Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Nike Dominance on Tour

Good Day,
Not sure if anyone has noticed the dominance of the Nike brand on the PGA Tour in 2008. It seems like every week, there are 2 or 3 Nike sponsored players in the Top 5 on the weekend. My friend and I chat about the volume of players using other products, whether it is Titleist, Callaway, Cobra, etc. but at the end of the day, there is Nike on and near the top of the leaderboard. Let's take a look at the 2008 schedule so far (20 events): 6 wins (30% of the events), 11 times in the top 5 (55% of the tour events), 4 times with multiple players in the top 5 and oh, by the way, 1-2-3 @ the Masters!
Of course, Tiger gets the "tiger" share of the headlines but the rest of the pack more than carries their fair weight - Trevor I, Justin L, Stewart C, KJ Choi, Chad C, Stephen A and Anthony K (the winner @ Wachovia). As we approach the Players Championship and with Tiger on the mend, it would only seem fitting that another Nike player step up and contend. Look for Chad Campbell and Justin Leonard to make solid showings at this difficult challenge for the top players in the world. Without intervention from Mother Nature, the fairways should be fast and the rough a bit down due to the cool weather, length will not be as much an issue. The TX connection will be able to work the ball in the breeze and give Nike a chance for their 4th winner in '08.

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