BEAVERTON, Ore. - Since switching to the Nike One Platinum ball, Nike Tour Staff member Chris Couch has seen two wins out of three starts on the Nationwide Tour. In fact, last week he won his second title and fifth of his career at the LaSalle Bank Open in Glenview, Illinois, to become the hottest player on the Nationwide Tour and gain fast momentum towards his goal of playing full-time on the PGA Tour in 2006.

His win brings the Nike Tour Staff victories to nine in 2005, with two produced by him on the Nationwide Tour, five generated on the PGA Tour, thanks to Tiger Woods (3) and Justin Leonard (2) and two wins gained internationally by K.J. Choi (1) and Paul Casey (1).

Couch's victory at the LaSalle Bank Open, which has the largest purse in 2005, catapulted him to number one on the 2005 money list as well as first on the all-time Nationwide Tour money list with $923,765 in earnings.

With the help of his Nike Golf equipment and the Nike One Platinum ball, Couch recorded all four rounds in the 60's on the par-72 Glen Club Course to clinch a four-stroke victory. He performed with remarkable accurate iron play with his Nike Pro-Combo OS irons as evidenced by his ranking of second in greens in regulation with a rating of 80.6 percent. He also led the field in birdies with 21.

He was able to maintain his position in the top 10 for driving distance as he averaged 314.8 yards with his Nike Ignite 460cc driver. Finishing out the arsenal in his bag is an Ignite T60
3-wood, 54-degree and 60-degree SV Wedges.

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Contact:
Beth Gast - Nike Golf
(503) 532-8852
Beth.Gast@nike.com