Jonzon secures European Tour card for 2010; Phil Blackmar takes AT&T Championship on Champions’ Tour
CARLSBAD, Calif. (October 26, 2009)- Facing the most daunting of ultimatums – finish in the top two or fail to secure your European Tour card for 2010 – TaylorMade-adidas Tour Staff Professional Michael Jonzon came alive at the Castello Masters, determined to make his playing status for next year a certainty by Sunday evening. Ranked 482nd in the world and winless for 12 years running, Jonzon raced to an opening-round 64 and fought off a late charge from the field, needing a birdie on the final hole to close with 67 and edge his way to an improbable one-shot victory.
Desperate to avoid his ninth trip to qualifying school in 16 years on Tour, the 37-year-old Swede took home the hard-earned championship prize of $500,000 after an emotional and exciting final round at Club de Campo del Mediterraneo. Among those chasing Jonzon was Tournament host and fellow TaylorMade staffer Sergio Garcia, who finished three strokes back of Jonzon after a final-round 69.
“It’s going to take time to let this sink in, I guess,” said Jonzon, who played a full compliment of TaylorMade equipment including the R9 driver. “I’m just so thrilled to have a playing status for next year and I’m so proud of myself, the way I handled these days.”
TaylorMade’s success on a crucial late-season weekend continued in San Antonio, Texas, where Tour staff Professional Phil Blackmar took home his first Champions’ Tour victory at the AT&T Championship. Sparked by five birdies in his first six holes Sunday, Blackmar finished with a seven under-par 64 to win by one stroke despite pressures of his own to maintain a Tour card for 2010. Playing an R9 460 driver, Blackmar’s win propelled him forward 27 spots in the Charles Schwab Cup Points Standings, earning him the coveted 30th and final spot in the season-ending Schwab Cup in Sonoma, California.
In Jonzon’s winning bag:
TaylorMade R9™ 10.5° driver
TaylorMade R9 15°
Rescue® 09 TP 17°
rac™ TP (3-PW)
TP Red™ LDP Golf Ball
adidas Golf apparel
adidas Golf footwear: TOUR360 3.0
In Blackmar’s winning bag:
TaylorMade R9™ 460 9.5° driver
TaylorMade R9 15°
Rescue 09 TP 19°
Tour Preferred® (4-PW)
rac wedges 52°, 54°, 60°
TP Black™ LDP Golf Ball
adidas Golf apparel
adidas Golf footwear
Y.E. Yang
Y.E. Yang
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
TaylorMade Golf has led the golf industry’s technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf creates high-performance, technology-infused golf apparel and footwear worn by hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Ashworth, which became a brand of the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company in 2008, creates relaxed, lifestyle-oriented golf apparel synonymous with authenticity and quality. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (866) 530-TMAG (8624) orwww.taylormadegolf.com, www.adidasgolf.com, www.ashworthinc.com, www.taylormadegolfpreowned.com.
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments such as adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 38,000 employees and sales of Ì¢?åÂ10.8 billion.
Contact:
TaylorMade Golf Brands
Public Relations Department
Christa McNamara
Tel: 760.918.6466
email: christa.mcnamara@tmag.com
