Nike Golf Celebrates First Anniversary with Clubs

Tiger Woods captured his second win of the young 2003 PGA season and his first WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday, as Nike Golf celebrated its first full year in the golf club business.

Nike Golf introduced its first clubs, the Forged Titanium Driver and Forged Blade Irons in March '02. Since then Nike Golf has expanded its line of drivers (275cc, 350cc, 400cc and 450cc); added a second set of performance irons (Forged Pro Combo), T-40 Fairway Woods, and more than a dozen Forged Wedges; and will soon add its first putters - while thousands of golfers, including dozens of Tour professionals, like Woods, have added the distance and forgiveness of Nike Golf's clubs to their bags. Woods, playing the Forged Titanium Driver, Forged Blade Irons and Tour Accuracy TW golf ball, bested the field of 64 to earn his second victory in just three starts this year. The win is: Woods' 19th since switching to the Tour Accuracy TW from Nike Golf; Woods' seventh since putting the Nike Forged Titanium Driver in play early in 2002; Woods' third win in eight starts, all top ten, since adding Nike's Forged Blade Irons to his bag in September '02.

At the post-tournament press conference, Woods said that he is playing even better than last year - a year which included two Major victories, five tournament wins in total and his fourth consecutive Player of the Year honor - due to pain-free play since off-season knee surgery and his ability to hit more shots. Woods has started his fourth season with the Tour Accuracy TW golf ball in fine fashion - it's the same ball he has used to capture his last six Majors. While Nike Golf's growing Tour Staff as primarily switched to Nike Golf's new TA2 golf ball, Woods continues to play the ball Nike Golf designed with Woods' specs in mind. The Tour Accuracy TW now has a new, more-durable cover in 2003, the same cover that debuted on the Tour Accuracy 2 last month.

March 2, 2003