Following Phil Mickelson’s victory in the PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Feb. 12, Callaway “was not going to let” the opportunity to cash in the win slide away, according to Tod Leonard of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The print deadlines for the weekly national golf magazines “are midday Monday, Eastern time," which means the Callaway team "toiled all night to nail down the advertising package that celebrated Mickelson’s victory.” Television commercials also were edited so that they would “be ready for telecast during the Northern Trust Open at Riviera later in the week.” Mickelson beat Tiger Woods by 11 shots in the final round of Pebble Beach "with all Callaway gear, including a new driver, the RAZR Fit, that Callaway is hoping will spark a resurgence for a company that has been in something of a funk of late.” Callaway VP/Sports Marketing Nick Raffaele said, “If any player on our staff had won, it would have been huge for our product. But whenever Phil wins, because of his popularity in the game and the TV ratings, it amplifies everything tenfold.” Leonard notes in development for years, the RAZR Fit -- Callaway’s "first foray into the adjustable driver market -- was supposed to make its retail debut the weekend following Pebble Beach.” However, because of the “excitement following Mickelson’s win, Callaway moved up the launch for the $399 club to last Wednesday.” Raffaele said, “You can’t compare another player to Phil on our staff or anywhere else. Even when you compare him to Tiger.” Leonard noted there are “few salesmen in golf as good or enthusiastic as Mickelson.” In interviews with reporters at Pebble Beach, he "took the opportunity to gush about the driver” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/21). The current issues of Golfweek and Golf World both have two Callaway ads featuring Mickelson (THE DAILY).
