SCHAUMBURG, Illinois (June 9, 2010) – Nippon Shaft today congratulated three PGA TOUR players who used Nippon Shafts in their irons and finished in the top 12 at last week’s Memorial Tournament.
“Nippon Shaft is very proud of the efforts of all three players, each of whom has decided this season to play steel Nippon Shafts in his irons,” said Hiroyuki Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft.
The highest finisher among the three players wound up in third place at 12-under par on rounds of 70-69-68-69-276. It was the player’s fifth top 10 finish this season, in which he has made 13 of 16 possible cuts, ranks No. 5 in birdies on the PGA TOUR (240), 10th in scoring average (69.93), and is ranked 14th on the money list with $1.87 million in official earnings.
Since he started to play Nippon Shafts this season, the player is excelling in the all-important “greens-in-regulation” statistical category. He is third on the PGA TOUR in greens hit in regulation (71 percent) compared with last year when he was ranked 54th in GIR at 66 percent.
The other two players – both of whom have international pedigrees – finished tied for 12th at 8-under par 280.
One of the players – a Masters and PGA major champion from the South Pacific – shot 71-72-66-71-280. It was his third top 25 of the season.
The other player – a Zimbabwe native – shot71-69-65-75–280. His third-round 65 was his best 18-hole score of the year. He has three top 10 finishes and is ranked 51st on the 2010 money list with $895,555. With Nippon Shafts in his irons he is ranked 12th in the key greens-in-regulation statistic, hitting over 69 percent. Last year, he was ranked 57th at 67 percent of GIR.
“Nippon Shaft congratulates these three fine players on their exceptional performances,” Fukuda said. “We are pleased Nippon Shaft products played a part in their success and wish them continued success in the future.”
Nippon Shaft has more than 50 professional victories worldwide. Based in Yokahama, Japan, Nippon Shaft is the No. 1-selling steel shaft in Asia, where it controls 80 percent of the golf shaft market. In North America, Nippon Shaft is the No. 2-selling steel shaft and is growing.
Nippon Shaft is a subsidiary of privately-held NHK Spring Co. LTD, a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer. Nippon Shaft’s North American headquarters is in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Contact:
Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-698-1801 (office)
847-867-3032 (mobile)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
