U.S. Ryder Cup team captain Ben Crenshaw "worked with"
Chicago-based men's clothing maker Oxxford Clothes "to dress
himself, his 12-member team and eight PGA officials" for
this week's event, according to USA TODAY's Sheila Moran,
who reports that "retail value of the clothing exceeds"
$275,000, or "more than" $13,000 a person. The wardrobe
includes trousers for players on the course, as well as
tuxedos, suits and blazers for social events. The $500
trousers come "in seven different colors for seven days,
including practice rounds." The European team is wearing
clothes from Hugo Boss (USA TODAY, 9/23).
WHAT AN INCENTIVE! In Boston, Syre & Stein report that
New England Financial made tickets to its hospitality tent
at the Ryder Cup the "prize in a yearlong [sales] contest
for its agents across the country." Company exec Richard
Harris: "Our agents do a lot of business on the golf course.
It's a perfect fit for us" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/23).
I CAN SEE FOR MILES: Also in Boston, Greg Gatlin
reports that the PGA has approved the use of "Sportscope," a
"hand-held periscope that lets fans see over and around
crowds and magnify the action." The device is owned by Phil
Mickelson, father of the Ryder Cup team member with the same
name. Mickelson is "selling hundreds" of the $58 Sportscope
at the Ryder Cup Golf Shop tent at the event. Gatlin writes
that Mickelson's business was "born of necessity," as he
"kept arriving late for his son's matches and couldn't find
a decent spot to watch" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/23).
THE BOUNCING BALL: On "Dateline," NBC's Dennis Murphy
profiled Tiger Woods' Nike ad in which he volleys a golf
ball on a golf club. Nike Marketing Dir Chris Zimmerman, on
the spot: "The first question many people, whether they're
golfers or not, ask is, `They must have used computer
animation or something in the commercial'" (NBC, 9/22).
