSof glove and FJ ICON Asymmetrical golf shoes featuring a limited edition green caiman gator print. For your chance to win products similar to what Charley Hoffman used on Monday, click here to enter the FJ WINS, YOU WIN sweepstakes.
Aug
27
Check out the bold statement Nationwide Tour player Martin Piller made recently with some stunning, custom FJ ICON Asymmetricals featuring the hibiscus print! And he wore them right into the winner's circle when he captured his first Tour victory earlier this year at the Stadion Athens Classic in Georgia. On that day, Piller began the day one back and was locked in a battle until the final hole where he stuffed an 8-iron approach to 8 feet and secured his maiden victory.
Piller's done it again.
After making the cut by one shot at the recent Cox Classic, Piller roared into contention with a 62 on Saturday and followed that with a final round 7-under 64 to win the tournament by two shots and secure his PGA Tour card for next year. En route to victory, Piller reeled off a birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie streak that matched the best birdie-eagle streak in tournament history.
"(This win) was a lot different than Athens, where par was good," said
Piller. "I knew that par was not going to be good and I knew that
I was going to have to go out and make something happen. I didn't have
a number in mind. The only number I had in mind was one."
In winning tournaments in different styles, both battling with other players and then storming from behind, Piller proves he's deserving of a promotion to the big stage next year.
"I was very determined, I was very focused and I was very aggressive," said Piller. "I didn't want to be back here next year, in a good kind of way."
To learn more about Martin Piller, check out this video on pgatour.com.
Aug
25
You would be hard-pressed to find a player who has enjoyed more success in the FedEx Cup playoff system than FJ ambassador, Steve Stricker. Since the playoffs began back in 2007, Stricker has accumulated an impressive seven top-10 finishes in 12 events, including victories in the first-ever playoff tournament (2007 The Barclays) and last year's Deutsche Bank Championship. As they say, some players are built for the playoffs! Check out this blog item on Boston.com from Stricker himself for more insight into the playoff system, his preparation and his chances entering the playoffs as the #2 seed.
Who is your pick to win the 2010 FedEx Cup?
Aug
20

We came across this image of Sunshine Tour player Daniel Greene and noticed he added a nice custom touch to his StaSof glove. Upon further investigation, we learned that Daniel always colors the tab of his FJ StaSof glove in pink as a "lucky charm" of sorts. Very unique and reminiscent of the red dot that British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen adds to his SciFlex glove.
Do you have any golf superstitions like Daniel and Louis, whether they're things you add to your equipment or lucky charms that you keep in your golf bag? Click on COMMENTS and let us know!
Aug
08
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Hunter Mahan won for the second time this year, coming from four shots back to start the day to win the World Golf Championship - Bridgestone Invitational. Mahan ran off five birdies on the front nine to take the lead, then had three clutch par saves down the stretch to finish off a 6-under 64 and a two-shot victory over fellow FJ player, Ryan Palmer (FJ ICON style #52005). While both players wore FJ ICON golf shoes, Hunter went with a custom design through the MyJoys program. Hunter also wore a StaSof glove while Palmer opted for SciFlex.
Mahan's victory locked up a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team as he is now No. 2 in points with only this week's PGA Championship remaining before the top eight Americans qualify. Hunter has played on the last three U.S. teams as a Captains Pick.
"That was my goal at the beginning of the year, to make the team on my own," Mahan said.
Hunter shot a final round 6-under 64 to finish with a 12-under 268 total. He became the third American with multiple victories on the PGA TOUR this year, and likely will move to a career-best No. 12 in the world.
Turning Stone Resort Championship
Meanwhile at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, it was a major accomplishment of a different sort for FJ player Bill Lunde (FJ ICON). Less than five years after he quit competitive golf, he earned a spot in next week's PGA Championship by winning the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Lunde shot a final round 6-under 66 to rally for a come-from-behind victory with a 17-under 271 total.
"All these guys out here, you're never far from playing good. You can sit here and say, 'I'm playing awful, I don't know how I'm going to break 80 today,' but you're never that far off."
Lunde made the weekend cut by one stroke and but trailed by only four heading into the final round following a 64 on Saturday. Lunde climbed to the top of Sunday's leaderboard with six birdies and a 30 on the front side.
None of the success seemed possible to Lunde in 2005 when he stopped playing after a tough year on the Nationwide Tour. He went to the PGA TOUR's Q-School in November and didn't qualify for the second stage so found a job in real estate in Las Vegas. He returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2008 and took advantage of his second chance. He won the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational that year and finished fifth on the money list, which earned him a spot on the PGA TOUR in 2009.
"I tried to make an agreement with myself when I started playing again to ... if I could just have a better attitude right off the bat, I'd become a better player than I ever was before," he said. "And that was kind of my goal. Obviously it doesn't happen every day, but it's definitely better than it was and something I'll probably battle for the rest of my life. I'm just so competitive. I can't handle not playing well or bad breaks. It gets me down."