Sergio García admitted a parting with TaylorMade equipment was "not solely of his own volition," with the 2017 Masters champion "hinting riches bestowed on other players impacted on contract negotiations," according to Ewan Murray of the London GUARDIAN. García will use Callaway clubs in this week’s DP World Tour Championship, "with a formal agreement between the parties imminent." The golf world "reacted with surprise" to news that García, "fresh from a maiden major success and after 15 years as a TaylorMade player," was on the lookout for a new brand. TaylorMade separated from its parent company, adidas, in May. Around the same time, Rory McIlroy signed a 10-year TaylorMade contract, worth a potential $100M. García said, "It wasn't only my decision. Obviously I spent 15 years with TaylorMade but unfortunately things come to an end." Pressed on the reasons for the split, García added, "I guess all companies change and the politics with TaylorMade have changed after leaving adidas. We couldn’t come to an agreement." Asked if he signed with Callaway, García said, “Not yet. But obviously at the moment it’s the company that’s in front of the other ones. I would say the most difficult thing to fit into your game would be the golf ball, when you have played with one for quite a while. With what we have been testing, the numbers have been really good with the balls that Callaway has brought to me" (GUARDIAN, 11/14).
