(Londonderry, New Hampshire) – Renowned Danish shoemaker ECCO announces that staff player Gwladys Nocera won the SAS Ladies Masters and her third 2008 Ladies European Tour title at the Haga Golf Club in Oslo, Norway this past weekend.
Beginning the final round one stroke off the lead, Nocera closed with a final round 68 to card a 13-under-par 203 total and edge out England’s Samantha Head and Spain’s Tania Elosegui by three shots. The victory marks her eighth in three seasons and makes her the only LET player to win three times this year.
“My aim is to finish first on the New Star Money List and I knew I had to win this week,” says Nocera. “Being 13-under after hole 16 allowed me to stay cool and focused, and I shot the best round I had all week.”
This weekend’s performance earned the 33-year-old French star ?30,000 and bolstered her second-place ranking on the 2008 New Star Money List, which she led earlier in the season.
“Gwladys knows how to stay focused and never lose sight of her goals,” says Jesper Thuen, Sponsor and Event Manager, ECCO Golf. “When the pressure is on, she and other dominant players trust the comfort and performance of ECCO to help them win.”
A late bloomer, Nocera turned professional at age 27 and has quickly made a name for herself on the global stage. A member of two European Solheim Cup teams, she won three times on the LET in 2006, finishing runner-up on the money list to fellow ECCO staff player Laura Davies. She remained among the world’s elite players with victories in 2007 at the KLM Ladies Open (now known as the ABN AMRO Ladies Open) and the EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters.
ECCO is preferred by international Tour stars Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie, Stuart Appleby, Aaron Baddeley, Thomas Bjorn, Thongchai Jaidee, John Bickerton, Steven Jeppesen, Juli Inkster, Carin Koch, Pat Hurst, Sophie Gustafson, Laura Davies, Meena Lee, Candie Kung, Linda Wessberg, Wendy Ward and others.
The company’s Spring/Summer 2008 golf collection features unequaled comfort, style and performance in several new designs, including the distinctive C-Force Hydromax for men – the first-ever golf shoe to incorporate a Carbon Force Plate to provide unequaled lightness, flexibility, strength and durability. For women, the new ACE series offers a unique system of interlocking Truss Support Elements that creates the most advanced swing platform in the women’s game.
Distinguished by advanced technologies alongside an unmatched combination of out-of-the-box comfort, high-grade leathers and attention to detail, each shoe in the 2008 collection passes through more than 225 sets of highly-skilled hands during a production process exclusively executed at ECCO-owned factories. This labor-intensive manufacturing guarantees the brand’s golf shoes help players excel under the most demanding conditions.
All ECCO designs blend a network of built-in technologies to create the ideal platform for the perfect swing. Principal among these is a direct-injected, PU-constructed midsole/outsole. Made from a process unique to ECCO in the golf industry, this:
* Creates a one-piece shoe construction
* Ensures unrivaled durability, flexibility, lightness and weather resistance
* Provides a superior level of cushioning and comfort that does not break down over time, unlike commonly-used materials such as air, rubber and EVA foam
Additional performance features of the Spring/Summer 2008 golf collection include:
* Ultra-soft, high-grade leathers with hydrophobic treatments for superb weather-resistance
* Internal stabilizer to reduce torque and create ideal swing stability
* Double-layer insole with cushion that absorbs heel force to reduce stress on the knees, hips and back
* Internal Air-Circulation System to maintain a fresh, dry and cool foot environment
* Dynamic Energy Return System that provides a trampoline effect during foot-strike and follow-through to reduce fatigue and restore energy with each step
* Green-friendly outsole designs featuring molded traction bars combined with Stinger cleats from Champ and the Q-Lok insert system to provide ideal traction and grip
About ECCO
The only major shoe manufacturer to own and manage the entire value chain from cow to consumer, ECCO is a global leader in city, casual and sport shoes for men, women and children. In 2007, the Danish company sold almost 17 million pairs, achieving net revenues of ?756 million.
Founded in 1963 by Karl Toosbuy, ECCO has nearly 15,000 employees, direct subsidiaries in Europe, the Far East and North America, and partners worldwide. ECCO shoes are sold in more than 3,000 shops globally, including 687 mono-brand (ECCO exclusive) stores.
Following the rules of good craftsmanship to deliver genuine freedom of movement and comfort to consumers, ECCO’s aim has never been to be the biggest, but always to be the best.
ECCO USA is based in Londonderry, New Hampshire. For more information: visit www.eccousa.com, 800.886.3226.
Contact:
David Griffith
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3391
dgriffith@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
