FootJoy Blog

Martin Piller Stylin' His Way to the PGA Tour

Chris Garrett — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:03:00 GMT

Check out the bold statement Nationwide Tour player Martin Piller made recently with some stunning, custom FJ ICON Asymmetricals featuring the hibiscus print! And he wore them right into the winner's circle when he captured his first Tour victory earlier this year at the Stadion Athens Classic in Georgia. On that day, Piller began the day one back and was locked in a battle until the final hole where he stuffed an 8-iron approach to 8 feet and secured his maiden victory.

Piller's done it again.

After making the cut by one shot at the recent Cox Classic, Piller roared into contention with a 62 on Saturday and followed that with a final round 7-under 64 to win the tournament by two shots and secure his PGA Tour card for next year. En route to victory, Piller reeled off a birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie streak that matched the best birdie-eagle streak in tournament history.

"(This win) was a lot different than Athens, where par was good," said Piller. "I knew that par was not going to be good and I knew that I was going to have to go out and make something happen. I didn't have a number in mind. The only number I had in mind was one."

In winning tournaments in different styles, both battling with other players and then storming from behind, Piller proves he's deserving of a promotion to the big stage next year.

"I was very determined, I was very focused and I was very aggressive," said Piller. "I didn't want to be back here next year, in a good kind of way."

To learn more about Martin Piller, check out this video on pgatour.com.

FedEx Cup Preview from Steve Stricker

Chris Garrett — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:03:00 GMT

You would be hard-pressed to find a player who has enjoyed more success in the FedEx Cup playoff system than FJ ambassador, Steve Stricker. Since the playoffs began back in 2007, Stricker has accumulated an impressive seven top-10 finishes in 12 events, including victories in the first-ever playoff tournament (2007 The Barclays) and last year's Deutsche Bank Championship. As they say, some players are built for the playoffs! Check out this blog item on Boston.com from Stricker himself for more insight into the playoff system, his preparation and his chances entering the playoffs as the #2 seed.

Who is your pick to win the 2010 FedEx Cup?

Lucky Charms

Chris Garrett — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:47:00 GMT

We came across this image of Sunshine Tour player Daniel Greene and noticed he added a nice custom touch to his StaSof glove. Upon further investigation, we learned that Daniel always colors the tab of his FJ StaSof glove in pink as a "lucky charm" of sorts. Very unique and reminiscent of the red dot that British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen adds to his SciFlex glove.

Do you have any golf superstitions like Daniel and Louis, whether they're things you add to your equipment or lucky charms that you keep in your golf bag? Click on COMMENTS and let us know!

Career Defining Moments for Mahan, Lunde

Chris Garrett — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:17:00 GMT

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Hunter Mahan won for the second time this year, coming from four shots back to start the day to win the World Golf Championship - Bridgestone Invitational. Mahan ran off five birdies on the front nine to take the lead, then had three clutch par saves down the stretch to finish off a 6-under 64 and a two-shot victory over fellow FJ player, Ryan Palmer (FJ ICON style #52005). While both players wore FJ ICON golf shoes, Hunter went with a custom design through the MyJoys program. Hunter also wore a StaSof glove while Palmer opted for SciFlex.

Mahan's victory locked up a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team as he is now No. 2 in points with only this week's PGA Championship remaining before the top eight Americans qualify. Hunter has played on the last three U.S. teams as a Captains Pick.

"That was my goal at the beginning of the year, to make the team on my own," Mahan said.

Hunter shot a final round 6-under 64 to finish with a 12-under 268 total. He became the third American with multiple victories on the PGA TOUR this year, and likely will move to a career-best No. 12 in the world.

Turning Stone Resort Championship

Meanwhile at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, it was a major accomplishment of a different sort for FJ player Bill Lunde (FJ ICON). Less than five years after he quit competitive golf, he earned a spot in next week's PGA Championship by winning the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Lunde shot a final round 6-under 66 to rally for a come-from-behind victory with a 17-under 271 total.

"All these guys out here, you're never far from playing good. You can sit here and say, 'I'm playing awful, I don't know how I'm going to break 80 today,' but you're never that far off."

Lunde made the weekend cut by one stroke and but trailed by only four heading into the final round following a 64 on Saturday. Lunde climbed to the top of Sunday's leaderboard with six birdies and a 30 on the front side.

