BEAVERTON, Ore. (September 19, 2005) – Nike Golf continues to enjoy a remarkable year as it added two additional victories this past weekend for a total of 19 global wins in 2005 — one in the U. S. and one in Japan.
Only six weeks after his performance promotion from the Nationwide Tour to the PGA TOUR, Nike Staff Member Jason Gore made his mark by capturing his first PGA TOUR career victory at the 84 Lumber Classic. His win brings the total number of Nike Golf victories on the PGA TOUR to eight.
Gore’s one-stroke win over Carlos Franco proves that his remarkable summer of three Nationwide Tour victories has transitioned successfully to the pressure of competing against the best golfers in the world on the PGA TOUR. His Nike Golf Pro Combo Tour irons continue to help him hit precise approach shots to the green as evidenced by his tie for second ranking of greens in regulation with a 72.3% average.
In Japan, Nike Golf’s Keiichiro (Kay) Fukabori won the ANA Open for his second victory of the year. Fukabori, who recently switched to the Biggest Footprint in Golf, the SasQuatch Driver, won on the first playoff hole of sudden death using Nike Golf’s successful One Platinum ball.
Fukabori’s victory marks the first for the SasQuatch, which features radical geometry that moves the center of gravity lower and deeper without the use of weights. Rounding out the arsenal in his bag are the Nike Forged Blades and the Nike Forged Wedges.
Since August, there have been numerous SasQuatch sightings on the PGA Tour. In a one-month timeframe, 11 PGA Tour players have made the switch to this visually distinctive driver that provides distance, accuracy and forgiveness. Justin Leonard, who used the SasQuatch for the first time in the 84 Lumber, finished tied for ninth.
Both Gore and Fukabori wear Nike Golf apparel as well as Nike Golf’s popular SP-6 footwear.
Located in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike Golf designs and markets golf equipment, apparel, balls, footwear, bags and accessories worldwide. Nike Golf is passionately dedicated to honoring and respecting the traditions and heritage of the game, and to providing committed golfers with the absolute best equipment in the game. In 2005, Nike Golf’s Tour Staff have accumulated eight PGA Tour victories and 24 top-10 finishes. LPGA player Grace Park has recorded three top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour so far.
For more information on Nike Golf, visit our Web site at www.nikegolf.com Editors and journalists seeking editorial information and downloadable images, visit www.nikegolf.com/presscenter.
Contact:
Beth Gast
Nike Golf
(503) 532-8852
Beth.Gast@nike.com
