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Kim and Charl Schwartzel take recent wins and solid play to Augusta
TORONTO (April 7, 2010)--Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim lead 11 Nike Golf athletes into the Masters for the year's first major championship.
Woods is making his first tournament start of 2010 season at Augusta National where he has won four green jackets. Woods is seeking to win his 15th major championship.
He told a media conference Monday that the fans were "incredible" in their support during a morning practice round at Augusta National.
"I was surprised at how much people have supported me," he said. "A lot has happened in my life over the past five months, and I'm here at the Masters to play and compete. I hope that I can get my feel back fairly quickly... I'm going to try to go out and win this thing."
Along with the Woods' return to competition, Nike Golf athletes are also buoyed by four victories globally in 2010 including Anthony Kim's in the Shell Houston Open and Charl Schwartzel's two victories in Europe. (Nike Golf's Pablo Martin won the Alfred Dunhill Championship on the European Tour earlier this year.)
Along with Woods and Kim, the 11-man Nike Golf contingent at Augusta National this week includes Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard, Lucas Glover, David Duval, Paul Casey, Francesco Molinari and Craig Stadler.
Kim heads down Augusta's Magnolia Lane riding four consecutive top 25 finishes, including the victory in Houston on the first hole of a playoff. It was his third win on PGA Tour.
The victory was his first since 2008 when he won twice and finished sixth on the money list. In 2009, he suffered injuries and finished 39th on the money list. After re-committing himself to developing his swing and his mental approach, Kim heads to Augusta with confidence.
"I've put in a lot of hard work, so I feel like when I'm out there, I know I'm going to do well. Having that confidence has propelled my game, I feel like, to a different level," said Kim, who is now No. 4 in earnings on the PGA Tour with US$1.83 million.
Schwartzel heads to the Masters as one of the hottest players on the planet, finishing T3 in Houston and second in the PGA Tour's WGC-CA Championship. Earlier this season, Schwartzel won twice on the European PGA Tour where he is No. 1 on the Order of Merit with £1.24 million in earnings. He earned his first invitation to the Masters with his strong play in 2010 which has boosted him to 23rd in the world rankings.
Casey snags four top 10s in four events Casey has also had a great start in 2010, enjoying four top 10s in four events. He was second in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, T4 at the Honda, T6 at the WGC-CA Championship, and T10 at SBS Championship. Casey won three times in 2009.
Stewart Cink, winner of the 2009 Open Championship, heads into the Masters with two top 10s this season. With 14 Nike Golf Clubs in his bag, Cink continues to rely on the Nike METHOD putter that helped him win his first major championship last season, his fourth PGA Tour title overall.
Lucas Glover heads to the Masters as the current U.S. Open champion, his first PGA Tour victory, which he won with a METHOD putter. Glover was the first to win a major with a square-headed driver, and he is still smashing drives with his Sumo2 Tour.
Trevor Immelman is continuing his comeback after a disappointing 2009 during which was hampered by a wrist injury. The 2008 Masters champion has made three of four cuts in 2010. Immelman plays the VR STR8-FIT Tour driver; he was the first player to win a major championship with an adjustable driver in 2008.
Justin Leonard is always a threat at the majors and is enjoying his SQ MACHSPEED STR8-FIT driver, which gives him a combination of distance and playability. Leonard has won 12 PGA Tour events, including the 1997 Open Championship and the 1998 PLAYERS Championship.
Francesco Molinari of Italy, currently No. 26 on the European Tour Order of Merit, made the cut in the three majors he played in 2009; the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship, where he finished 10th. He teamed with his brother Edoardo to win the 2009 World Cup and finished 38th in the world rankings to qualify for the Masters. After last year's thrilling T2 in the U.S. Open, David Duval continues to impress. The winner of the 2001 Open Championship and former World No. 1 finished second at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Open this season and currently sits 44th on the money list.
Finally, there`s the wily vet, Craig Stadler, who won the green jacket back in 1982 and is playing in his 32st Masters. |