None of the success seemed possible to Lunde in 2005 when he stopped playing after a tough year on the Nationwide Tour. He went to the PGA TOUR's Q-School in November and didn't qualify for the second stage so found a job in real estate in Las Vegas. He returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2008 and took advantage of his second chance. He won the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational that year and finished fifth on the money list, which earned him a spot on the PGA TOUR in 2009.

"I tried to make an agreement with myself when I started playing again to ... if I could just have a better attitude right off the bat, I'd become a better player than I ever was before," he said. "And that was kind of my goal. Obviously it doesn't happen every day, but it's definitely better than it was and something I'll probably battle for the rest of my life. I'm just so competitive. I can't handle not playing well or bad breaks. It gets me down."

FJ Players Duel for Victory

Chris Garrett — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:44:00 GMT

There were two compelling duels over the weekend that featured top international FJ players battling down the stretch to secure tournament victories. Further proof that FJ is the #1 shoe and glove wherever the best players in the world compete.

At the Ricoh Women's British Open, Yani Tseng (Women's DryJoys, Women's StaSof) of Taiwan made a 6-foot putt on the 18th hole Sunday to win by one stroke over Katherine Hull (Contour Series style #54158) of Australia.

It was the 21-year-old Tseng's third major title and second of the year to go along with the Kraft Nabisco. She has four LPGA victories overall, having won 2008 LPGA Championship and 2009 Corning Classic.

Hull came into the round trailing by four strokes but trailed by just one heading into the 18th. But she missed a 20-foot birdie attempt and had to settle for a 70, and Tseng made her par putt to shoot 73 and total 11-under 277 at Royal Birkdale.

"I was nervous and tired with all the pressure and attention out there today," Tseng said. "Katherine played really well and put me under a lot of pressure. It was the toughest win I've had to date. I usually come from behind to win. I've never won from the front before."

------------------------

Meanwhile, two FJ ambassadors battled it out in Ireland where Ross Fisher (FJ ICON style #52005, Pure Touch Limited glove) defeated local favorite Padraig Harrington (SYNR-G style #53918, Pure Touch Limited) to win the Irish Open by two strokes.

Fisher led by one to start the day and fired a final round 6-under 65 for an 18-under 266 total and his fourth career victory. Harrington was persistent throughout the day and tied Fisher for the lead on three occasions en route to a 7-under 64. One of those ties occurred on the par-5 15th hole where Harrington knocked in a 10-footer for eagle only to see Fisher respond with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th to take the lead for the final time.

"I have come close to winning in Ireland a couple of times in the past," Fisher said. "And to get the victory done in front of record crowds and to beat Paddy, who was obviously fighting all the way, is something I will definitely treasure for a long time."

Johnson Wins on Home Turf with Dramatic Birdie

Chris Garrett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:43:00 GMT

Richard Johnson (FJ ICON) of Sweden won the Scandinavian Masters on Sunday, holing a 30-foot birdie putt at the last hole to shoot a 1-under 71 for a one shot victory.

Johnson, who held the joint overnight lead with South Korea's K.J. Choi (FJ ICON), finished with a total of 11-under 277 at Stockholm's Bro Hof Slott for his second European Tour title. He is only the second home winner of the tournament in the last 12 years.

"This is a huge tournament to win for a Swede," Johnson said. "I'm speechless right now, it's epic."

British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (FJ ICON, SciFlex) was tied for fourth place. He was bidding to become the first player to follow a British Open victory with a European Tour win a week later.

"It was a great week, I had lots of fun, the crowd was unbelievable," Oosthuizen said Sunday.

Oopen and Shut Case for Oosthuizen

Chris Garrett — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:47:00 GMT

Louis Oosthuizen made only two bogeys over the final 35 holes and finished at 16-under to win his first major championship Sunday on the Old Course at St. Andrews. The 27-year-old Oosthuizen, who trusted FJ ICON golf shoes, style #52005, and a SciFlex glove, closed with a final round 1-under 71 to win The Open Championship by a remarkable seven shots over fellow FJ player, Lee Westwood (FJ golf shoes, Pure Touch Limited glove).

It was revealed during the final round that Oosthuizen marks his SciFlex glove with a red dot so when he looks down before each shot, he is reminded to focus on the shot at hand and dispel all distractions, something that served him well en route to the biggest victory of his career.

“It’s a good thing to just think about the golf on the golf course,” said Oosthuizen, explaining the Red Dot during his post-match interview. He’d gotten advice about how to do that, and he wanted a reminder.

