Nicole Castrale and Ashworth Dress Up On Sundays
CARLSBAD, California-LPGA Tour star Nicole Castrale has been displaying her considerable on-course ability since her 2002 rookie season, but now Castrale is also showing off her striking new Ashworth Golf dresses during her Sunday rounds.
Millions of fans worldwide witnessed the black dress that the stylish, 5-foot-8 Ashworth tour staff member wore during the final round of the recent U.S. Women’s Open, in which Castrale finished in a sixth-place tie. The subtle details of the classy new dress-which Ashworth made especially for Castrale and will be introduced in Ashworth’s Fall 2009 line-include a graceful neckline, princess seams and a dropped waistline, enabling Castrale to express her confident style. Ashworth used a performance woven to give Castrale the necessary mobility and the comfort of a lightweight fabric for all-day wear.
Ashworth’s goal is to have Castrale wear a black dress every Sunday when she makes the cut. The company is working on creating two more black dresses which, while featuring the graceful neckline, princess seams and dropped waistline, will each also have some adjusted styling/differences. Ashworth would also like to create a dress for Castrale-who had planned to wear a green Ashworth dress during her T63 finish at last weekend’s P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship Presented by John Q. Hammons-in a third color to wear during this year’s remaining tournaments.
“The dress Nicole wore during the U.S. Women’s Open was a hit, ” says Meme Snell, Ashworth Golf’s Senior Designer of Women’s Apparel. “Our goal is to keep Nicole looking amazing so she can focus on playing her best.”
Castrale loves the black dress she wore during Sunday’s final round at the U.S. Women’s Open, saying that it created a lot of buzz from numerous players, fans and volunteers, with everyone asking Castrale where they could buy the dress.
“The new Ashworth golf dress is a necessity for all women golfers,” says Castrale. “It’s very comfortable and the fabric is perfect. It not only provides a feminine classic look, it is also very functional for the serious golfer. I am excited to debut various Ashworth golf dresses on Sundays of LPGA events.”
Castrale-who earned her first career victory at last year’s Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA-has made 15 cuts in 18 events this year. Her sixth-place tie at the U.S. Women’s Open is her best finish thus far in 2008. Castrale’s season’s earnings stand at $450,788, boosting her career earnings to $1,714,547. Besides her U.S. Women’s Open finish, her other two top-10 finishes this season are a T9 at the Sybase Classic and a T10 at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Castrale also continues to be one of the LPGA Tour’s top iron players, currently ranking in the top 10 by hitting 70.2 percent of greens in regulation. Last year she hit 67.5 percent of greens in regulation, which placed her seventh on tour.
Her 2007 season was highlighted by her Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA victory, where she defeated the world’s No. 1 player, Lorena Ochoa, on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Castrale capped off her finest season on the LPGA Tour by sinking the winning putt in singles competition, allowing the victorious 2007 U.S. Solheim Cup team to retain the Cup.
“It’s really exciting to see Nicole follow up her fine 2007 season with another great one this year for many reasons,” Snell says, “not the least of which is it has given everyone a chance to see her wearing her Ashworth dresses on Sundays.”
Carlsbad, Calif.-based Ashworth, Inc., 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 is also an Official Apparel Licensee of Callaway Golf Company and Ashworth owns the Outerwear Apparel brand Sunice in Europe, UK and the U.S.A. Ashworth is also a leading designer, producer and distributor of headwear and apparel under The Game® and Kudzu® brands. The Game is a leading headwear brand to collegiate bookstores and Kudzu products are sold into the NASCAR/racing markets and through outdoors sports distribution channels, including fishing and hunting. Ashworth is also the Kentucky Derby’s exclusive on-site event merchandiser.
Contact:
Mary Beth Lacy at 760-346-6942 or email: mb@mblacy.com
