Nike's New Victory Red Irons Continue to Live up to Their Name with a Second Win

Nike Golf Press Release

Posted 2008-10-27

Just in time for Nike's new Victory Red (VR) irons to hit the market on November 1, the Tour-inspired irons have already proven that the irons are in fact synonymous with “victory” - proven by Nike Golf athlete Charl Schwartzel’s win at the European Tour’s Masters Madrid tournament. Schwartzel’s win is the second with Nike’s new VR irons following Nike Golf athlete Toyokazu Fujishima, who won with the VR Forged Split Cavity irons at the Fujisankei Classic on the Japan Golf Tour. “I am really pleased to have won here in Madrid,” said Schwartzel. “I have had a good season and this victory really tops things off for me. I switched to the new VR Forged TW Blades only three weeks ago and the results speak for themselves. The irons offer me extra distance, excellent control and they feel consistent throughout the bag.”

Since switching to Nike’s new VR irons three weeks ago, Schwartzel has finished tied for fifth, tied for 13th and last week secured his third European Tour title. With the combination of his new Nike VR Forged TW blades and ONE Black ball, and his impressive display of pin-seeking iron shots, Schwartzel was second in greens in regulation averaging 80.6% for the tournament. The blades feature a more traditional muscle back design that includes a conspicuous and recognizable “TW” mark. Made of 1025 Forged Carbon Steel with a CNC milled face, the Victory Red Forged TW Blades differentiate from Nike’s original Blades with a more modified backpad and a slightly thicker toe.

Schwartzel’s Nike Golf Arsenal

Driver: Nike SQ SUMO 5000
Irons: Nike Victory Red (VR) Forged TW Blades
Wedges: Nike SV Tour 54 and 60-degree
Putter: Nike Prototype Putter
Ball: Nike ONE Black
Footwear: SP 8 TW Tour Footwear
Apparel: Nike Golf’s Dri-FIT apparel

On the U.S. PGA Tour

At the Texas Open, five Nike Golf athletes put the Victory Red irons in play on the PGA Tour for the first time:

- Stephen Ames – VR Forged TW Blades – 3-PW - David Duval – VR Forged TW Blades – 3-PW - Richard Johnson – VR Split Cavity – 2-PW - Justin Leonard – VR Forged TW Blades – 4-PW - Ron Whittaker – VR Split Cavity – 4 – PW

Ames, who finished tied for sixth, shot 68, 71, 66 and 62. Ames also finished tied for 10th in Greens in Regulation. Leonard posted scores of 70, 69, 64 and 66 using the VR irons.

Nike Golf’s 2008 PGA Tour Victories

Tiger Woods – Buick Invitational
K.J. Choi – Sony Open
Tiger Woods – World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play Championship
Tiger Woods – Arnold Palmer Invitational
Trevor Immelman – The Masters
Anthony Kim – The Wachovia Championship
Justin Leonard - The Stanford St. Jude Championship
Tiger Woods – U.S. Open
Stewart Cink – Travelers Championship
Anthony Kim – AT&T National
Carl Pettersson – Wyndam Championship

Nike Golf’s 2008 International Victories

Tiger Woods – Dubai Desert Classic
Richard Finch – New Zealand Open
KJ Choi – SK Telecom
Shingo Katayama – Japan Pro Championship
Richard Finch – Irish Open
Suzann Pettersen – Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open
Suzann Pettersen – AIB Irish Open
Toyokazu Fujishima – Fujisankei Classic
Charl Schwartzel – Masters Madrid