Columbus, Ohio – Sterling Sports Management (“Sterling”) announced that LPGA Q-school winner and 2007 NCAA Champion, Stacy Lewis, has signed an endorsement agreement with Fersten Worldwide (“FW”) to be the new face of Fila Golf in North America on the LPGA tour.
Fila Golf has been licensed to FW, a leading apparel and headwear company located in Champlain, NY. FW is the exclusive licensee of the Fila Golf brand for North America and will execute all Fila branded apparel and headwear development, design, manufacturing, distribution and marketing for the United States and Canada.
Described as “the next Annika Sorenstam” by former PGA Champion and current golf analyst Johnny Miller, Lewis will play on the LPGA Tour as a rookie and a leading candidate for Rookie-of-the-Year after handily winning medalist honors by 3 strokes at LPGA Q-school in December 2008. Last summer, in her first tournament as a professional, Lewis showed that her college success would continue at the pro level when she led the US Women’s Open after the 3rd round and went on to finish 3rd. Lewis enters the LPGA with a record of accomplishment that is unrivalled. At the University of Arkansas, Lewis won 12 collegiate tournaments as well as the NCAA individual championship (2007) and was the #1 ranked amateur in the world. A 4 time All-American, Lewis remained an amateur after graduation so that she could play for the 2008 United States Curtis Cup team at St. Andrews, where she became the first player in Cup history to finish 5-0. However, what makes Stacy Lewis’ story more compelling is that she has accomplished all of this with a metal rod and 5 screws implanted in her back. At the age of 11, she was diagnosed with scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine. Lewis wore a back brace for 18 hours a day for more than 7 years, removing it solely to play golf, only to find out that the treatment had not corrected her condition. At age 18, Lewis chose to put golf on hold and have surgery to implant the metal rod and 5 screws in her back. She continues to play today with these implants.
Stacy Lewis stated, “As soon as I tried on the new Fila Golf shirts for the first time, I knew this was going to work. I know that Fila has been a globally recognized high design brand for a long time worn by legendary athletes like Bjorn Borg. I am both honored and humbled to be following in that tradition.”
“Stacy is exactly what Fila was looking for”, states Mitchell Fersten, President of Fersten Worldwide. “She’s a hard working, All American Champion who is quickly becoming a true force and superstar on the LPGA Tour. Stacy’s hard earned accomplishments both on and off the course are a true inspiration. She has tremendous drive and unbelievable dedication, and for that I have tremendous respect. We are both proud and excited for Fila to be with Stacy every step of the way on her journey to unprecedented success.”
J.S. Kang, Vice-President of Sterling Sports Management, stated, “Stacy Lewis is one of those very special athletes that comes along very rarely. She has earned respect on the course because of what she has overcome off the course so it was important for us to pair her with an apparel brand that fit her brand identity. Fila is that brand – a global brand that will always mean more in the future, because of what it has meant in the past. We couldn’t be more proud of the relationship between two very special brands.”
About Sterling Sports Management
Sterling Sports Management is a leading full-service sports management company based in Columbus, Ohio that represents professional golfers on the PGA, Nationwide and LPGA Tour’s including many of the world’s biggest stars. Sterling’s golf clients come from 7 countries and 4 continents and have won more than 50 professional golf tournaments. Sterling Sports represents its athlete clients in contract negotiations, endorsement agreements, media arrangements, marketing, celebrity appearances, public relations, and tax planning. Sterling also represents corporations through its Sports Marketing Consultancy practice which assists corporations get the most out of their investment in sports marketing, and facilitates the opening of overseas markets for both its athlete and corporate clients. www.sterlingsm.com
About Fersten Worldwide (FW)
FW is the leading full service supplier of decorated Apparel, Headwear and Accessories to the corporate promotional products and golf industries across North America. With over 350 Apparel and Headwear styles available for customization, customers can decorate any style with a multitude of in house and overseas decoration options, including Embroidery, Pewter, Rubber, High Frequency and Liquid Metal. The delivery of superior quality products and value added services is guaranteed. www.fersten.com
About Fila
Established in Italy in 1911, Fila is a leading manufacturer of footwear and apparel for sport and leisure that has developed excellent brand recognition by marketing products with a high design and style content that are endorsed by professional athletes from around the world. www.Fila.com
Contact:
J.S. Kang
Vice-President
Sterling Sports Management
404.518.2002
jkang@sterlingsm.com
Helene Bashalani
Marketing
Fersten Worldwide
800.565.7462 x166
heleneb@fersten.com
