G-Mac moves allegiance to Srixon
January 3, 2011

Srixon Sports has signed a multi-year contract with 2010 US Open Champion and Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell - believed to be worth £1.5 million a year - to endorse the Srixon brand worldwide. Under the terms, McDowell will play Srixon irons and sister-brand Cleveland wedges, use the new Srixon Z-Star XV ball (to be officially launched at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando at the end of January), and carry a Srixon bag as well as Srixon branding on his cap and glove.

The announcement comes on the back of many key honours being bestowed on the 31 year old Ulsterman at the end of his remarkable 2010 season. These include the awarding of an MBE in the New Years Honours List, Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America, as well as Joint Player of the Year by the European Tour and Player of the Year by the Irish Golf Writers.

In a year where European golfers dominated the golfing headlines, it was Graeme McDowell who made the biggest splash in world golf, becoming the first European to win the US Open for 40 years, holing the match winning putt to win the Ryder Cup and then defeating a resurgent Tiger Woods over 36 holes and a play off to win the season ending Chevron World Challenge.

All this means a jump to World No. 5 beginning 2011 for the popular Ulsterman, affectionately known as G-Mac.

Formerly with Callaway Golf, the deal apparently leaves McDowell free to use his Callaway 46 inch driver, to which he has attributed his greater distance from the tee, his fairway metal, and his Adams rescue club, as well as the Odyssey White Hot #7 putter which holed so many crucial putts for him at key moments in 2010.

Under the deal, G-Mac will feature strongly in the promotion of the Srixon brand and help develop both Srixon and Cleveland to a new generation of golfers around the world.

The Company is absolutely delighted to have Graeme as a member of their Tour Staff, a Srixon spokesman said. Having a world class player such as G-MAC choose to make the switch to Srixon, especially after such a successful 2010 season, not only says a lot about the faith he has in our products, but we know what an excellent Ambassador he will become for our brands.

After turning pro in 2002, McDowell won six times on the European Tour. He represented Northern Ireland in the 2009 World Cup and played a key part in the 2010 Ryder Cup, holing the winning putt in the final match against Hunter Mahan.

"I am really excited about my decision to join Srixon," said McDowell. "There is a great energy amongst the team at Srixon regarding my signing with them and I am looking forward to feeding off this energy going into 2011."

In 2011, McDowell joins a list of Srixon Z-Star users including Robert Allenby, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Ryo Ishikawa, Vijay Singh, Gonzalo Fernandez Castano, Soren Kjeldsen, Shane Lowry, Bradley Dredge and Laura Davies.

Srixon is the Number One 2-piece ball brand in the UK Market, according to the monthly Retail Audit undertaken by Sports Marketing Surveys Ltd.

For full details about Srixon products, visit www.srixon.co.uk