BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Nike Golf's Ignite Driver keeps getting hotter. Globally.

Adding to its successful 2005 season on the PGA Tour, having won a combined five events and producing 20 top-10 finishes by the Nike Tour Staff, the Nike Ignite had a stunning victory in the United Kingdom (UK) by being named the "Ultimate Driver" by Golf World (UK) magazine, one of the leading monthly golf magazines in the UK.

This month's edition of Golf World (UK), confirmed what Nike Golf has been saying all along, that the Ignite really is the ultimate driver, which allows for greater distance while maximizing forgiveness. The winner was determined by the world's most consistent golfer gripping the shafts of the market's leading drivers to determine which had the greatest distance and which was the most forgiving - a golfer, incidentally, who just happens to be a robot.

Golf World (UK) selected a total of 21 of the industry's best selling drivers and put them head to head in an independent test. The test was held at T&K Golf research, an entirely unbiased company and the first of its kind in Europe. Swinging the clubs was a state-of-the-art robot, which can be minutely programmed to ensure that all the results are entirely accurate.

Up against a number of new models released, the robot tested for distance and forgiveness and also created a human test in a bid to discern the ultimate driver on the market. The Ignite came in outright first place.

To measure the distance, the robot was programmed to imitate the swing of an average player, using a swing speed of 90mph, with all the clubs bearing the same specs to ensure absolute accuracy. A total of 10 swings were tested with the ball teed at exactly the same height for every hit with each of the clubs. A second test examined the forgiveness of the club by hitting ten shots from three different impact areas of the club. The balls were hit from two points outside of the clubs sweetspot, one within and imitated three different types of swing - straight, slice and hook.

Finally, the clubs were put in the hands of ten human testers in a bid to ascertain the ultimate driver in every capacity. The testers ranged in ability with handicaps from scratch to 28 and took ten test shots with each driver using the same ball as their robot counterpart. They then rated each club on a scale of 1-5 for looks, performance, forgiveness, sound & feel and price & desirability. The test was undertaken at Woburn Golf Club on a bright, sunny day with little or no wind.

Once all the results were amassed, the Ignite took first place and beat all of the competition to be voted Golf World's Ultimate Driver of 2005.

"The Ignite won by claiming two second place finishes at the hands of the robot in the longest driver test (averaging 229.76 yards) and straightest driver test," said Golf World's (UK) Carly Cummins. "All that was left was for the Ignite to shine in the hands of real golfers, and they loved it."

Nike Golf's Tour Staff members Tiger Woods, Paul Casey, Nick Faldo, Trevor Immelman, K.J. Choi, Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink, Stephen Ames and Rory Sabbatini will be "Igniting the British Open" with the "Ultimate Driver" in each of their bags.

Woods, the number one player in the world says about the Ignite, "I'm confident and comfortable with it. It's given me unequalled control and workability."

The club in the hands of the testers - mechanical and human - was the 460cc Ignite Driver and has a suggested retail price of $469. The Ultimate Driver test article can be seen in the August issue of Golf World (UK) and excerpts are available at www.nikegolf.com/europe.

Located in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike Golf designs and markets golf equipment, apparel, balls, footwear, bags and accessories worldwide. Nike Golf is passionately dedicated to honoring and respecting the traditions and heritage of the game, and to providing committed golfers with the absolute best equipment in the game. In 2005, Nike Golf's Tour Staff have accumulated five PGA Tour victories and 21 top-10 finishes. LPGA player Grace Park has recorded two top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour so far.
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