Nike’s Wood Says Phil Knight As Hyped About Wie As Tiger

Michelle Wie Makes Pro Debut Today

While Michelle Wie makes her pro debut today at the Samsung World Championship, Nike Golf President Bob Wood said LPGAer Grace Park still “is the face of women’s golf for us,” according to GOLFWEEK’s James Achenbach. Wood: “The way we use Grace and the way we use Michelle is a different deal. Michelle is still unfolding.” But Wood said Nike Chair Phil Knight “was just as enthusiastic about Michelle as he was about” Tiger Woods. Achenbach notes Wie’s reported $5M contract with Nike “contains incentive clauses, so her endorsement income will depend on her success in tournaments.” She will play with 14 Nike clubs this week, including a “prototype putter that will be introduced to consumers in 2006” (GOLFWEEK, 10/15 issue). The grip on the putter Wie is playing features an image of a hula girl. It was personalized by designer David Franklin (THE DAILY). A Nike official said, “I think (signing Wie) has become a bigger deal within the company as people have started to see the potential. She’s a bigger deal than they realized — right now, if you look at it globally, you could argue that she’s bigger than [Nike endorser] LeBron James” (DENVER POST, 10/12).

LAWYERING UP: Golf Channel’s Brian Hewitt reported B.J. Wie, Michelle’s father, “confirmed that the William Morris Agency negotiated Michelle’s lucrative deals with Nike and Sony. However, he added he has retained a local attorney in Hawaii to routinely review all his daughter’s endorsement projects” (“Golf Central,” Golf Channel, 10/11).

GREEN IN REGULATION: In Dallas, Bill Nichols writes Nike Golf, which has 60 professional players worldwide using its clubs, “has gone from upstart to probably the fastest-growing golf company ever.” Nike on November 1 will release its new SasQuatch line of drivers and fairway metals and is “putting out new models of its popular Slingshot irons.” As for Woods, 13 of his 14 clubs are Nike brand. Woods has played a Scotty Cameron putter for seven years (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/13).