SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 29, 2011) – Nippon Shaft posted two top-three finishes on both the PGA and Champions Tours over the weekend.
The 48-year-old native of Fiji and former Masters Champion tied for third at The Barclays using the Nippon Shaft N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 120 TX flex shafts in his irons. In the first event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoff series, the 6-foot 2-inch World Golf Hall of Fame member shot 65-64-68-197 for a 16-under par total in the rain-shortened 54-hole event at Plainfield CC in Edison, NJ. He earned $464,000, boosting his season earnings to more than $2.1 million. It was his fifth top 10 finish of the season and his second top-five in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, on the Champions Tour, the 52-year-old left-hander from Paducah, Kentucky finished in a tie for first place at the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Wash. The winner of the 1991 Western Open played a prototype of the new N.S. PRO MODUS3 steel shaft to shoot 14-under par 202 on rounds of 66-71-65. He earned $176,000 for second place after losing in a playoff.
Hiroyuki Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft, praised both PGA Tour veterans, who have been using Nippon Shaft products in their irons all season.
“Nippon Shaft is very happy that both a Hall of Fame golfer and a player whose career really has taken off on the Champions Tour are finding success using our products,” Fukuda said. “We wish them continued success throughout the rest of the season.”
The shafts are available through Shaftology – Nippon Shaft’s dedicated clubfitter network – and through the custom club departments of top club manufacturers.
A number of PGA touring pros – including former Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team members – are playing prototype versions of the MODUS3 shafts in PGA and European PGA tournaments this year. The Tour 120 model weighs between 114 and 126 grams and comes in S, X, and Tour X flex options. Other models still in the testing phase weigh as little as 106 grams and as many as 139 grams – but all meet the requirements of top players.
The N.S. PRO MODUS3 series shafts are popular with touring pros because they offer optimal performance in the three key areas:
1. Desired trajectory, which comes as a result of the unique shaft structure;
2. Accurate distances, thanks to the shaft’s unique raw steel material and accompanying heat treatment;
3. Tight dispersion, which comes from the exacting tolerances of the highest quality level.
Nippon Shaft made its reputation in the late 1990s by developing the first high quality lightweight steel shaft. The revolutionary N.S. PRO 950GH became the industry’s first sub-100 gram steel shaft, combining the stability and consistency of heavier shafts with extremely light weight. Soon, Nippon Shaft grew to be the No. 1-selling shaft in Asia, controlling 80 percent of the market, and No. 2 worldwide. Along the way, Nippon Shaft recorded more than 100 pro tour victories worldwide and became the dominant shaft on the LPGA Tour.
Nippon Shaft manufactures all of its steel and graphite shafts in a state-of-the-art factory at its headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. The company’s integrated production lines are strictly monitored and controlled with thorough checks conducted responsibly through the entire production process, Fukuda said. As a result, Nippon Shaft is able to control high product quality – from material selection to final testing.
Nippon Shaft has more than 100 professional victories worldwide. Based in Yokohama, 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 privately-held subsidiary of NHK Spring Co. LTD, a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer. Nippon Shaft’s North American headquarters is in San Diego.
Contact:
Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-698-1801 (office)
847-867-3032 (mobile)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
