FJ Blog

2010 Tour Update - Irish Open

This week's diary entry comes from Killarney Golf and Fishing Club, Ireland.

Upon arrival at Killarney Golf and Fishing club, Team FJ were greeted by the most scenic view of the season. The TTSV was sited on the edge of one of the many lakes dotted around, and the view was simply spectacular! After a few awe inspiring moments, it was time to get down to business.

The course this week, is one of the shorter on the circuit, and after having a difficult growing period, the rough is relatively short. This week could be a very low scoring week.

With last week's event being a non TTSV event, the players where quick to come on board to collect orders from previous week's. Shiv Kapur picked up 2 pairs of shoes he ordered just last week and Steve Webster picked up a pair of FJ Sport, which seem to be a favourite with some players. Another keen FJ Sport wearer is none other than Rory McIlroy (pictured right). Rory recently ordered a few pairs of FJ Sport to give himself a couple of different looks to compliment his FJ ICON range. With the course looking green, and rain predicted, Rory was quick to pop on board the TTSV to make use of the stud changing facilities!

The start of the week has already been challenging for many of the players in the fiedl, as a large number of players, have had their luggage and more importantly their clubs, go missing on route to Ireland from Sweden. The players know they can expect first class service from Team FJ and were able to pick up replacement shoes from the trucks 'Emergency Stock'. Anthony Kang, Carl Suneson and Tano Goya all required an emergency pair of shoes.

Many people will remember this weeks event due to the Amateur sensation Shane Lowry, snatching victory from Robert Rock last year. This week's event is sprinkled with emerging star's. FootJoy Ambassadors and freshly turned pro's Matteo Manassero (pictured rigjht) and Victor Dubuisson will surely be looking replicate the Irishman's stunning victory. With only 7 starts allowed by invitation, these two guys will be looking to earn as much money as they can to secure their European Tour playing rights for this year.

With the truck back out on the road, Team FJ managed to catch up with a couple of players and do a quick fire 'Q&A' session with them. One is a burly Geordie, and 2 time winner on the European Tour, and the other is from the 'Land Down Under' and graduated from this years Q-School. Keep your eyes peeled for these on the website in up and coming weeks, as there are some brilliant answers!!

With over 65% of the field opting for a FJ shoe, it is clear to see FJ is still the # 1 Shoe & Glove on Tour.

Johnson Wins on Home Soil!

FJ ICON shoe wearer, Richard S Johnson birdied the 72nd hole to win the Nordea Scandinavian Masters at Bro Hoff Slott Golf Club. The Swede closed his round in impressive fashion, holing a 30 foot birdie putt to become only the second home winner of the Nordea Scandinavian Masters in the last 12 years.

It was ironic that such a fantastic putt would prove to be the 33 year olds saving grace. Johnson, who plays the majority of his golf in America, has not been enjoying much success with the putter, highlighting why he has not featured in a top 30 since February. All this was forgotten though when Johnson secured his second European Tour title, eight years after his first.

The win earns Johnson €333,330 and this was all achieved without the experience of his regular caddie, who went and played in The Senior Open Championship!

FootJoy continues to be the dominant shoe brand on the European Tour with 67% of this week’s field opting for the #1 Shoe in Golf.

Tour Update - 2010 Scandinavian Masters

This week's diary entry comes from the Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden.

Greetings from the scenic Bro Hof Slott GC, Sweden! With temperatures soaring well into the late 20's Team FJ, arrived at Bro Hof Slott in fine spirits. Due to the TTSV being required all week at The Open, Team FJ had to locate the shipment of FJ products. After some fruitless searching it was finally tracked down, in the 'Golf Cart Shed'. Obviously!

On Monday evening, the Tour reps took the opportunity to walk the closing holes of the Robert Trent Jones Jnr design. Looking green and luscious, this course is quick to lull you into a false sense of security! From the back pegs, the course can be set up to  over 8000 yards! Combine this with well watered fairways and sandy white bunkers, and the guys will be facing a monster. This is the first time the Scandinavian Masters is being held at Bro Hof Slott GC, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. This weeks event bodes well for FJ ambassadors, as Peter Baker, Joakim Haegmann, Mikko Ilonen and Ricardo Gonzalez have all previously won this event. One thing will be for sure, it will be a player who can drive it straight and long!

Many congratulations from Team FJ to Louis Oosthuizen on his first Major victory! After 4 days of battling the elements, the FJ Icon and FJ SciFlex wearer, beat off all opposition to lift the Claret Jug at St Andrews. Louis is competing this week, and will be looking to continue his rich vein of form into this week's event, although he may be spending more time in the Press Centre than on the range!

