The AP's Doug Ferguson noted Rory McIlroy is "replacing his Nike driver and two fairway metals this week" with TaylorMade equipment while playing at the WGC-HSBC Champions as he "begins to search for new equipment" after the company in August announced that it is stepping out of the golf equipment business. McIlroy said that Nike has "stocked up enough golf balls to last him two to three years," though that "doesn't mean he won't change golf balls" (AP, 10/26). USA TODAY's Steve DiMeglio notes McIlroy has been "testing different equipment" since Nike's announced departure. McIlroy said that he will "still use Nike irons through at least the end of the year" (USA TODAY, 10/27). Meanwhile, McIlroy during this week's tournament is "debuting Nike's latest golf shoe, the Lunar Control Vapor." The shoe will be available in the U.S. in limited colors via the Nike+ App on Nov. 22 (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/25).
YOU'RE GETTIN' A DELL! GOLFCHANNEL.com's Will Gray noted the Boston-area PGA Tour event formerly known as the Deutsche Bank Championship "will now be called the Dell Technologies Championship" beginning in '17. This is the "second change in as many months" for the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs. Tour officials last month announced that EMC "would be the new title sponsor of the event, but EMC and Dell agreed on a merger that was recently approved, necessitating the name change." The newly-formed company also sponsors the 64-man WGC match play event held each spring in Austin, Texas, which will "now be called the Dell Technologies Match Play" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/26).
COBRA COMMANDERS: Blue Giraffe Sports CEO Bobby Kreusler, who reps golfer Lexi Thompson, said she "doesn't have any delusions of trying to compete against men in PGA Tour events" despite competing in December's Franklin Templeton Shootout. Kreusler: "She's not trying to send any kind of a message." GOLFCHANNEL.com's Randall Mell noted tournament host Greg Norman and Thompson both have deals with Cobra Puma golf. Kreusler: "It's a team event, in Florida, in the offseason, in Greg Norman's event, someone she knows dating back more than six years, someone who's involved with Cobra Puma, as Lexi is. There are a lot of tentacles to this." Thompson met Norman six years ago when they were grouped in the Honda Classic Pro-Am (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/26).
