Adidas Golf Tour Staff Professional Martin Laird Goes Low and Wins
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Playing adidas Golf TOUR360 4.0 with Advanced THiNTech
It’s a super-stressful time of year for those PGA Tour pros battling to finish inside the top 125 on the money list to avoid losing their playing privileges. TaylorMade Tour Staff pro Martin Laird ranked 125th - squarely on the bubble - when he arrived in Las Vegas last week for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He responded to the pressure by winning, for which he earned a two-year PGA Tour exemption as well as a spot in the field next month’s World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions event.
Using a full complement of TaylorMade golf equipment, including a Burner 09 driver and Rossa Corza putter, Laird sank an 11-foot birdie on the third playoff hole to secure victory, which was his first on the PGA Tour in 53 starts. Besides playing TaylorMade equipment, Laird wore adidas Golf’s new TOUR360 4.0 footwear, which was officially launched to the PGA Tour and to consumers last week in Las Vegas.
“The launch of our new technical flagship - TOUR360 4.0 - signals the beginning of a new era in golf shoe performance - not just for tour athletes but for all golfers who expect more from their footwear,” said Dave Ortley, Senior Director of Global Footwear. “Six of eight adidas Golf athletes at The President’s Cup and sixteen of nineteen (including Laird) in Vegas chose to switch to the new shoe straight out of the box, the week they received them. This shift speaks volumes about TOUR360 4.0; the first shoe we’ve released with our breakthrough innovation for 2010, advanced THiNTech low-profile technology.”
Laird’s victory earned him a crucial two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a coveted final spot in the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions event in November. “I feel I have the best equipment and apparel in golf. I especially love my new TOUR360 4.0 golf shoes. I felt lower to the ground this week allowing me to go low and win in Las Vegas”, Laird said.
Designed for the avid golfer who seeks every competitive advantage, the TOUR360 4.0 combines next-generation innovations with tour-proven technologies built around delivering more stability and more consistent ball-striking. Understanding that stability, balance and footwork improve the closer you are to the ground, the adidas Golf footwear team worked closely with professional athletes around the world across all sports categories and created a revolutionary system 32% lower than conventional cleat systems.
“For many of the world’s best players, switching their shoe is as difficult as putting a new putter in the bag,” Ortley said. “They wear these shoes all day - every day, walking up to 40 miles and hitting thousands of balls each week. To see our athletes respond so positively to the new technology is validation that the direction adidas Golf Footwear has been heading with THiNTech is the right one. The TOUR360 4.0 is first, but our entire range of footwear products is set to feature this exclusive new technology in 2010.”
In Laird’s winning bag:
adidas Golf footwear: TOUR360 4.0
adidas Golf apparel: adidas Golf
TaylorMade BurnerTM 10.5° driver
TaylorMade Tour Burner 17.5°
TaylorMade Tour Burner 19°
TaylorMade Tour PreferredTM(3-PW)
TaylorMade Rossa Corza® Long Putter
Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (866) 530-TMAG (8624) or www.taylormadegolf.com, www.adidasgolf.com, and www.ashworthgolf.com.
