NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Lexi Thompson had a big news week beyond making her 2024 season debut at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Bradenton (Florida) Country Club.
First it was announced that Thompson would join Rose Zhang as the first female players invited to compete in Capital One’s The Match. The LPGA stars will tee it up under the Monday night lights alongside four-time major champion Rory McIlroy and six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa in a 12-hole skins match February 26 at the Park Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
On the equipment front, Thompson, 28, made a big change after splitting with Bridgestone at the conclusion of their six-year agreement at the end of 2023. Dick’s Sporting Goods announced on Wednesday that it had signed Thompson to an exclusive golf ball endorsement deal to play the Maxfli Tour Series ball through the 2024 season, starting immediately last week in Bradenton.
“I’ve been testing the Maxfli Tour Series for a few months now, and the Maxfli Tour ball exceeded my expectations,” Thompson said. “The ball fits my game extremely well, increasing my ball speed without sacrificing control.”
Dick’s Sporting Goods said Thompson – the first big-name tour player to put the modern Maxfli Tour balls in play – will be the face of Maxfli in its marketing efforts as a brand ambassador and will participate in product testing and innovation for the development of the next-generation Maxfli Tour golf balls in 2025.
It’s a big step for a store brand trying to up its game in the marketplace.
“Lexi is a remarkable golfer, and I can’t think of a better player to have joined the Maxfli family as an exclusive partner,” said Aimee Watters, the vice president for vertical brand marketing for Dick’s. “Becoming only the seventh woman to compete in a PGA (Tour) event is so impressive, and we know there is more to come.”
Maxfli has been the Dick’s store brand since the retailer bought the name in 2008 from TaylorMade. But in 2019, it introduced the Maxfli Tour and Tour X balls that proved to be a performance leap for the vintage brand that dates to 1922.
Scott Michaux