With no TTSV (or A/C!!!!), we set up shop in a gazebo, down by the range. Although it was hot work, it also gave Team FJ the chance to see more players and caddies than usual. Shiv Kapur was the first to spot the 'FJ Gazebo' and wandered in to place an order for a few pairs of shoes. Shiv has opted for two pairs of stock shoes, 52054 and 52138. He also decided on a couple of pairs of FJ ICON MyJoys, and went for an all brown Asymmetric pair and a funky pair of white and blue croc Asymmetric pair, almost identical from 'The Open' MyJoys from last week.

Shiv's caddie, Keith Nelson, also took the chance to order a new pair of spikeless MyJoys for himself. After consulting Shiv, on style and comfort, he ordered a pair of white and black FJ ICON's withe sport saddle. Word spread's fast between caddies, and we soon had another order from another caddie, this time FootJoy ambassador Fredrik Andersson-Hed's caddie, Roger Morgan. Roger was persuaded by Freddie to go for an all black pair of FJ Professional as they won't get dirty, but we think it is because Freddie doesn't want to be upstaged!

Paraguayan, Marco Ruiz, picked up a pair of Bomber Taupe and Bronze Patent MyJoy's ready for this week, so keep your eye's peeled for Marco's feet sparking in the Scandinavian sun.

Lastly, a warm welcome to our latest addition to Team FJ, young Frenchman Victor Dubuisson. Victor has turned professional this week, and this is his first event. Victor is an avid FJ ICON wearer and wears the FJ StaSof glove. The former number 1 amateur in the world will be looking to make a fast start on the European Tour, as he only has a limited amount of starts in which to earn enough money to secure his card, so keep an eye out for the latest FJ Ambassador tearing up the leader board.

With 67% of this weeks field wearing FJ Shoes (+ 2 caddies!), it is clear to see who the professionals are choosing to help make the 8000 yard walk that little bit easier.

Lord Louis Storms St. Andrews

Louis Oosthuizen made only two bogeys over the final 35 holes and finished at 16-under to win his first major championship Sunday on the Old Course at St. Andrews. The 27-year-old Oosthuizen, who trusted FJ ICON golf shoes, and a SciFlex glove, closed with a final round 1-under 71 to win The Open Championship by a remarkable seven shots over fellow FJ player, Lee Westwood (FJ golf shoes and gloves).

It was revealed during the final round that Oosthuizen marks his SciFlex glove with a red dot (pictured right) so when he looks down before each shot, he is reminded to focus on the shot at hand and dispel all distractions, something that served him well en route to the biggest victory of his career.

Oosthuizen went 24 consecutive holes without a bogey until his streak ended on the par-3 eighth hole by missing a 6-foot par putt. That trimmed his lead to three, the closest anyone would get during the final round. His playing partner hit driver onto the par-4 ninth green and Oosthuizen answered by doing the same. When he holed his 50-foot eagle putt, his lead was back to four shots, same as when he started.

Oosthuizen spent the final hour with a big grin on his face, although he started out that way, too. He put his arm around caddie Zack Rasego after hitting off the 18th tee and walking over the Swilcan Bridge, thousands of fans packed into the grandstands, along the road and peering out the shop windows.

The biggest smile came on the 18th green, with a hug for Rasego, and an embrace with wife Nel-Mare and 7-month-old daughter Jana. It will be years before the child can appreciate the magnitude of this moment.

"I will say, 'That's the day Daddy makes us the proudest,'" his wife said. "And we'll never forget it."

Louis first major title earned him £850,000 and with his nickname of Shrek, he is now sitting pretty in the World Ranking sitting 15th in the world.

In four days of spectacular golf, a man whose name was barely known outside Europe a week ago dominated a field of the best-known golfers in the world. He finished at 16-under 272, and pounded them and the course into submission with a combination of precision (No. 1 in driving accuracy), power (No. 4 in driving distance at 319.4 yards) and putting (No. 3).

The final leader board looked impressive for FJ players, with the top four players  (Oosthuizen, Westwood, McIlroy & Stenson) putting their trust in FJ shoes and gloves.

FJ #1 Shoe & Glove in Golf.

Tour Update-2010 British Open

This week the FootJoy Tour diary comes from the 139th Open at St Andrews. The course is in stunning shape and hopefully the weather will be ok so we can enjoy some wonderful golf this week.

As the golfing elite tread the links fairways, some of FootJoy’s leading ambassadors have donned an extra special shoe for the week. The team at FootJoy, via the interactive MyJoys franchise have been busy designing some very special Open Championship specific shoes for the 150th anniversary of the first Open Championship. 
 
Some of the world’s leading players and major contenders for the week from the FootJoy stable are wearing the unique FootJoy MyJoys designed with the colours of the Scottish flag.