“I needed, like, a trigger just to get back in the moment… and whenever I look at it I know…just to compose myself, focus on this shot, forget about everything around you.”

Oosthuizen went 24 consecutive holes without a bogey until his streak ended on the par-3 eighth hole by missing a 6-foot par putt. That trimmed his lead to three, the closest anyone would get during the final round. His playing partner hit driver onto the par-4 ninth green and Oosthuizen answered by doing the same. When he holed his 50-foot eagle putt, his lead was back to four shots, same as when he started.

Oosthuizen spent the final hour with a big grin on his face, although he started out that way, too. He put his arm around caddie Zack Rasego after hitting off the 18th tee and walking over the Swilcan Bridge, thousands of fans packed into the grandstands, along the road and peering out the shop windows.

The biggest smile came on the 18th green, with a hug for Rasego, and an embrace with wife Nel-Mare and 7-month-old daughter Jana. It will be years before the child can appreciate the magnitude of this moment.

"I will say, 'That's the day Daddy makes us the proudest,'" his wife said. "And we'll never forget it."

In 2010, When FJ Wins, You Win. Enter here for your chance to win FJ ICON golf shoes and a SciFlex glove, just like Louis Ossthuizen wore en route to victory Sunday.

Weather Already the Story at St. Andrews

Chris Garrett — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:16:00 GMT

Well, this is how it's supposed to be, isn't it? Winds gusting to 25 m.p.h., pelting rain and temperatures struggling to stay in the 50's. Just another summer day at the Old Course in St. Andrews. While some players ventured out on Wednesday, including Luke Donald (pictured) and first-timer Jason Bohn, others opted to stay warm and dry and hope for better conditions on Thursday. Here's a full recap of the day from Jim McCabe at Golfweek and another from Ryan Herrington at Golfworld/Golf Digest.

Also, HookedonGolfBlog offers a very insightful hole-by-hole tour of the Old Course by a caddie at the course including what to expect from the pros this week.

For instant updates from the grounds, make sure you follow FJ on Twitter where our European colleagues will be filing regular updates.

Has anyone ever played in conditions like this? If so, let us know what changes you had to make in clothing, equipment and your overall strategy by clicking on COMMENTS.

Stricker Edges Goydos, Strong FJ Field, to Defend John Deere Title

Chris Garrett — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:23:00 GMT

FootJoy ambassador Steve Stricker closed with a final round 1-under 70 to narrowly defend his title at the John Deere Classic. Stricker, who wore custom DryJoys through the MyJoys program and a Pure Touch Limited glove, saw his six shot overnight lead wilt to just two but was able to hold on and defeat fellow FJ player Paul Goydos (FJ ICON style #52062, SciFlex). Inclusive of Stricker and Goydos, 13 of the top 14 players on the leaderboard trusted FJ.

Playing without the same razor sharp precision that had allowed him to record the lowest 54--hole total in PGA Tour history, Stricker played safe most of the day. However, he came through with a clutch birdie after driving into the trees on No. 17 and finished with a 26-under 258 total - a new record for the tournament.

“You don’t want to give shots away and then you end up playing a little safer than you normally do and it leads to tougher birdie putts,” Stricker said. “Then they creep in closer because they were playing some good golf.”

Goydos, who dazzled the golf world with his 59 in the opening round, shot a solid 66 but still fell short of dethroning Stricker, who won for the ninth time in his career. Both players boarded a plane Sunday night for Scotland and will compete in the Open Championship at St. Andrews this week.

“Strick was hard to catch,” Goydos said. “I tried and kept pushing and chipping and grinding and biting at him and doing what I could. But in the end, the putt he made on 17 was a world-class putt. That’s what top five players do, that’s what Ryder Cup players do.”

Paul Goydos Fires 59 with FootJoy

Chris Garrett — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:16:00 GMT

Paul Goydos (FJ ICON black smooth calfskin bicycle toe, SciFlex glove) became just the fourth person to fire a 59 on the PGA Tour when he scorched TPC Deere Run yesterday during the first round of the John Deere Classic. Goydos birdied every hole on the back nine except for No. 15, where he holed a six-foot par putt to keep a sub-60 in sight. He finished off with three birdies, the last one from seven feet to join the most exclusive club in golf. You can read all about the round on pgatour.com or hear about it from Goydos himself in the video below (click here if video does not appear). One of the most amazing aspects of the day yesterday, in addition to Goydos' feat, is that it was nearly matched by the man who previously help the course record, Steve Stricker (Custom all-white DryJoys MyJoys, Pure Touch Limited glove). Needing an eagle at the last to reach 59, Stricker's approach appeared headed for the cup but curled around at the last second, leaving him a 2-footer for birdie and a first round 11-under 60. With a morning tee time on Friday, Stricker will have first crack at a repeat performance and also the opportunity to set the tone heading into the weekend. Stay tuned, this could get pretty wild!

