Mizuno bags on parade.
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Five first-time winners on the European Tour - another
three on the US PGA Tour - all using Mizuno irons,
highlights a dramatic trend in professional golf, says the Reading-based club-maker.
Mizuno believes that the gap between those at the top
of the world rankings and the legions of professionals
trying to carve a career on Tour is closing. With
more players using its irons than any other brand of
the last 8 years, Mizuno says it's reaping the rewards.
Englishmen Malcolm Mackenzie and Miles Tunnicliff, Dane
Soren Hansen and Swedes Richard S Johnson and Adam
Mednick made their breakthough wins on the 2002
European Tour, while Americans Jonathan Byrd, Bob Burns
and New Zealander Phil Tataurangi also used Mizuno irons to
score debut victories on the PGA Tour.
Says Mizuno's David Matthews: "There was a time when
you could bank on the top 10 ranked players to win the
majority of tournaments - but now any event can be won
by almost any player. The increasing awareness of
fitness, coaching and psychology allows everyone to be
in contention."
He adds: "The bonus for Mizuno is that ours are the
irons played by more professionals than any other
brand. The levelling of abilities is helping us to win
more tournaments."
Matthews believes the wins are a payback for an ethical Tour strategy: "We don't sign star players and we do not offer
a payment to use Mizuno irons. It's a policy that keeps pressure on us to produce irons that professionals will play by
choice.
"The forged irons on Tour are the same as the ones we
sell to amateur golfers. This ensures that Mizuno
customers get an iron of the very highest quality.
It's not a strategy aimed at achieving high profile
Tour wins, so they have come as a welcome bonus."
Following the success of Mizuno MP-33 and Pro II
irons, many top players, says the company, are switching to
the MP-30 irons with their unique Grain Flow Forging
and subtle CAD-crafted, progressive half cavity and
offset.
The product of Mizuno's goal to create 'a perfect,
flawless iron', the clubs have a deeper cavity and more
offset to improve playability in the long irons and
shallower cavity and less offset to allow increased
feedback and control in the shorter irons.
Similar forging has also been introduced into Mizuno's
recently launched MP series RAW Black Ox wedges which
are fast becoming prominent not only in the hands of
Tour players, but also club golfers.
"There are so many equipment battles on Tour," says Matthews, "everyone is trying to knock each other off the top. Mizuno has
made a conscious decision to invest in equipment rather
than players. In the long term that will benefit both
tour professionals and amateurs."
