TaylorMadeå¨ Drivers Again Easily No. 1 on the World?s Major Tours, Capturing 53 Titles across Six Tours Worldwide no.1 bug
CARLSBAD, Calif. (December 20, 2007) – TaylorMade Golf once again maintained its dominance globally as the No. 1 driver in all 47 PGA Tour events and all 30 Champions Tour events and the most-played driver in 51 European Tour events, 31 Nationwide Tour events and 27 LPGA Tour events in 2007.
It was the seventh consecutive year that TaylorMade drivers have been No. 1 on the PGA Tour.
“When Gary Adams founded TaylorMade in 1979, his credo was to make the best performance golf equipment for the best players in the world and if the top players trusted TaylorMade then so could the rest of the golf population. We believe in the same philosophy today,” said Chuck Presto, Senior Vice President of Global Sports Marketing. “More Tour players rely on TaylorMade equipment than any other brand and that mindset drives our company every day to create the most innovative and top performing products.”
From Hale Irwin’s win at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai in January, to Justin Rose’s dramatic playoff win at the season-ending Volvo Masters, TaylorMade continues to be the most-played driver in golf with the most victories, capturing nine wins on the PGA Tour, 15 wins on the European Tour, nine victories on the Nationwide Tour, seven wins on the Champions Tour, 12 wins on the LPGA Tour and one on the JPGA Tour.
The best players in the world also trusted their TaylorMade drivers to finish at the top of the 2007 PGA Tour statistical leader board:
* TaylorMade-adidas Golf Tour Staff Professionals finished in the top three in Driving Accuracy, including Jose Coceres who finished No. 1 at 75.47% to edge Fred Funk at 75.26%.
* TaylorMade drivers were played by three of the top nine in Driving Distance, including TaylorMade Staffer Robert Garrigus, who finished the season at No. 4 averaging 310.5 yards, and Harrison Frazar finished at No. 9 with a 303.1 yard average.
* Six TaylorMade staffers captured top-10 rankings in Total Driving: Matthew Goggin (No. 2), Jay Williamson (No. 4), Kenny Perry (No. 5), Cameron Beckman (No. 6), Sean O’Hair (No. 8), and John Senden (No. 9).
* Three TaylorMade staffers made the top 10 in Scoring Average: Justin Rose at 69.3 (No. 3), Sergio Garcia at 69.48 (No. 7) and Scott Verplank averaging 69.71 per round (No. 10).
* Three TaylorMade staffers finished in the top five in Greens in Regulation: John Senden 70.33% (No. 2), Jeff Gove at 70.17% (No. 3), and Cameron Beckman at 69.87% (No. 4).
In addition, 18 different players won a title using TaylorMade’s new SuperQuad™ or Burner® Driver in 2007.
Following are some of the memorable moments for TaylorMade Golf in 2007:
* Justin RoseRose wins at the Volvo Masters, earning him the top spot on the European Order of Merit for the first time in his career. He won the title by competing in 12 events, the fewest ever by a player in winning the Order of Merit. The win also catapulted Rose to No. 7 in the world rankings and to the top of the European Ryder Cup points list.
* Rose’s all-around performance across all four of this season’s major championships was second to only Tiger Woods. Rose finished fifth at the Masters, 10th at the US Open and 12th at the British Open and PGA Championship.
* Loren RobertsOn the Champions Tour, Loren Roberts hoists the gold Charles Schwab Cup as the Champions Tour points leader, finishing the year with 2,716 points in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. In 23 events, Roberts recorded two wins, three second-place finishes, three third-place finishes, 14 top 10s and finished second on the money list with $2,170,627 in earnings. He also ranked No. 1 in Birdies on the Champions Tour.
* Natalie GulbisNatalie Gulbis captures her first career LPGA win at the Evian Masters, making birdie in a sudden-death playoff, to earn a well-deserved win. She finished the season ranked 12th on the money list with five top 10s. Gulbis also competed in the Solheim Cup for the second time in her career, helping the U.S. become only the second team in event history to win as the visiting team.
* Paula CreamerPlaying in her third LPGA season, Paula Creamer becomes the fastest in Tour history to earn $3 million in career earnings, accomplishing the feat in two years, two months and 19 days. Creamer finished No. 3 on the money list with 13 top-10 finishes and two wire-to-wire victories, including the Tournament of Champions where she went 62 straight holes without a bogey – the longest streak on the LPGA Tour this season. Creamer also competed in her second Solheim Cup, leading the charge as the U.S. points leader in a come-from-behind win over Europe.
* Jason DayTaylorMade Staffer Jason Day becomes the youngest player, at 19 years, seven months and 26 days, to win a PGA Tour-sponsored event, simply outplaying the competition during the Legend Financial Group Classic in July. Day posted a new tournament record at StoneWater Golf Club, 16-under-par 268, to capture his first Nationwide Tour win. He finished the 2007 season No. 5 on the Nationwide money list, easily securing his 2008 PGA Tour card with seven top 10s in 19 events played.
* TaylorMade Staffers David Toms and Scott Verplank post a combined 8-0-1 record en route to helping the Americans secure the Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. Toms contributed 4.5 points – more than anyone else in the field. On the International squad, TaylorMade staffer Mike Weir paved the way, earning 3.5 points and posting a 3-1-1 record.
* Brandt SnedekerTaylorMade-adidas Golf Tour Staff Professional Brandt Snedeker is named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year after a sensational 2007 season, which included a win at the Wyndham Championship and six top-10 finishes. Snedeker finished 20th on the FedEx Cup points list and earned $2,836,643 – the third highest rookie total in history.
* Sergio GarciaSergio Garcia’s putting stats dramatically improved over 2006, and so did his success in competition. In 2007, Garcia earned seven top 10s, three top 5’s and finished No. 9 in the FedExCup standings, also going from 158th to 15th in Putting Average thanks in large part to Rossa’s improved Anti-skid Groove System Insert (AGSITM +) technology. Garcia also posted the longest streak without a three putt.
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
TaylorMade Golf has led the golf industry’s technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf footwear and apparel is the choice of hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (800) 888-CLUB or www.tmag.com ,www.taylormadegolf.com , www.adidasgolf.com , www.maxfli.com.
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 26,000 employees and sales of over ?10 billion.
Contact:
TaylorMade-adidas Golf
Public Relations Department
Scott Leightman
Tel: 760.476.5748
eMail: scott.leightman@tmag.com
John Steinbach
Tel: 760.918.6330
eMail: john.steinbach@tmag.com