Tiger Woods will "test" the Nike Tour Accuracy golf
ball "again this week" at the Memorial Tournament in OH,
according to sources of GOLF WORLD BUSINESS. Sources "close
to the situation" say it's "all but a done deal that Woods
will switch permanently from a Titleist to a Nike ball."
One source: "It's not a question of if, but a question of
when." But sources "also stress" that Woods will "remain
under contract" to play Titleist clubs (GOLF WORLD BUSINESS,
5/24). Woods, on testing the Nike ball for the second
consecutive week: "I'm just testing it out. Since I'm
playing well, if you're going to try something out, try it
when you're playing well" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/25).
BUMP IN NIKE'S BOTTOM LINE? GOLF WORLD's Ron Sirak
writes that the "attention Woods received for playing a Nike
ball instead of" a Titleist in Germany last week "proved
once again -- as if any more proof were needed -- that Woods
is the most effective marketing man currently walking the
fairways." While golf industry execs and analysts "differ
as to how much" Woods switching permanently" to a Nike ball
would help Nike's golf endeavor, "all were optimistic that
the attention generated by the switch would bring more
activity to the market, and most viewed Nike as a ferocious
adversary." David Braham, owner of The World of Golf store
in N.Y., on Woods potentially making the switch: "Do I think
it will cause an immediate dramatic uptick in their sales?
No. Do I think it will hurt Titleist? No. But yes, we
will sell more Nike golf balls. And if we sell 10 percent
more, that is good news for them" (GOLF WORLD, 5/26 issue).
But in N.Y., Richard Wilner writes, "The dirty little secret
of the golf world appears to be that when it comes to being
a Pied Piper and drawing more people into the game of golf,
Woods is a Paper Tiger," as Woods "doesn't appear to be in
[the] league" of Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth, who each
"grew" their respective sport. Wilner: "In short, the
business of golf stinks despite Tiger's growl. Companies
involved in the game are going bust, profits are down all
around the industry and very few people -- outside Nike and
Woods -- are getting rich" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/25).
NO DEAL: GOLF WORLD BUSINESS cited sources saying that
talks regarding a Taylor Made-adidas acquisition of Maxfli
"broke off after the two sides could not agree on price as
well as other parts of the deal" (GOLF WORLD, 5/23).
INSIDE THE DUVAL DEAL: David Duval is "set to make"
$4.95M on his four-year apparel deal with Mossimo -- $2.4M
this year and $850,000 per year over the next three years.
But the company "wouldn't mind" if Duval "put a couple of
wins on the board soon" (GOLF WORLD, 5/26 issue).
