In recent weeks, Golfsmith, the fine golf and tennis equipment retailers with more than 70 stores nationwide, has been running an ad campaign that is garnering some significant media attention.

The Tag- “If Sergio wins in Augusta, your Taylormade Driver is free.”

Upon receiving the advertisement featuring the promotion in the mail last week, I had to stop and think of the possibilities and hidden messages that such a statement presents. Smart publicity, additional pressure on Sergio or a long shot? Perhaps I am looking too far into it, but a little media scrutiny never hurt anyone (at least not too badly).

The premise behind the offering is to promote the new R9 driver, the r7 Limited driver and the ’09 Burner driver. Golfers who purchase one of the aforementioned drivers from Golf Smith through April 11^th (the same day as the third round of the Masters tournament), can receive a full refund on the purchase of their new driver depending on one crucial factor… Sergio Garcia securing a Masters victory.

One could see it as Golfsmith rallying behind the No. 2 player in the world by gathering a fan base consisting of new Taylormade Driver owners to cheer on the Spaniard. These proud new members of the Taylormade family will likely show more interest in Garcia’s performance than they typically would if their $300 or so dollar investment didn’t depend on it. The marketing behind it is actually pretty clever as Garcia gets a promotional boost while pleasing his sponsor (I’m sure Taylormade isn’t complaining) and Golfsmith gets the opportunity to clear out someTaylormade inventory.

Conversely, the promotion could also be viewed as an insult to Sergio, who so far has proved unsuccessful in relieving that ever so haunting “Best player without a major” chip on his shoulder. The ad could be interpreted as Golfsmith is so sure Garcia can’t pull out a victory at Augusta that they are willing to gamble the profits of the undoubtedly large amount of Taylormade merchandise that this promotion is sure to move. In fact, the risk for Golfsmith is far less than the reward as Golf.com reports that Golfsmith has reportedly purchased insurance in case Garcia does win the first Major of the season. 

Either way, it will be interesting to see if come Saturday April 11^th, Sergio is in contention going into the final round of the Masters and how that will affect Golfsmith’s sales volume that evening.

Even more interesting would be the figures of Taylormade product returns on the Monday following the Masters if Sergio’s efforts don’t translate into a win.

For avid golfers already in the market for a new driver, the gamble is worth it, win or lose, because they’ve satisfied their equipment needs. For those looking to possibly score an all-expenses paid piece of equipment, the odds may be stacked against you as Mr. Garcia’s Masters reputation isn’t all that promising (he failed to make the cut in both 2007 and 2008).

One thing is for sure, with this promotion, Golfsmith is looking to capitalize on both. 

To Learn more, visit www.golfsmith.com/gosergio. 

- Nichole Brophy, Golf Editor.

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Of all the professional golf tournaments Tiger Woods could have selected to stage his colossal return to the game and his continued and inevitable domination over the sport – he chose Arizona. The Arizona-hosted World Golf Championships- Accenture Match Play Championship will be Tiger’s first competitive tournament since his U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines last June. Having spent the past eight months rehabbing his knee, anyone with even the mildest interest in golf is curious about his condition and quality of play upon his return.

While the golf world is abuzz with the release of the news just a few hours ago, it is especially meaningful to Arizonans and even more so to Tucsonans, who I am sure are now re-working their plans for February 26- March 1 to accommodate some Tiger-watching time.

Adding yet another dimension to the return of golf’s mega-watt star is the fact that the Accenture Match Play will showcase the world’s top talent on the ultra-fresh fairways of the Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona. Revealed to the public a little over a month ago on January 17th, the fairways at Ritz Golf Club are primed and prepared to stage the most-anticipated tournament of the 2009 season so far. Tiger’s presence there is just icing on the cake. I imagine tournament coordinators are toasting to Tiger as I write.

Also in the field will be Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim, the two young guns who have taken advantage of Woods’s absent status. Aside from Tiger, I’ll be watching out for Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old Irishman, who enjoyed victory at the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this season and is currently ranked 16th on the Official World Golf Rankings. Three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington, also an Irishman and ranked 3rd on the World Golf Rankings, will be onsite at Accenture as well. And the field also includes Sergio Garcia who has yet to play on American soil this season while instead concentrating on several European Tour starts.

Of the top 64 players invited to the match-play format, 17 hail from the United States, eight each from Australia and South Africa and seven from England. Other countries represented are Colombia, Fiji, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Spain and Sweden.

www.worldgolfchampionships.com.

- Nichole Brophy, Golf Editor.

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