In the first round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the opening day of the LPGA Tour 2023 season, the fact that Brooke Henderson (Canada) and Nellie Korda (USA) finished in first and second place became a hot topic of conversation because of the fame of the two players. It’s not just because. It became even bigger news because the two players recently changed their golf clubs. Prior to the tournament, Henderson switched club contracts from Ping to TaylorMade, and Koda from Titleist to TaylorMade.
In the first round of the tournament held on the 20th (Korean time) at Lake Nona Golf Course (par 72) in Orlando, Florida, USA, Henderson shot a 5 under par 67 and Koda recorded a 4 under par 68.
TaylorMade’s contracts with Koda and Henderson coincided with the growing popularity of women’s golf. A foreign press said, “TaylorMade, which has been focusing on the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour, recently signed contracts with female golfers is a noticeable change.” It seems that they are trying to apply it to women’s golf in the same way they approached it.” 스포츠토토
In the case of Henderson, he used to use a 48-inch driver, but due to a change in golf rules, he was not allowed to use clubs longer than 46 inches, and he said that he had a lot of worries because his flying distance decreased. It was also one of the reasons he broke up with Ping, whom he had been using since childhood.
The huge contract between Nike and Corda reflects the growing popularity of women’s golf in recent years. Koda signed a multi-year contract with Nike Golf, reportedly the biggest deal Nike has signed with a female golfer since signing Michelle Wie’s “Genius” Wie to a four-year, $20 million deal in 2005. Koda is stepping on the course in Nike golf apparel and golf shoes before the season opener.