Behind the Scenes of the 2010-2011 Catalog

Chris Garrett — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:01:00 GMT

Now that our 2010-2011 Catalog is arriving in shops around the country, we thought we would share some of the footage that was captured during our photo shoots in Naples and Miami. Our location in Naples was the exclusive and impeccable Naples National Golf Club, a location we've used for previous photo and television shoots. As you'll see in the video, this club is spectacular and a perfect location to snap some product photos with models we hired through open casting calls. We conducted our Tour player photo shoot at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami during the CA Championship and, just like Naples, this facility is tough to beat. The atmosphere here is even more electric thanks to the presence of some of the world's best golfers like Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington.

Click on the video below to learn more about the history of the FJ catalog, to meet some of the people who help put it together and to see the surprising behind the scenes for one particular photo in this year's book!

2010 - 2011 FJ Catalog Preview: Performance Outerwear

Mike Lowe — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:39:00 GMT

Continuing on with our peek at the new 2010 - 2011 FJ catalog, here's a look at the new performance outerwear line. Pay close attention to the new concept of the FJ Layering System. This was developed to meet the specific needs of golfers who desire clothing that regulates body temperature and adapts to changing weather conditions. The new products feature thinner, stretchable, breathable materials that allow for full range of motion throughout the golf swing. Make every day playable.

Cristie Kerr Wins LPGA Championship, Ascends to #1 Ranking

Chris Garrett — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:59:00 GMT

Cristie Kerr (Women's MyJoys) closed with a 6-under 66 Sunday to win the LPGA Championship in dominating fashion. Kerr led the first major championship of the season wire-to-wire and broke the tournament record for margin of victory, pulling away from the field by 12 strokes. It is her second career major championship and should be enough to ensure Kerr ascends to the #1 world ranking.

“It feels awesome. There are no other words,” Kerr said Sunday. “I’ve always wanted to be the No. 1 player in the world. … I’m there now, but I have to prove that I deserve to be there. So there is still a lot of work ahead.”

Kerr began the final round with an eight-stroke lead on a humid, overcast day. She opened with six straight pars before birdieing three of her next four holes. She began celebrating while walking up the 18th fairway, having stuck her approach shot within 5 feet.

This was Kerr’s 14th win in 14 years on the tour. It’s also her second victory – and fourth top-three finish – this season after winning the State Farm Classic two weeks ago.

“I’m a pretty emotional person, and to be able to kind of harness that in a way, and channel it to playing well is amazing,” Kerr said. “I didn’t limit myself. I wanted to see how far I could take it. And I took it pretty far…I don’t think I could’ve played better.”

What a Win for Watson!

Chris Garrett — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:43:00 GMT

Bubba Watson (FJ golf shoes, SPIDR2 glove) rallied from six strokes behind to beat fellow FJ player Scott Verplank (FJ ReelFit golf shoes) on the second playoff hole to earn his first PGA TOUR victory Sunday at the Travelers Championship. Watson's win was the first Tour win for the new SPIDR2 glove.

After sinking a 3-footer for par on the par-3 16th to win it, Watson hugged his wife, Angie, and began crying. He said he was so nervous, he could not feel his arms on the final putt.

"For me to get into a playoff after shooting 4 under was unreal, and to somehow make that par putt to win was unreal," said Watson, who had the largest comeback on the TOUR since Padraig Harrington also came from six back to win the 2007 British Open.

Verplank left his tee shot short of the green on the second playoff hole and missed an 8-foot par putt. Watson, who had a 48-footer for birdie, was able to steady his nerves enough to get it close.

Watson almost won on the first playoff hole, hitting a sand wedge on his approach within an inch of the cup from 128-yards out.

Explore SPIDR2 .:

Happy Father's Day from FootJoy

Michael Lowe — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:07:00 GMT

With Father's Day coming up on Sunday, we thought it was timely to "repost" this video from last year. We asked several of our Tour players last year what life lessons they learned from their father through the game of golf.

Click on the image below to hear their responses.