Tiger Woods Signs Multi-year Deal with Bridgestone Golf
Former No. 1 in World Golf Rankings Tiger Woods To Play Bridgestone Tour B330-S Golf Ball - Image Courtesy Bridgestone Golf
COVINGTON, Ga. (December 15, 2016) – Bridgestone Golf, a leading manufacturer of premium golf balls, clubs and accessories – announced that it has signed Tiger Woods to a multi-year agreement to exclusively play and promote its high-performance golf balls. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Woods, whose decorated career includes a record run of 683 weeks as the top-ranked golfer in the world, selected the Bridgestone Tour B330-S ball after thoroughly testing it against competing models from all major brands.
Through his personal research, Woods determined the Bridgestone ball provided superior distance and accuracy off the tee for him, as well as optimal spin on shots into and around the green. “Finding the right golf ball is extremely important. It’s an essential part of my equipment, and the Bridgestone B330-S ball is hands-down the best for my game,” said Woods.
“Controlling launch and trajectory is critical, and with this ball I feel I have total control to hit all shots accurately. I’m not just here to play – I’m here to win, and the innovative breakthroughs of the Bridgestone B330-S ball can help me do that.”
Bridgestone becomes the first new equipment company that Woods has endorsed since he turned pro 20 years ago. He signed with Titleist (equipment) and Nike (footwear and clothing) in 1996, and his switch to all Nike equipment began with its golf ball in May 2000.
Woods had been testing equipment the last few months after Nike said it was getting out of the hard goods golf business. He used the Bridgestone ball at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and said the golf ball was the critical component of any equipment change.
Woods tied for 15th against an 18-man field in the Bahamas, though he was hitting a greater variety of shots than when he had last played on the PGA Tour. The 14-time major champion tends to play a golf ball that spins more than most, and Woods said the Bridgestone B333-S was, “hands-down the best for my game. The ball is reacting identical with how I want to play,” he said in a release announcing the deal. “For me, that’s fun.”
As part of the deal, Woods will be considered a Bridgestone ambassador and be featured in all advertising.
Woods also was using a TaylorMade driver and fairway metal in the Bahamas, and he said he put his old Scotty Cameron putter back in the bag right after Nike announced it was out of the club business. He was still using the Nike irons and said in the Bahamas he planned more testing after the tournament.
He has not announced his schedule for next year except for the Feb. 16-19 Genesis Open at Riviera, where he hasn’t been since 2006. His foundation now runs the tournament.
By choosing a new golf ball, Woods went a different direction from two of Nike’s highest-ranked players. Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka said they have asked Nike to set aside as many golf balls as possible. “I have about two to three years’ worth,” Koepka said in the Bahamas.
McIlroy, who plans extensive equipment testing in Dubai at the end of the month, said changing golf balls would be the most difficult adjustment. “I need something that works, and right now the Nike golf ball works … with everything in my bag, which is perfect,” McIlroy said in late October.
Woods took the first step with the Bridgestone golf ball. He joins a group of players that include Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Fred Couples
Learn more about the Tour B330-S at www.bridgestonegolf.com/product/balls/tour-b330-s.