FootJoy Ambassadors Make Their Mark Around the Globe

FootJoy Press Release

FootJoy celebrated yet another triumphant weekend on golf’s main professional tours, as brand loyalists John Merrick, Darren Fichardt and Jiyai Shin all excelled under the pressure to secure an impressive triple win weekend for the market-leading brand. At the Africa Open, 37 year-old Fichardt was in stunning form at the East London Golf Club, sealing a fourth European Tour title and first on home-soil. On the other side of the Atlantic, at the Riviera Country Club, Merrick remained calm under the pressure to claim his maiden PGA Tour title at the Northern Trust Open after a two-hole playoff. Down under in Canberra, 24-year-old South Korean Jiyai Shin out duelled fellow competitors to hoist aloft the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open trophy.

Beginning the final-round tied at the top of the leaderboard at the Africa Open, Fichardt produced some magnificent golf on the front nine, including an eagle on the 3rd hole, to pull four-shots clear of the chasing pack. Relying on the athletic performance of FJ Sport™ shoes and the unrivalled fit and grip of the StaSof® glove, the experienced South African never looked back as he eventually holed out on the final green for a 16 under-par total and a two shot victory over fellow brand ambassador, Grégory Bourdy. The win marks the fourth win of Fichardt’s career and the winner’s cheque for €234,544 vaults him up to13th in The Race to Dubai rankings.

On the PGA Tour, FootJoy enjoyed further success as brand ambassador and local favourite, John Merrick claimed an emotional maiden victory at the Northern Trust Open following a two-hole playoff with fellow FJ loyalist, Charlie Beljan. Trusting the ultimate comfort and style of the FJ ICON™ shoes and the superior grip of the iconic FJ StaSof® glove, Merrick, a UCLA graduate who played Riviera plenty of times in college, remained calm under the most intense pressure to walk away with the $1,888,000 winner’s cheque. In doing so he moves up to 4th position in the season-long FedEx Cup standings.

In Australia, World #8 Jiyai Shin was once again in magnificent form as she led from start-to-finish to secure the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open title at Royal Canberra Golf Club.  Striding the fairways in her customised Women’s DryJoys® MyJoys and using the FJ StaSof glove, the 24 year-old began her week with opening rounds of 65 and 67 to take a firm grip on proceedings. A solid final round of 72 ensured a four-round total of 18 under-par for a two-shot victory over a strong chasing pack.

In addition to the stellar victories this weekend on all three tours, the usage counts on both the European and the PGA Tour continued to highlight FootJoy’s position as the #1 shoe and glove in golf around the world. At the Africa Open a staggering 80% of the field put their trust in the brand’s all-encompassing range of golf shoes.  At Riviera Country Club 58% of the competitors chose to compete in the outstanding performance and comfort of FJ golf shoes and an equally impressive 40% in the fit and performance of FJ gloves.

“Firstly I would like to congratulate Darren, John and Jiyai on their respective victories, in what has been a tremendous weekend for the FootJoy brand around the world,” commented Russell Lawes, European Marketing Manager, FootJoy. “To have three winners, trusting three different FJ golf shoe models is particularly pleasing and clearly demonstrates the outstanding performance capabilities right throughout the 2013 FJ range. As we move into the World Golf Championships and Major Championships I am confident that our stable of brand ambassadors will continue to deliver at the highest echelons of the game.”