David Toms Set To Begin Three-Year Deal With TaylorMade

Toms Agrees To Three-Year Endorsement Deal With TaylorMade

PGA Tour player David Toms has signed a new three-year deal with TaylorMade, which begins January 1, according to Roy Lang III of the SHREVEPORT TIMES. Toms had been under contract with Cleveland Golf, but the company “decided not to renew sponsorships of players whose contracts were up at the end of this year.” Toms’ Manager, Adam Young: “They wanted to keep David, but what they proposed did not include a hat deal.” Lang wrote that Toms will be required to use 12 TaylorMade clubs in ’07 and 13 in ’08 and ’09, He will “continue to have the Humana logo on his shirt and will now wear TaylorMade hats/visors and carry the company’s logo on his bag.” Toms will “arguably be TaylorMade’s top American representative.” The company also sponsors Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, Tom Lehman, Fred Funk and Todd Hamilton (SHREVEPORT TIMES, 12/13).

SURE, HE’LL MAKE A GOOD SANTA: USA TODAY’s Jerry Potter writes TaylorMade endorser John Daly is “taking an expanded role with the company as an adviser on various business and equipment issues.” Daly is the “chief spokesman for Maxfli, a brand that TaylorMade is trying to rebuild with a target audience of the game’s middle class.” Daly: “I’ve never had a company that lets me have so much input. To me, making sales calls is a lot of fun.” TaylorMade Golf President & CEO Mark King added, “This is the most unique relationship I know in sports. We have a John Daly Day each October, and it’s a paid holiday for the employees. Next week John is going to play Santa Claus at the company Christmas party” (USA TODAY, 12/15).