“Wow! Wow! Wow! Very cool!” Callaway Golf CEO
Chip Brewer texted
The Legacy Agency partner and golf agent
Andrew Witlieb earlier this month.
Witlieb is the longtime agent for PGA Tour pro Jim Furyk, and Brewer’s reaction came after Furyk shot a 58, the lowest round in tour history, with Callaway clubs on the final day of the Travelers Championship.
“When the CEO writes ‘Wow!’ three times, you know [your client] has done something pretty incredible,” Witlieb said.
 |
Callaway quickly ran ads dubbing endorser Jim Furyk “Mr. 58.”
|
Callaway backed up the CEO’s text by quickly producing ads featuring Furyk and “Mr. 58” in multiple golf publications.
“In the short term, we are running advertising in endemic digital and on social media channels,” said Scott Goryl, Callaway’s director of communications. “At retail, we’ve just solidified a national promotion for $58 off the Great Big Bertha Driver, which Furyk used in his historic round.”
Furyk is the fourth all-time PGA Tour money earner, after Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. He’s earned more than $66 million in his career, though he has won only one major: the 2003 U.S. Open.
But there are four golf majors a year and just one 58 score. Goryl noted that Furyk was the only one to do it in 1.5 million rounds of golf played on the PGA Tour.
Witlieb, meanwhile, is looking for other ways to capitalize on Furyk’s feat.
“Certainly we are going to create a logo around it and look at different companies who would be good partners for this sort of achievement,” Witlieb said.
In addition to Callaway, Furyk’s sponsors include Constellation Energy, Royal Bank of Canada, Web.com and NetJets. Furyk has taken speaking engagements before, and Witlieb thinks the demand for him as a speaker will only increase as a result of the score.
Furyk has a reputation as a personable man. In 2015, the Golf Writers Association of America gave Furyk the ASAP Sports/Jim Murray Award for his cooperation with the media. Last week, Furyk was named this year’s Payne Stewart Award recipient. That award is presented annually to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s values of character, charity and sportsmanship.
Witlieb has represented Furyk for Furyk’s entire 23-year career. “He is basically just a wonderful guy,” Witlieb said.
> WASSERMAN SIGNS GOLFER, DOES PRESSEL’S UA DEAL: Wasserman has signed former UCLA golfer Jonathan Garrick for representation and negotiated an equipment and apparel deal with TaylorMade Adidas golf.
Agent Chris Armstrong will represent Garrick.
Armstrong also represents LPGA player Morgan Pressel and recently signed her to a new, long-term apparel deal with Under Armour. Pressel previously was with fashion brand Lilly Pulitzer. Pressel plays Callaway clubs, and Armstrong said he is in renewal discussions about that deal.
Under Armour’s commitment to fighting breast cancer, especially through its “UA Power in Pink” campaign, helped draw Pressel to UA. Pressel was 15 when her mother died of breast cancer. Pressel has raised nearly $5 million to fight breast cancer in the last 10 years, Armstrong said.
> CAA SIGNS TILLMAN: Creative Artists Agency has signed former NFL cornerback Charles Tillman and negotiated his deal as an analyst on “Fox NFL Kickoff.”
Tillman will be represented by a team of agents led by Evan Dick and Matt Kramer. He was not represented for broadcasting.
CAA also signed WFAN/New York radio host Craig Carton. Kramer and Adam Hirsch will lead the team representing Carton. He was represented by Dixon Talent.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
