For the first time in its 36-year history, Karsten
Manufacturing, the maker of Ping equipment, will start paying
up-front money and performance bonuses to its tour staff,
according to GOLFWORLD. The announcement is a "bold move"
since Karsten is abandoning its "hard-line stance against
giving marquee players guaranteed contracts and bonuses" as
well as its performance pool for touring pros. The company
had paid players a percentage against earnings based on how
many Ping clubs they used and the strength of the field they
competed against. Karsten has since informed "some of the
lower-tier Ping players" that the pool would be terminated at
the end of the '97 season, and they "would not be offered
endorsement contracts." Karsten does "wants to keep" Jeff
Maggert, Paul Stankowski, Tommy Tolles and Tim Herron and is
pursuing Phil Mickelson (GOLFWORLD, 9/5 issue). GOLFWEEK's
Achenbach & Hewitt report that Nick Faldo "also appears to be
in Karsten's sights." Faldo tested the company's irons at
last month's Sprint Int'l. He is under contract to play
Mizuno equipment through April '98 (GOLFWEEK, 9/6 issue).
