PING Expands Tour Staff

Four of golf’s most decorated young stars have turned pro and signed agreements to play PING equipment, PING Chairman & CEO John A. Solheim announced today.

Signing endorsement deals were Tom Lewis, who was low amateur in the 2011 Open Championship; Harris English, winner of a Nationwide Tour event this summer; Scott Langley, the 2010 NCAA champion; and Andy Sullivan, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world.

“These players have chosen to play PING equipment for years, so it’s been both exciting and rewarding to watch them develop through our college and amateur systems and become stars,” Solheim said. “Their accomplishments are amazing and they’ve already shown they can compete with the best players in the world. From a larger view, as a company we’re proud to be associated with such fine men who will represent the PING brand in the best possible way. It’s going to be fun following their progress in the years ahead.”

As part of the multi-year agreements, each golfer will wear a PING hat, carry a PING staff bag and play a minimum of 11 PING clubs, including a PING driver and PING putter. Financial terms and the length of the agreements were not disclosed.

Lewis, 20, won the silver medal as low amateur at this year’s Open Championship, where he opened with a record 5-under 65 to share the first-round lead. He also played for the victorious Great Britain and Ireland team in the recent Walker Cup using a G20 driver and 3-wood, S56 irons, Tour-S wedges, and a Scottsdale Wolverine H putter.

English became only the third amateur to win on the Nationwide Tour with a victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational in July, one day after his 22nd birthday. The previous week, he won the Southern Amateur. He had four wins as a University of Georgia Bulldog.

English, who competed on the U.S. Walker Cup team, plays a G15 driver, G20 3-wood, S56 irons, Tour-S Rustique wedges, and a Scottsdale Hohum putter. He will also wear PING Apparel.

Langley, 22, is a decorated University of Illinois grad who won the NCAA individual title last year, when he was also low amateur at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He had four collegiate wins. Langley employs a G20 driver, i15 3-wood, i15 hybrid, S56 irons, Tour-S wedges, and a Redwood D66 putter.

Sullivan, 24, contributed to Great Britain and Ireland’s recent Walker Cup win, and earlier this year won the Scottish Open Amateur. His many prestigious amateur titles include this year’s Hampshire Salver, where he fired a 9-under 60 in the opening round. In his bag: a G20 driver and 3-wood, an i15 hybrid, S56 irons, Tour-S wedges, and a Karsten Anser 2 putter.

Chance Cozby, Director of Tournament Player Relations at PING, said the signings are a credit to a scouting system that breeds loyalty and success. “Our team targeted these four young men early in their careers based on their potential and a certain character that PING seeks out in all staff players,” Cozby said. “Each has achieved great things as an amateur and remained loyal to the PING brand in a very competitive environment. Now we get the honor of officially welcoming them to the PING Worldwide Tour Staff.”