97 Percent of Players on Tour Wear CHAMP Spikes
Marlborough, Mass., March 31, 2008 – CHAMP Spikes and the Duramed FUTURES Tour have renewed a long-standing agreement continuing CHAMP’s sponsorship as the official golf spike of the FUTURES Tour. With this extension, CHAMP has been the official spike of the FUTURES Tour for nearly a decade. Under the agreement, CHAMP will continue to provide spikes to all tour members and also conduct a new in-season competition, the “Last CHAMP Standing.”
“CHAMP has been a loyal supporter of the tour and women’s golf for many years,” said Zayra F. Calderon, Duramed FUTURES Tour CEO. “They have done an excellent job leveraging their tour partnership and the result has led CHAMP to being the No. 1 spike on our tour and the LPGA Tour. Players appreciate their support and are looking forward to a great year with CHAMP, as well as competing in the new competition.”
The “Last CHAMP Standing” competition is a season-long event designed to reward FUTURES Tour players wearing CHAMP spikes, based on their tournament finish each week, with the champion earning a $2500 first prize check as the “Last CHAMP Standing” at the season-ending I LOVE NY Championship in September in Albany, NY.
After the first ten tournaments, the top 16 Tour players on the CHAMP points list will qualify for the Sweet 16 CHAMP-ions Match Play, a bracket style tournament in which the players will go head-to-head in a single elimination 9-hole match play tournament. The final two will square off in Albany in September.
“The Duramed FUTURES Tour is a vital part of our marketing plan,” said John Healy, Director of Global Marketing at CHAMP. “We know that all of these players are working toward earning LPGA Tour status. Our goal is to provide players with equipment they can wear comfortably and confidently, and that will provide them with the traction they need to reach the next level. If you look at any LPGA leaderboard, you will see that it is filled with Duramed FUTURES Tour alumnae and most of them are wearing our spikes.”
About CHAMP
CHAMP is a division of MacNeill Engineering Worldwide, which has been designing and manufacturing athletic footwear components since 1931. The company has been a pioneer in cleat technology since it introduced the world’s first locking spike: SURE-LOK. Since then, MacNeill Engineering has grown to be the world leader in the sport cleat industry with revolutionary offerings which include the CHAMP Q-LOK System®, used in all Nike®, Puma®, Hi-Tec® and ECCO® golf shoes; the CHAMP TRI-LOK® system, which fits shoes by Foot Joy®, Adidas® and Etonic®; as well as the most complete line of innovative spikes in the world, including the new CHAMP Scorpion STINGER™ spikes, CHAMP ScorpionSpike®; and CHAMP TRAC™ spikes.
About the Duramed FUTURES Tour
Called “The Road To the LPGA and Beyond,” the Duramed FUTURES Tour has become the world’s largest international women’s developmental tour. In its 28th competitive season this year, the Tour has remained committed to developing LPGA stars of tomorrow and creating viable role models for youth today. The top-five money winners each season earn automatic exemptions for the LPGA Tour. With more than 300 alumnae as current members of the LPGA, through 2007, former Duramed FUTURES Tour players have won a total of 329 LPGA titles, including 35 major championships. Duramed FUTURES Tour events have contributed more than $4 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. For more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com
Contact:
Jackie Beck, public relations, Duramed FUTURES Tour, 860-304-3643, jackie@duramedfuturestour.com.
