Shaft company notches its fourth win so far in 2015-16 season
CARLSBAD, Calif. (March 28, 2016) – Nippon Shaft was the iron shaft of choice Sunday (March 27) for the winner of the Puerto Rico Open, who claimed his first PGA TOUR victory with a birdie on the third hole of a two-man sudden death playoff at Coco Beach Golf & Country Club.
The 6-foot 4-inch Utah native used the N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 120 with TX flex shafts in his irons to shoot a final round 70 and finish at 12-under par at the end of regulation play. He got up-and-down out of a greenside bunker for birdie while his opponent could manage only a par the third time the two played the 18th hole during the playoff.
“Nippon Shaft would like to congratulate the winner of the Puerto Rico Open on his first PGA TOUR victory,” said Hiro Fukuda, sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft. “With the quality of his play and his strong work ethic, we anticipate he will be a winner many more times as he moves on in his career.”
With the victory, the former Utah high school basketball star earned $540,000, bringing his total earnings for the 2015-16 season to $972,791. The second-year pro also earned exemptions into The Players Championship and the PGA Championship.
The popularity of Nippon Shaft on the world’s major golf tours continued to explode in 2015, with 106 players on the PGA TOUR and European Tour combined utilizing steel shafts built by the Japan-based golf shaft manufacturer.
That computes to an increase of over 50 percent compared to the prior year when 70 major Tour pros used Nippon Shaft.
And it’s more than double the 48 players who used Nippon Shaft products in 2013.
“Nippon Shaft is proud and gratified that its product penetration continues to experience meaningful growth year after year on the world’s major men’s golf tours,” said Fukuda.
In the 2014-15 season, Nippon Shaft players won 16 times on the world’s top tours, including the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Web.com Tour, Challenge Tour and the LPGA Tour.
Seven of the 30 contestants in the PGA TOUR’s TOUR Championship used Nippon Shaft steel shafts in their irons and/or wedges.
The iron shaft models used by golf’s elite players were the N.S. PRO 950GH, the N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 130, N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 120, N.S. PRO MODUS3 TOUR 105 shaft, and N.S. PRO MODUS3 PROTOTYPE ORA steel shafts.
In addition, more than 70 players used Nippon Shaft N.S. PRO MODUS3 WEDGE shafts, which were designed exclusively for wedges, utilizing unique technologies that contribute to high levels of stability and feel in the short game. The WEDGE shafts were released to the public in March of 2015.
Meanwhile, Nippon Shaft continues to be the preferred shaft on the LPGA Tour, with several players having recorded victories on the world’s predominant women’s tour.
Over the years, Nippon Shaft recorded hundreds of victories on professional golf tours worldwide, as the best players in the world increasingly chose to install in their irons steel shafts manufactured in Japan to unparalleled quality standards.
Nippon Shaft products are available globally either as stock or custom shafts in many of the world’s top iron brands. In addition, Nippon Shaft products are available through Nippon Shaft’s dedicated global club fitter network. Details of these can be found at www.nipponshaft.com
Nippon Shaft manufactures all of its steel and graphite shafts in a state-of-the-art factory in Komagane, Japan. The company’s integrated production lines are strictly monitored and controlled with thorough checks conducted responsibly through the entire production process. As a result, Nippon Shaft is able to control high product quality – from material selection to final testing.
Based in Yokohama, Japan, Nippon Shaft is the No. 1-selling steel shaft in Asia. 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 Carlsbad.
Contact:
Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-698-1801 (office)
847-867-3032 (mobile)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
