Defending champion Tiger Woods among 14 Nike Golf
athletes heading into U.S. Open
Calgary's Stephen Ames one of six international
Nike Golf players
TORONTO (June 17, 2009)—With memories still vivid
of his storybook victory last year, defending champion Tiger Woods
is among 14 Nike Golf athletes preparing to duel this week with
Bethpage Black in the 103rd U.S. Open.
Woods' victory last
year was one for the ages when he birdied the final hole in
regulation and then won a 19-hole playoff despite incredible pain
from a double fracture in his left leg. Woods, who also won the Open
in 2002 at Bethpage, immediately underwent knee surgery that ended
his 2008 season.
Since returning to the tour
in March, Woods has steadily regained his form in winning the Arnold
Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament, both by
dramatically coming from behind. After switching from a 9.5-degree
to a 10.5-degree loft in his Nike SQ DYMO driver, Woods hit 49 out
of 56 fairways at Memorial. This bodes well for Woods at Bethpage
Black which is 7,426 yards—the
longest course in U.S. Open history.
With Victory Red
irons and new ONE Tour ball, Paul Casey, 31, broke through this
spring with his first PGA Tour victory in the Shell Houston Open,
which followed his victory in January in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on the
European Tour for a second time. Casey finished second in the World Golf Championships- Accenture Match Play Championship. The Englishman is
currently third in the world rankings and the leader on the European
Tour.
Casey, who is playing in his seventh U.S.
Open, has had stunning success with 14
Nike clubs in his bag, including a Pro Combo 3-iron, 4- and 5-iron
from the Victory Red Forged Split Cavity line and 6-PW from the VR
Forged TW Blades line. He's also been brilliant with a Nike Tour
prototype putter, finishing T2 in putting in Houston.
Along with Casey, Woods and Ames, the 14-man Nike
Golf contingent at Bethpage Black this week includes: Justin
Leonard, Anthony Kim, Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, K.J. Choi,
Carl Pettersson, Bo Van Pelt, David Duval, Simon Dyson, Francesco Molinari, and Charl Schwartzel.
Justin Leonard is playing in his 15th U.S. Open. His best finish was
a T12 last time the event was held at Bethpage. Leonard is
always a threat at the majors; in 2008, the Texan was T16 at the
Open Championship and T20 at The Masters. In 2008, the 37-year-old
won the Stanford St. Jude Championship and had three other top 10s;
Leonard has already surpassed that in 2009 with four top 10s.
After finishing fourth in the Fed Ex Cup in 2008
with a pair of wins, Anthony Kim has a T2 at the
Mercedes-Benz Championship so far this season. The charismatic
23-year-old is playing in his third U.S. Open. He won twice in his
sophomore season and captured six additional top 10s last year. A
long hitter who averages 298.2 yards off the tee has the game to win
at Bethpage.
In 2008, Stewart Cink had a breakthrough
year with a win at the Travelers Championship, two runner-ups and a
berth on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team. He also had eight other
top-10 finishes. This year, his best finish is third at the World
Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship; he also
finished T8 at the Memorial. The
graduated rough at Bethpage Black should lend itself well to Cink's
game as a crafty shot-maker.
Lucas Glover returns to the venue where he competed in his first U.S. Open. While
he has missed the cut in his three previous Open appearances, the
29-year-old is having a solid season with two top-five finishes,
including a T2 at the Quail Hollow Championship.
K.J. Choi, the
38-year-old South Korean, won the 2008 Sony Open for his seventh
career PGA Tour victory. Choi is arguably among the top players who
have not won a major. This week, he's playing in his ninth U.S. Open
with his best finish a T15 in 2005 when the tournament was held at
Pinehurst.
Canada's Stephen Ames, 45, has three
top-20s this season; his best finish is a T5 at the Bob Hope
Classic. Playing in his eighth U.S. Open, Ames's best finish is a T9
in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills. Lately, he has been working on his
putting and short game with Nike Golf's Sean Foley to sharpen his
tempo and focus.
The 31-year-old Swede Carl Pettersson has
won three times on the PGA Tour, the 2005 Chrysler Championship, the
2006 Memorial and the Wyndham Championship last season. In 2009, he
has two Top 25s. Pettersson is playing in his fifth U.S. Open; his
best finish is a T6 in 2008.
With three top
10s on the European Tour this year, Englishman Simon Dyson,
31, is looking for a strong performance in only his second U.S. Open
appearance.
Italian Francesco Molinari—the younger
brother of 2005 U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari—is making his U.S. Open debut. The 26-year-old enjoyed his best
season on the European Tour in 2008 when he posted a second, third
and fourth to place No. 22 on the Order of Merit.
Charl
Schwartzel rounds out the Europeans; the
24-year-old from South Africa, has two top 10 s on the European Tour
this year.
Bo Van Pelt is playing in his third U.S. Open. The 34-year-old American has two Top 10s this year, including a T5 at the Bob Hope Classic.
David Duval has 13
career victories, including the 2001 British Open. The 37-year-old
is playing in his 15th U.S. Open; his best finish is T7,
which he has done twice (1998 and 1999).
Located in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike Golf
designs and markets golf equipment, apparel, balls, footwear, bags
and accessories worldwide. Nike Golf is passionately dedicated to
honouring and respecting the traditions and heritage of the game,
and to providing committed golfers with the absolute best equipment
in the game.
In 2008, Nike Golf had 11 PGA Tour wins
and eight international victories. For the last two years, Nike Golf
has led the PGA Tour in driver, fairway woods and iron wins.
For
more information on Nike Golf, visit our Web site at www.nikegolf.ca. Editors seeking editorial
information and downloadable images, visit www.nikegolf.com/presscenter.
For information on Nike Golf
Canada, please contact:
For
information on Nike Golf Canada, please contact:
Vitalis
Gomes
Nike Golf
Canada
905.771.2058
vitalis.gomes@nike.com
Tim
O'Connor
O'Connor
Golf Communications
519.341.4778
tim@oconnorgolf.ca
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