NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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When Nike stopped making golf equipment in 2016, most of the company’s big-time staffers eventually found landing spots with other manufacturers. That included Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Tommy Fleetwood signing with TaylorMade while Tony Finau opted for Ping. Even on the tier or two below these stars, Russell Henley (Titleist), Patrick Rodgers (Callaway) and others found new homes.
But what about Brooks Koepka? For five years, the former Nike staffer has proudly eschewed those offers in favor of being an equipment free agent – meaning he employed a mixed bag with any brand of his choice for each club.
That’s been a common route for many, but none in this lane have enjoyed more recent success than Koepka. All four of his major championship victories came during this free agent period and, given how fiercely Koepka guards his independence, there was little reason to believe he would opt for a club deal that requires him to play a certain brand. Another key factor was that Koepka’s success quickly led to a much higher valuation, meaning a club deal easily could command well more than $3 million a year, and possibly much higher. The price tag was too high for most, given that many believe Koepka doesn’t come with the same marketability as other stars in the game.
Aside from a player like Patrick Reed, it was believed Koepka was perhaps the least likely among the game’s elite to sign an equipment deal.
So you will understand when observers did more than a double-take last week when Koepka not only signed a staff deal but did so with Cleveland/Srixon, a brand with a modest stable outside of Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowry. Financial terms were not disclosed, but one would imagine it is a sizable deal.
“I’ve been an equipment free agent for the past few years,” Koepka said in a news release. “So it will be fun to be involved with a company on a daily basis and be able to contribute to the development of their future equipment.”
So, why Srixon?
It seems to have started early in 2021 when Koepka put Srixon ZX7 irons into play, winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open just weeks after their debut. While the rest of his equipment throughout the year mainly was TaylorMade or Titleist clubs, his comfort with the irons had a massive impact on his solid form this past season.
“It is the best iron I have played on tour,” Koepka said of the ZX7.
Now Koepka is also set to insert a Srixon ZX5 driver and Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges in addition to the irons he has been playing with already. Koepka also will go to a Srixon Z-Star prototype ball instead of the Titleist Pro V1x he has used. He will be seen sporting a Srixon staff bag as well.
While it is a lot of change, it’s worth noting that Koepka has freely swapped equipment throughout the past five years and isn’t one to shy away from using new clubs.
This is certainly the season for expiring equipment contracts and new deals. Last year it was Jon Rahm’s move to Callaway that grabbed most headlines, and that move paid off in a major way.
Koepka may go down as the headliner for this cycle, but the golf world will have to wait to see what unfolds in the next seven weeks when deals traditionally have been announced.
Sean Fairholm