SAN DIEGO’S EVAN HOFFMAN AND THE CORTEX DRIVER DESIGN NAMED WINNER OF DRIVER VS. DRIVER 2
Hoffman Takes Home $250,000 Grand Prize; Cortex Named Wilson Golf’s Latest Driver
Cortex On-Sale Starting Today at 1,000+ Golf Retail Stores Worldwide and Online
A year and a half after submitting his initial application and driver design idea, Evan Hoffman (San Diego, Calif.) and his driver concept – Cortex – was named the winner on Tuesday’s finale of Driver vs. Driver 2 presented by Wilson. Hoffman takes home the $250,000 grand prize and the Cortex driver becomes Wilson’s newest driver on the market. The driver is officially on sale at more than 1,000 golf retail stores around the world and online at Wilson.com/Cortex.
“I was confident, but still you can’t prepare yourself for something like this,” Hoffman said after being announced as the Driver vs. Driver 2 winner. “So many emotions going on, the main one being shock. This has been an experience of a lifetime and a dream come true.”
Tim Slama (Salem, Ore.), and his Rozwell design finished runner-up on Driver vs. Driver 2. Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf, surprised Slama when he announced at the conclusion of the finale that Wilson Golf will pay for his final year of college at Oregon State University.
“It was a gold lining in the clouds,” said Slama after the finale. “This really echoes what Wilson has been the entire show, which has been true to themselves. They have been so honest, so generous and so amazing to everyone on this show, especially me.”
“I am so proud of the team I work with at Wilson,” said Clarke. “Not only did this team deliver products that are amazing in working with both designers, but also the reality is we got a driver that tested better than any driver Wilson has ever produced.”
“It was very close between the final two designs and a very tough decision to make,” said nine-Time NHL All-Star Jeremy Roenick, one of the three judges on Driver vs. Driver 2. “I teetered between the two, but I think we made the right decision and the best driver won with Evan.”
“To be a part of the process and seeing what hard work and effort goes on behind the scenes has been amazing,” said Rick Shiels, golf equipment reviewer and judge on the series. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
The finale took place at Wilson Sporting Goods’ worldwide headquarters in Chicago. During the finale, PGA TOUR professionals Troy Merritt, Brendan Steele and Kevin Streelman tested the two finished prototypes and provided their feedback. The judges on the series – Clarke, Roenick and Shiels – also hit the final two prototypes before ultimately making their decision in announcing Hoffman as the winner.
DRIVER VS. DRIVER 2 WINNER PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
– Cortex: At the heart of the Cortex driver is Fast Cage Technology. 44 percent of the head has been replaced with lightweight carbon fiber, leaving a rigid titanium skeleton that provides structural stability and more precise weight distribution for adjustability, maximizing distance and optimizing spin for all swings.
SERIES PRODUCTION: Production for Driver vs. Driver 2 began in the Fall of 2017 and concluded in August, 2018. The series is produced by Golf Channel’s original productions division, whose portfolio include the Emmy-nominated interview series Feherty hosted by Emmy-nominated sports personality David Feherty, high-quality instruction shows including School of Golf, Golf Channel Academy and Playing Lessons and a slate of award-winning and critically-acclaimed Golf Films.
ABOUT DRIVER vs. DRIVER PRESENTED BY WILSON
Driver vs. Driver presented by Wilson debuted in 2016. The show, from inception, was designed to utilize the power of crowd-sourcing combined with Wilson LABS’ (the innovation hub at Wilson) deep golf experience and expertise to create a world-class golf driver in a way that had never been done before. Driver vs. Driver also was created to infuse new energy and excitement into the golf equipment conversation, open the game of golf to a broader audience and bring highly innovative products to the marketplace, all while educating golfers on how drivers are designed, developed and manufactured. Eric Sillies, an industrial design graduate from the University of Cincinnati, was crowned the winner of Driver vs. Driver’s first season.
ABOUT WILSON GOLF
Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a subsidiary of Amer Sports, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sports equipment, apparel and accessories. Wilson Golf is a global leader in high performance golf equipment and uses player insights to design products that push golf innovation into new territories. Through its dedication to creating products that enable athletes at every level to perform at their best, Wilson has earned its place as a leader in sporting goods for over a century.
ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available to nearly 500 million viewers in more than 80 countries and nine languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Channel Digital and the NBC Sports App, powered by Playmaker Media. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; Revolution Golf, the largest direct-to-consumer digital platform in golf ; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour; and as the Official Media Partner of St. Andrews Links, the Home of Golf.
-NBC Sports Group-
Media Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Communications
407-355-4058
Jeremy.Friedman@golfchannel.com
