2006 PGA Tour Season Start For Nike Golf Mirrors 2005
BEAVERTON, Ore. (January 30, 2006) – In his first event of the season, the Buick Invitational, Tiger Woods outlasted the rest of the field and his sudden-death playoff opposition by executing shots when he needed to and digging deep down to do what he does best — win.
Assisting him to victory was the award-winning SasQuatch driver, which he used for the first time in 2006. Woods averaged 306-yard drives and had the second largest drive of the tournament with 363 yards, a feat helped by his SasQuatch driver and Nike One Platinum ball. Nike Golf’s SasQuatch driver, the biggest footprint in golf, has accumulated three PGA Tour victories since Nike Tour staff members began using it last August.
Woods’ win marks the second in 2006 for both Nike Golf and its distinctive SasQuatch driver. Chad Campbell won last week at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, in only his second tournament after switching to Nike Golf equipment. With four PGA Tour events completed in 2006, the start of this PGA Tour season is showing remarkable similarities to the start of 2005 for Nike Golf.
In 2005, Justin Leonard won the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic just 11 days after switching to Nike Golf. A year later, Chad Campbell captured the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in just his second PGA Tour event after switching to Nike Golf.
In 2005, Tiger Woods won the Buick Invitational by using the Nike Ignite driver for the second time in competition. A year later, Tiger Woods won the Buick Invitational using the new Nike SasQuatch Driver for the second time in competition.
In his final press conference of the week, Woods referenced the similarities that he felt between his 2005 and 2006 Buick Invitational victories by saying, "It was the same thing last year, where I didn’t really drive it good starting out, and I got back on the back nine and I piped it every hole. I kept telling myself, it’s just like last year, you were in the same situation."
Woods, a 47-time winner on the PGA Tour, fought his way into a sudden-death playoff by pounding his usual monstrous drives with the combination of his SasQuatch driver and the Nike One Platinum ball, and averaging 74.3% in greens in regulation using his Nike Forged Blade irons.
Rounding out his arsenal of Nike Golf equipment were his Ignite Fairway Woods, the T60 and T40 and his 56 and 60-degree Nike wedges. Woods also wore his own line of Nike Golf apparel, the Tiger Woods Collection, SP 7 TW footwear and the Dri Fit Tour glove.
Contact:
Beth Gast – Nike Golf
(503) 532-8852
Beth.Gast@nike.com
