ATLANTA, January 16, 2008 – Srixon announces today that 2-time PGA Professional Player of the Year Mike Small has joined its staff of PGA Professionals.
Small, the head men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois in Champaign, is the most dominant player in Illinois PGA Section history. He has won six Illinois PGA Championships, four Illinois Opens and an Illinois PGA Match Play Championship. In 2007, Small had an outstanding year on the national level. He finished as the low PGA Professional at the 89th PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club, qualified for the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, tied for runner-up in the PGA Professional National Championship and made the cut at the Nationwide Tour LaSalle Bank Open. Additionally, he is the only member of the Illinois PGA Section to have won both the national championship (2005) and PGA Professional of the Year honors (2005, 2007).
“We are honored to have a professional of Mike’s caliber join our advisory staff,” said Marty Olinger, Vice President of Sales. “Mike will be an invaluable asset to us along so many different dimensions — as a PGA member and professional, teacher, educator, talent evaluator and finally as a great player on the national level in his own right. Mike will be integral in helping us with our products, staff programs, collegiate programs and representing us in future major championships.”
In Small’s new Srixon bag will be the Z-UR series of high performance golf balls, the new I-701 Tour irons and WG-706 wedges.
“I was not looking to make a change in my equipment, but having been fortunate enough to play in some major championships the last couple of years, I couldn’t help but notice the success Srixon players were having,” said Small. “And when I hit the new 701 Tour irons I was convinced I needed to put them in my bag. With the combination of the Z-UR series golf balls and 701 irons, I was amazed at the consistency and control I was getting to fire at the pins, not to mention the distance off the tee. I can’t wait to get back on the course in 2008 as a member of the Srixon family.”
Small will be honored with his second PGA Professional Player of the Year award this week at the PGA Merchandise Show. He will also be a featured speaker during Srixon’s presentation at the PGA Equipment Forum at the PGA Merchandise Show on Friday, January 18, at 10:00 a.m.
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About SRI Sports.
SRIXON Sports USA, Inc., based in Lawrenceville, Ga., has been distributing premium golf balls and equipment in the U.S. since 1997 and is a subsidiary of SRI Sports Limited. SRI Sports Limited is the number one golf club manufacturer in the world’s second largest market, Japan, and is one of the world’s leading patent holders in golf ball technology. SRIXON golf balls earned 39 tournament victories on multiple professional tours around the world in 2007. For more information about SRIXON please visit www.srixon.com.
Contact:
Jackie Beck, 860 304-3643, jackiebeck00@hotmail.com
Mike Pai, Srixon Sports USA, Inc., 678 518-5121, mike@srixon.com
