New season, new deals for PGA Tour players

By JEFF BABINEAU, Golfweek Editor

KAPALUA, Hawaii – PGA Tour veteran Steve Lowery paused when asked if there was anything new in his golf bag to start the 2009 season. “Only everything,” he said, smiling.Lowery, 48, a longtime Cleveland staff player, is one of many Tour pros starting ’09 with a new deal. He is carrying a TaylorMade bag filled with TaylorMade Tour Preferred irons and an r7 Limited driver. He’ll continue to play a Titleist golf ball (“I’ve been a Titleist guy for 30 years,” he said.)

In a sign of tighter times for PGA Tour players, Lowery still is seeking a corporate endorsement on his chest. “Yeah, I had to go out and buy a bunch of shirts,” he said.

Vijay Singh started the year with a bum right knee and a new golf ball. Having won last year’s FedEx Cup playoffs with a Titleist Pro V1x, Singh has switched to a Srixon Z-Star golf ball. Boo Weekley is playing the new ball as well. “I think I hit it longer and I control it pretty good,” Singh said. “(It) spins as good as any ball I’ve used, and it’s very straight.”

Singh also is carrying the Stanford Financial logo on his bag this season and wearing the company logo on his visor.

In other news:>> Anthony Kim, arguably the most attractive “free agent” available this offseason, is expected to re-sign with Nike. Kim changed agents in 2008 (he now is represented by IMG), which stalled negotiations until Jan. 1. “I don’t know what’s going on there, but it would be strange not to be with Nike,” said Kim, who shot footage for a Nike commercial with Tiger Woods in Fort Worth, Texas, in the offseason.

>> Adams is expected to announce the signing of Ryder Cup player Chad Campbell, who had been with Nike. Campbell lives near the company’s Texas headquarters and plans to take an active role in helping Adams develop equipment lines. Campbell signed a ball, shoe and glove deal with Titleist.

>> D.J. Trahan, formerly with Wilson, has joined Titleist as a full-line player. He opened his season at Kapalua with Titleist ZM irons (4-PW), three Vokey wedges and a Scotty Cameron Newport SLT T10 putter. He is working on getting a new 909 series driver into his bag.

>> In addition to Lowery, TaylorMade added Paul Goydos, Richard S. Johnson, Tim Wilkinson, Charles Warren and Arjun Atwal as full-line players.

>> Ping announced it has re-signed Ryder Cup player Hunter Mahan, and Callaway announced a new multiyear agreement with Stuart Appleby.

• • •

Jeff Babineau is Golfweek’s Editor. To reach him email jbabineau@golfweek.com.