CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – Sunice® staff player J.B. Holmes out dueled Phil Mickelson on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday to win the PGA TOUR’s FBR Open at the TPC Scottsdale (Arizona).
Holmes birdied the 18th hole twice within 20 minutes to earn his second career PGA TOUR victory, after not birdieing the hole for the first three rounds. Holmes-whose first victory was at the 2006 FBR Open during his rookie season-made a clutch 13-foot birdie putt on the 72nd and final hole of regulation to force the playoff with Mickelson, the world’s No. 2-ranked golfer. Holmes then made an eight-footer for birdie on the same hole-the first hole of the playoff-to earn the victory. Holmes now leads the 2008 PGA TOUR Money List with $1,176,660.
"We have just started our association with J.B. this year and, of course, we are very pleased to see him win in Arizona again," says Mark Fletcher, president of Fletcher Leisure Group Inc. "J.B. is a well-liked player and he is certainly exciting to watch!"
The long-hitting Holmes-second on the PGA TOUR in driving distance this year with an average drive of 312.4 yards-won the FBR Open while wearing Sunice’s® Connoly Smart Layer polo made with X-static™ Silver Fiber technology in the Sunrise color. Sunice helped keep Holmes comfortable in the chilly Arizona weather during the tournament. Silver is recognized as one of the world’s most conductive agents and brings incredible performance features to the fabric it is bonded to. Most notably, it has thermo-regulating properties (in cold weather, it reflects the body’s heat back to the skin; in hot weather, it rapidly conducts heat away from the skin) as well as anti-odor properties.
"The Sunice golfwear really helped me stay comfortable throughout the tournament," Holmes says. "The product is not only technologically superior to anything else on the market, but it’s great looking, too."
The Montreal-based Sunice brand of technical outerwear was recently acquired by Carlsbad, California-based Ashworth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASHW), a leading designer of golf-inspired lifestyle sportswear. Sunice is back in 2008 with a collection designed to free the body and thrill the soul. The 2008 collection showcases golfwear that embodies the perfect fusion of science and style, making its garments the most technically advanced golfwear available in today’s marketplace.
"The 2008 Sunice Collection once again places Sunice at the forefront of cutting-edge fashion in the golfwear market," says Heidi Rowsell, marketing manager for Sunice. "As today’s technological advances in textiles continue to revolutionize the development of performance fabrics, Sunice seizes the opportunity to combine and apply these technologies in a system that covers and protects you from the inside out."
Ashworth expects to launch the new golf-related technical outerwear line during 2008 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe. Ashworth Inc. acquired the Sun Ice® and Sunice® trademarks from Fletcher Leisure Group Inc. (FLG) in mid January.
Fletcher Leisure Group Inc., is the largest privately owned supplier of high-quality golfwear, lifestyle apparel and golf equipment in Canada, as well as snow sportswear. Fletcher is expanding very quickly to international markets. In addition to North America, it is present in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Fletcher Leisure Group Inc. is the largest supplier of golf apparel to the Canadian golf market through its own Sunice, Aureus & Aurea, AUR, and Storm Pack sportswear brands, and also distributes the top industry brands of Callaway Golf Apparel, Ashworth, and Adams Golf equipment. Fletcher brands are distributed across Canada through pro shops, specialty golf stores, sporting-goods retail stores, resorts and universities, as well as large corporations via its affiliation with promotional merchandise companies.
Ashworth, Inc (NASDAQ: ASHW) is a leading designer of men’s and women’s golf-inspired lifestyle sportswear distributed domestically and internationally in golf pro shops, resorts, upscale department and specialty stores, and to corporate customers. Ashworth’s three market-leading brands include: Ashworth Collection™, a range of upscale sportswear designed to be worn on and off course; Ashworth Authentics™, which showcases popular items from the Ashworth line; and Ashworth Weather Systems®, a technical performance line. Ashworth is also an Official Apparel Licensee of Callaway Golf Company.
Contact:
Mary Beth Lacy at 760-346-6942 or email: mb@mblacy.com
