-Nike athlete Francesco Molinari becomes first to win with this new driver at the World Cup-
Nike Golf athletes keep on winning golf tournaments with Nike Golf equipment. The most recent victory comes from Nike athlete Francesco Molinari at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, a team event in which he partnered with his brother. Molinari became the first Nike athlete to win with Nike’s new premium VR driver, which will be available next year. His win brings to 22 the number of global victories by Nike athletes in 2009.
Molinari used Nike’s VR STR8-FIT Tour driver with a 10.5 loft at the PGA European Tour event. The Omega Million Hills World Cup was the first time Molinari put the VR driver into play; it was the first time brothers won the championship and it also was the first win by Italians at the tournament with a team format. The VR drivers will become available to the public on February 1, 2010 with a suggested retail price of $479.99.
Rounding out Molinari’s Nike arsenal were Nike’s VR Split Cavity irons, Nike’s SQ II fairway woods, Nike SQ SUMO hybrid and Nike VR wedges. Molinari used the popular Nike ONE ball which has amassed 22 global victories by Nike athletes in 2009. Molinari also won with Nike’s new Tour Premium footwear and Nike Golf apparel. Prior to this win, Molinari has enjoyed the best season of his career in 2009 having finished in the top 10 seven times on the PGA European Tour, including five top three finishes. He has jumped to a career-high ranking of 14th in the Race to Dubai and 37th in the World Rankings.
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Molinari’s Nike Arsenal
• Driver: Nike VR STR8-FIT Tour
• Fairway Woods: Nike SQ II 13-degree
• Irons: Nike Victory Red (VR) Split Cavity (3-PW)
• Hybrids: Nike SQ SUMO 18-degree
• Wedges: Nike VR 52 and VR 58 degree
• Ball: Nike ONE Tour D
• Apparel: Nike Golf Apparel
• Footwear: Nike Tour Premium
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Nike Golf’s 2009 PGA Tour Victories
• Stephen Ames – Children’s Miracle Network Classic
• Tiger Woods – The BMW Championship
• Tiger Woods – Bridgestone Invitational
• Tiger Woods – The Buick Open
• Stewart Cink – The OPEN Championship
• Bo Van Pelt – U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee
• Tiger Woods – AT&T National
• Lucas Glover – US Open Championship
• Tiger Woods – The Memorial Tournament
• Paul Casey – Shell Houston Open
• Tiger Woods – Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill
Nike Golf’s 2009 International Victories
• Francesco Molinari – Omega Mission Hills World Cup (European Tour)
• Tiger Woods – JBWere Masters (Australasian Tour)
• K.J. Choi – Iskandar Johor Open
• Simon Dyson – Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (European Tour)
• Simon Dyson – KLM Open (European Tour)
• Paul Casey – BMW PGA Championship (European Tour)
• Paul Casey – Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (European Tour)
Nike Golf’s 2009 Champions Tour Victories
• John Cook- Charles Schwab Cup Championship
• John Cook – Administaff Small Business Classic
Nike Golf’s 2009 LPGA Tour Victories
• Michelle Wie – Lorena Ochoa Invitational
• Suzann Pettersen – CN Canadian Women’s Open
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Located in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike Golf designs and markets golf equipment, apparel, balls, footwear, bags and accessories worldwide. Nike Golf is passionately dedicated to ushering in the future of this great game by developing ground-breaking innovations that enable athletes to perform at their physical and mental peak. For more information on Nike Golf, visit our Web site at www.nikegolf.com
Contact:
Beth Gast – Nike Golf
503.532.8852
beth.gast@nike.com
Gretchen Wilhelm – Nike Golf
503.532.6236
gretchen.wilhelm@nike.com
