Blog

Nippon Shaft was the iron shaft of choice for the winner of last week’s Puerto Rico Open, marking the shaft company’s fourth win so far in the 2015-16 season.

Using N.S. PRO MODUS³ Tour 120 TX flex shafts in his irons, the 6-foot 4-inch Utah native shot a final round 70 to finish at 12-under par at the end of regulation play, with a birdie on the third hole of a two-man sudden death playoff at Coco Beach Golf & Country Club proving enough clinch victory.

With his first win on the PGA Tour, the former high school basketball star earned $540,000, bringing his total earnings for the 2015-16 season to $972,791.  The win also earns him exemptions into The Players Championship and the PGA Championship.

“Nippon Shaft would like to congratulate the winner of the Puerto Rico Open on his first PGA TOUR victory,” said Hiro Fukuda, Sales and Marketing for Nippon Shaft.  “With the quality of his play and his strong work ethic, we anticipate he will be a winner many more times as he moves on in his career.”

The popularity of Nippon Shaft on the world’s major golf tours continues to explode in 2015, with 106 players on the PGA TOUR and European Tour combined utilising steel shafts built by the Japan-based golf shaft manufacturer.

That equates to an increase of over 50 percent compared to the prior year when 70 major tour pros used Nippon Shaft, and it’s more than double the 48 players who used Nippon Shaft products in 2013.

“Nippon Shaft is proud and gratified that its product penetration continues to experience meaningful growth year after year on the world’s major men’s golf tours,” said Fukuda.

In the 2014-15 season, Nippon Shaft players won 16 times on the world’s top tours, including the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Web.com Tour, Challenge Tour and the LPGA Tour. Seven of the 30 contestants in the PGA TOUR’s TOUR Championship used Nippon Shaft steel shafts in their irons and/or wedges.

The iron shaft models used by golf’s elite players were the N.S. PRO 950GH, the N.S. PRO MODUS³ Tour 130, N.S. PRO MODUS³ Tour 120, N.S. PRO MODUS³ TOUR 105 shaft, and N.S. PRO MODUS³ PROTOTYPE ORA steel shafts.

In addition, more than 70 players use Nippon Shaft N.S. PRO MODUS³ WEDGE shafts, which are designed exclusively for wedges, utilising unique technologies that contribute to high levels of stability and feel in the short game.  The WEDGE shafts were released to the public in March of 2015.

Meanwhile, Nippon Shaft continues to be the preferred shaft on the LPGA Tour, with several players having recorded victories on the world’s predominant women’s tour.