Justin Rose splits with Honma Golf, ends golf club endorsement deal

Justin Rose and Honma Golf have ended their partnership which has existed since January 2019.

Honma Golf and Justin Rose have parted ways, the Japanese club maker announced Friday afternoon. Rose signed an endorsement deal with Honma in January 2019 to become the company’s first PGA Tour staff player.

Rose was a TaylorMade endorser before joining Honma in 2019. Despite still being signed with Honma at the time, he used a TaylorMade SIM driver at the Honda Classic in February. He then used a set of TaylorMade P730 irons and sampled wedges from several manufacturers at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March before the PGA Tour came to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There’s no word yet if Rose is working on a deal with another company as the PGA Tour prepares to resume play in June.

Justin Rose's TaylorMade irons — Justin Rose’s TaylorMade irons Wednesday at Bay Hill during the Arnold Palmer Invitational (David Dusek/Golfweek)

“For over a year, Justin worked closely with our team to help develop innovative and top-performing lines of Honma woods and irons,” John Kawaja, president of Honma Golf North America, said in a news release. “His pursuit of perfection, approach to product testing and feedback has produced great value to Honma. Justin’s expert input and desire for maximum ball speed inspired our team to make the Honma TR20 460 and 440 drivers among the fastest drivers in the game. Consistently, and excitingly, our nationwide team of fitters are seeing the new TR20 460 and TR20 440 drivers produce some of the fastest speeds on the market. We wish him the very best in his pursuit of more majors and career success.

[jwplayer lDMpxpar-vgFm21H3]

Rose is a 10-time winner on the PGA Tour, with his most-recent victory at the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open. He also has seven European Tour wins, has competed in five Ryder Cups and reached No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking in 2018. He is currently No. 14 in world.

“I have enjoyed working with the Honma team and collaborating closely with them to design and develop excellent golf equipment,” Rose said in the news release. “I was able to see firsthand the innovations that the craftsmen at Honma bring to their clubs. I am hopeful that during our time of partnership, we have laid the groundwork for Honma to continue to expand their brand. We both feel it is the right time to pursue our own paths.”

[lawrence-related id=778029827,777986791,777977550]

Wisconsin golf to reopen April 24 with a few restrictions

After golf was shut down March 25 by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic.

[jwplayer eaTxRrV8-9JtFt04J]

Wisconsin soon will open again for golf.

After golf was shut down March 25 by Governor Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order, the state’s courses can allow players to tee off starting April 24, with several considerable stipulations intended to help keep players and staff safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Evers made the announcement Thursday as he extended the state’s Safer at Home order to May 26, with several modifications including the allowance of golf.

Until April 24, Wisconsin remains one of 16 states where golf is shuttered, according to a National Golf Foundation report. The golf allowance came on the heels of a Change.org petition that accumulated nearly 67,000 signatures before Evers’ announcement.

Many of Wisconsin’s courses were seasonally closed already, especially in the northern reaches of the state, and the new allowance comes just as the season typically kicks off toward the end of April for several top-ranked courses.

Gary D’Amato wrote on Wisconsin.golf.com that the following restrictions will be in place as people tee off:

No golf carts, walking only.
Social distancing requirements must be observed, unless the players reside in the same household.
All tee times and payments must be made in advance online or by phone.
Clubhouses and pro shops must remain closed.
Tee times must be spaced to avoid multiple foursomes from clustering or gathering on the course.
Driving ranges must remain closed.

PGA Tour, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier cancel remaining years of contract

Tournament organizers for the PGA Tour’s West Virginia stop have canceled the remaining six years of its contract.

[jwplayer BQM4v1Mn-vgFm21H3]

The PGA Tour’s West Virginia stop, A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, isn’t just skipping this season because of COVID-19 rescheduling. Tournament organizers have canceled the remaining six years of its contract, which was to have run through 2026.

The tournament on the Old White TPC course in White Sulphur Springs, which began in 2010 as the Greenbrier Classic, had been scheduled for September and was to kick off the 2020-21 PGA Tour season. It was replaced on the PGA Tour’s revised schedule announced Thursday by the Safeway Open in California.

Tournament organizers said in a release that moving the event to the fall, which occurred in 2019 as the PGA Tour shuffled its schedule, did not work out for attendance and sponsors as well as when the event was played around the Fourth of July.

MORE: When and where the 2020 majors will be

“We are happy to reach a resolution with the PGA Tour that is mutually beneficial to both parties in this time of crisis,” Jill Justice, president of the Greenbrier, said in the release.

“We owe a supreme debt of gratitude to (West Virginia) Governor Jim Justice (owner of the Greenbrier) and his Greenbrier resort for a highly successful 10 years of partnership with the PGA Tour,” said Andy Pazder, executive vice president and COO for the PGA Tour. “Governor Justice’s vision and leadership helped shine a light on the men and women that serve our country through the military and first responder programs he implemented through the tournament, and the Greenbrier resort was an incredibly unique and world-class venue that our players will always remember and cherish.”

Winners of A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier

2010: Stuart Appleby

2011: Scott Stallings

2012: Ted Potter

2013: Jonas Blixt

2014: Angel Cabrera

2015: Danny Lee

2016: Canceled after a severe flood

2017: Xander Schauffele

2018: Kevin Na

2019: Joaquin Niemann

[lawrence-related id=778036372,778036331,778036269]

NGF report shows most golf courses are open during coronavirus pandemic

The National Golf Foundation released an update to its studies on how the coronavirus has impacted the recreational game.

The National Golf Foundation, which tracks data on courses and rounds played around the U.S., on Tuesday released an update to its studies on how the coronavirus has impacted the recreational game.

Following are several key takeaways from the update.

Open or closed

Nationwide, 74 percent of in-season courses remain open during the pandemic, based on a survey of 1,006 facilities on March 25-27 (the survey has a margin of error of 3 percent ).

The report breaks it down further: 54 percent of municipal golf courses that are in season are open, 78 percent of public daily fee courses are open, and 77 percent of private clubs are open.

Pages: 12345