Players using Nippon Shaft win on the PGA, LPGA, and European Challenge tours
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 20, 2012) – Nippon Shaft recorded three victories on three different world golf tours over the weekend, the biggest coming in a Monday morning finish at the Wyndham Championship at the par-70 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC.
There, the 32-year-old Spaniard, who wielded Nippon Shaft’s N.S. PRO prototype 2G18 steel shafts in his irons, won by two strokes after shooting an18-under par total 262 on rounds of 67-63-66-66.
The victory was his first on the PGA TOUR since 2008 when he won The Players. It also went a long way toward helping secure a spot on this year’s European Ryder Cup team, which will take on the Americans next month at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago. The native of Catellon won $936,000 for his efforts.
Meanwhile on the LPGA Tour, the 22-year-old from Japan used Nippon Shaft’s classic N.S. PRO 850GH steel shafts in her irons en route to victory at the Safeway Classic outside Portland, her first on the LPGA. The fourth-year LPGA Tour member finished at13-under par 203 for her 54-hole wire-to-wire win on the Ghost Creek Course at Pumpkin’s Ridge. She won $225,000 for her efforts.
Nippon Shaft’s N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 120 also claimed victory at the ECCO Tour Championship in Denmark. The 38-year-old Italian earned his fourth career win with a par on the third hole of a two-man sudden death playoff at Stensballegaard Golf in Horsens, Denmark. The two players finished at 12-under par in regulation.
“Nippon Shaft congratulates this week’s winners on the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, and European Challenge Tour – all of whom used Nippon Shaft steel shafts in their irons – on their exciting victories,” said Hiro Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft. “Nippon Shaft is proud to have been the steel shaft of choice for each of these outstanding players.”
Nippon Shaft products are available either as stock or custom shafts in many of the world’s top iron brands.
In addition, Nippon Shaft products 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. An R flex is new this season. 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 tour 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.
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
