Tuesday, February 12, 2013

TaylorMade Golf Commemorates R1 Tour Launch by Dedicating Tournament to Military Veterans


Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia Receive Drivers Delivered by a Precision Skydiving Team, Partnering with 'Operation Game On' to Honor Combat-Injured Military and Showcase TaylorMade’s Newest Driver

(CARLSBAD, CA) – Golf clubs will be falling from the sky near the Northern Trust Open on the tournament’s Military Day, when TaylorMade Golf Company commemorates the PGA Tour launch of its new R1 driver – delivered to its Staff Tour pros via a specialty parachuting jump team to honor combat-injured military.

This afternoon, a team of three expert solo jumpers and one tandem jumper will land on the Heroes Golf Course – located at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital. Decked out in R1-branded parachutes and jump suits, along with orange smoke and faces painted with the same stripes as seen on the crown of the driver and in TaylorMade’s R1 advertising campaign, the jumpers will hand-deliver R1 drivers to Hyundai Tournament of Champions winner Dustin Johnson and TaylorMade Staff Tour pros Pat Perez, Sergio Garcia, Casey Wittenberg and Retief Goosen, who will be standing by on the tee box. After the driver hand-off, players will dial in their R1 to their specs – one of 168 available combinations – before taking a ceremonial tee shot.

“Living in San Diego, we are keenly aware of the sacrifices our nation’s military makes and we have had a long-standing relationship with Operation Game On,” said Bob Maggiore, Chief Marketing Officer for the TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth brands. “We wanted to honor these heroes as we launch the most advanced driver we have ever built.”

Each of the five TaylorMade Tour players will be accompanied by a member of Operation Game On – a San Diego-based organization that helps returning combat-injured military members rehabilitate through golf. The driver heads delivered to the players will have the name of an Operation Game On member in attendance on the toe of the driver head. After the drivers have been assembled, each player and Operation Game On member – whose combat injuries range from double amputation to post-traumatic stress disorder – will hit a tee shot.

Since 2009, TaylorMade has donated more than $120,000 both in funding and in-kind donations to Operation Game On. Players will put the special driver branded with their Operation Game On partner’s name into play at the tournament, as will each of the more than 20 TaylorMade Staff Tour professionals who will be teeing it up with R1 beginning on Thursday.

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