The likes of Robert Karlsson, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan, Chris Wood, Soren Hansen, Henrik Stenson, Davis Love III and Michael Sim are wearing the shoe this week as they contend on the Old Course, St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland.

FootJoy Ambassador, Rory McIlroy, has started the week in stunning style, producing a new course record nine under par 63 during his first round on the old course. Rory has had the following rounds on the old course during competition 69, 69, 67, 68, 67, 68, 65, 69, 63 not bad hey........ If you ask him about it he says '' the course just suits my eye''. The young Ulsterman for  FJ SPORT this week as he likes the styling and the incredible stability and comfort which they offer. We are keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that Rory claims his first major title.

Hot on Rory’s heels was FJ ICON wearer Louis Oosthuizen, who shot an impressive opening round 65 to sit in second place behind his fellow FJ shoe wearer. The South African will be teeing off early on Friday morning and will be looking to set an impressive club house lead for all to chase.

Many of this week’s field will be relying on the performance attributes of FootJoy outerwear to help them combat the harsh conditions. Whether it be wind or rain FootJoy outerwear will help ‘Make Every Day Playable’, whatever the Scottish weather throws at them. Players seen striding the links in FJ outerwear are Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker, Nick Watney and Soren Hansen to name but a few.

FJ continues to be the #1 Shoe in Golf with 56% of this week’s field choosing to lace up in FJ golf shoes.

Stricker defends John Deere Title.

FootJoy ambassador Steve Stricker closed with a final round 1-under 70 to narrowly defend his title at the John Deere Classic. Stricker, who wore custom DryJoys through the MyJoys programme and a Pure Touch glove, saw his six shot overnight lead wilt to just two but was able to hold on and defeat fellow FJ player Paul Goydos (FJ ICON, SciFlex). Inclusive of Stricker and Goydos, 13 of the top 14 players on the leaderboard trusted FJ.

Playing without the same razor sharp precision that had allowed him to record the lowest 54--hole total in PGA Tour history, Stricker played safe most of the day. However, he came through with a clutch birdie after driving into the trees on No. 17 and finished with a 26-under 258 total - a new record for the tournament.

“You don’t want to give shots away and then you end up playing a little safer than you normally do and it leads to tougher birdie putts,” Stricker said. “Then they creep in closer because they were playing some good golf.”

Goydos, who dazzled the golf world with his 59 in the opening round, shot a solid 66 but still fell short of dethroning Stricker, who won for the ninth time in his career. Both players boarded a plane Sunday night for Scotland and will compete in the Open Championship at St. Andrews this week.

“Strick was hard to catch,” Goydos said. “I tried and kept pushing and chipping and grinding and biting at him and doing what I could. But in the end, the putt he made on 17 was a world-class putt. That’s what top five players do, that’s what Ryder Cup players do

Bonnie Scotland!

On the banks of Loch Lomond, the European Tour arrives for the Barclays Scottish Open. This must be one of the most picturesque spots we get to visit during the season, and one of the most immaculately presented courses.

MyJoy's ordered at the Celtic Manor Wales Open a few weeks ago have begun to filter through to the Tour players. Pablo Larrazabal has been desperate to get his hands on his Spanish inspired pair. He arrived on the practice ground for the Pro-AM on Wednesday dressed in red and yellow with a matching pair of red and yellow shield tip ICON's. These certainly aren't for the feint hearted. He also collected something a little tamer, in black and bomber taupe in the same FJ ICON shield tip design.

Gregory Havret, brightened up the fairways with his shoes choice, He went for a pair of Traditional style ICONs in white with a Pink saddle. He also had his shoes embroidered with his daughters name on the heel of both shoes.

A selection of Argentinian players ordered white and sky blue MyJoys, inspired by their home country football team, unfortunately, Ariel Canete, Daniel Vancsik, and FootJoy ambassador, Tano Goya, were not as enthusiastic as Larrazabal was to get the shoes on their feet, after their country were knocked out of the Fifa World Cup in South Africa. Better luck next time boys!

FJ - #1 Shoe and Glove in Golf

Tour Diary - 2010 Open de France

This week's diary entry comes from the idyllic, Les Golf National course, France.

As Team FJ rolled into town, the mercury was pushing 32 degrees celsius and there was not a cloud to be seen! Combine this weather with a golf course that is in fantastic condition, and the results are spectacular.

With 'The Open' just 2 weeks away, many players who normally ply their trade in the U.S.A, made the journey across the pond to get their preparation underway. FootJoy Ambassadors such as Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy, are all part of this weeks field and provides an excellent opportunity for the FJ Tour Team to catch up with these guys.

Rory, Ian and Adam took the chance to order a few pairs of shoes ready for The Open. Rory opted for a pair of FJ Sport to try, whilst Ian ordered 2 pairs of FJ ICON. Unbelievably, they where plain white Asymmetric Icon's! Adam ordered a pair of 52005 and 52054 to give himself a couple of basic colours to match to his outfits.

Gregory Bourdy is a man in demand this week, playing on home soil. France are currently bidding to host the 2018 Ryder Cup and Gregory is doing his part to 'back the bid'. He ordered a pair of MyJoys (pictured right) at the The Celtic Manor Wales Open a few weeks ago, to arrive in time for this weeks event. Gregory is hoping to wear these on Thursday for maximum exposure, so keep and eye on your TV set! Here is the order -

Base: White Smooth
Saddle: White Smooth
Laces: White
Left Heel: French Flag
Right Heel: 2018

Francois Delamontagne, Simon Thornton and Pablo Larrazabal also took the chance to order shoes in Wales and were surprised when their designs arrived this week.

Pablo (pictured right)ordered a pair of MyJoys in his native Spanish colours! He was delighted to receive his 'babies' in time for Spain's up and coming game on Sunday. With Pablo in great form, and being a previous winner, we may just see these shoes striding down the 18th on Sunday in the final group!

Francois Delamontagne (pictured bottom right)picked up his MyJoy Icons. Francois ordered these shoes with his female family members in mind. The pink shield tip Icons are impressive enough on their own, but he also took the chance to have his daughter's names embroidered on the heels.

Simon followed a similar route with his MyJoys. He had KET embroidered on the side of his FJ ICON shoes, which are the initials of his baby daughter!

Following up from last week, the FJ Tour team caught up with Ross Fisher. Ross recently switched into the FJ PureTouch glove and was very quick to praise it! He commented on 'how soft the leather feels, but maintains its shape' and loves the 'consistent leather thickness'.

With over 67% of the field trusting FJ shoes, it is clear to see, FJ is still the most trusted shoe on tour.

Horsey wins in Munich

Englishman David Horsey wins his maiden European Tour victory at the BMW International in Munich. After consistent rounds of 69, 67, 67, 67 Horsey claimed a narrow victory ahead of fellow FJ wearer Ross Fisher who eagled the 72nd hole. He headed a leaderboard littered with FJ wearers, with all of the top 6 finishers sporting FJ golf shoes.

Exciting Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal had a chance to win when he got to -19 but slipped up on the 16th hole to drop two shots, and the week saw an excellent finish for Kenneth Ferrie who moved significantly up the Race to Dubai rankings.

But the day belonged to Horsey, who can now look forward to an exemption on the European Tour for this year and also for 2011.

FJ - #1 Shoe in Golf

Marvellous Munich!

This weeks entry comes from the GolfClub Munchen Eichenried, Munich.

The FJ Tour team arrived in Germany, to find the TTSV looking rather dirty! The TTSV is currently at week 5 of a 6 week stretch, and was in need of a quick scrub up. The team donned their FJ Outerwear, grabbed the buckets and sponges and got to work.

A week on from U.S Open, it was back to business for the European Tour, which welcomed back some world class players. Robert Karlsson, returned from California, and arrived early on Tuesday. As a player in the top 30 of the world, Robert is always in demand, and was straight to work on Tuesday, giving a golf clinic to a select few on the driving range. He was sporting a pair of White and Red MyJoy Icons, to match his outfit, and came aboard to order a new pair, ready for this busy stretch of the season.

Another FJ Ambassador, Brett Rumford was also entertaining the public. Brett is known for his exceptional short game, and was more than happy to take the time to go through a variety of shots and techniques at a FJ golf day, held before the event.

With over 60% of the field trusting FJ shoes, there were plenty of Icon wearers on the range. FootJoy loyalist Andrew McArthur was busy showing off his FJ Icon 52054, and Nicolas Colsaerts, was wearing his favourite pair of MyJoy Icons, White base with Purple Traditional Saddle.

Another FJ Ambassador, Simon Thornton, spent plenty of time on the range, and seems to be paying dividends as he is currently at -4 at the time of writing. Simon has recently switched into the FJ StaSof glove, commenting how he preferred the consistent fit of the StaSof. Combine this with a classy pair of 52039 Icon's and Simon has a great platform to build from and hopefully continue his good form into the weekend.

Finally, the biggest news from this week, is a player ranked inside the top 50 in the world has made the switch into the FJ PureTouch glove. Ross Fisher, came aboard the TTSV, to try a PureTouch on. Straight away, Ross commented on how soft and comfortable the PureTouch is, and quickly took one away to try on the range and the Pro-Am. Late on Friday, as Team FJ had started to prepare the TTSV for its trip to France, Ross' caddy, Adam Marrow, was spotted running across the range, to pick up a box of PureTouch for Ross, for the up and coming tournaments.