To celebrate the week of the U.S. Open, Nike Athletes (Paul Casey, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink, Francesco Molinari and Charl Schwartzel) competing in this Major championship will be sporting a new limited edition color (white/red) of the popular Nike Lunar Control footwear.

The Nike Lunar Control is comfortable, light and stable, all ingredients that add up to perfect golf shoes…ones that win major championships. Nike Athlete Charl Schwartzel wore the limited edition Lunar Control featuring the color green for his 2011 Masters win.

While there may be a limited number of this version of the shoe available, there are no limited to the performance that they offer.

• Lunarlon foam cushioning for dynamic support, optimal ground feel and lightweight comfort.
• Flywire saddle utilized high-tensile strength fibers to wrap the midfoot for lightweight structure and targeted support.
• Waterproof performance leather makes for a full-grain leather shoe that will withstand wet weather conditions.

www.nikestore.com

DIRECTV, in partnership with ESPN and NBC, will give golf fans a green-side seat for all the action at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club — without the grass stains and humidity. Beginning June 16, all they have to do is pick up the remote at home to watch DIRECTV’s U.S. Open Experience with its U.S. Open Mix channel and three full-screen HD channels of bonus coverage, and go all interactive at the touch of the red remote button for an in-depth look at player stats, enhanced scorecards, and an interactive leader board that is available 24/7 during the four days of the tournament. Viewers can even take a daily trivia quiz about U.S. Open history.

Summary of U.S. Open Coverage on DIRECTV:

• U.S. Open Mix on Channel 701
• Channel 702: Network Coverage
• 3 Full-Screen HD Channels of Bonus Coverage, each fully produced with multiple cameras and its own announcing teams
• Channel 703: Featured Group – follow a group of golfers as they play each shot on the second nine.
• Channel 704: Featured Group 2 – walk the course with a second group as they play each shot on the second nine.
• Channel 705: Holes 10 &18 – watch as the whole field navigates its way through these challenging holes.

• • 10th Hole: This par 3 used to serve as the 18th hole but now plays in the opposite direction.
  • 18th Hole: Long considered the most demanding hole on the course, the former 17th par 4 provides the field’s final test.

On-demand Features

• Full Leader board – Instantly see where each player is situated
• Complete Scorecards – Provides hole-by-hole scoring and expanded stats for every golfer and every round
• U.S. Open Trivia – Test your knowledge of U.S. Open history with the daily quiz
• Accessible from all the U.S. Open Channels 701-705

www.DIRECTV.com

It’s been a busy week for U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who’s kicking off 2011 in style at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Maui, HI, sporting new golf shoes from ECCO golf.

Danish brand ECCO – maker of the world’s most comfortable, technically-advanced footwear – announces the signing of defending U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who will showcase the brand’s logo on his headwear and compete in the newly-launched Comfort Classic golf shoes.

As part of this multi-year agreement, McDowell, who is currently No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will be featured in global marketing and advertising initiatives supporting the ECCO Golf Collection, and appear at company functions.

“I had a lot of success last year and that led to some great new opportunities in terms of my equipment,” says McDowell. “When it came to footwear, partnering with ECCO was the best choice. The leather quality is quite amazing and the comfort is way beyond anything I’ve experienced before. I’m really looking forward to getting out on the course and experiencing the difference it makes in competition.”

McDowell made history in 2010 when he became the first European in 40 years to win the U.S. Open Championship. The 31-year-old native of Northern Ireland also secured the winning point for the European Ryder Cup team, and captured titles at the Chevron World Challenge, Celtic Manor Wales Open and Andalucia Valderrama Masters.

“It says something about what Tour players think of our products when someone like Graeme, who’s coming off such an incredible season, decides to make a switch to ECCO,” says Jesper Thuen, Sponsor and Event Manager, ECCO Golf. “His style and manner are a perfect fit with our brand. It’s an amazing opportunity to have him showcasing the new Comfort Classic line to golfers around the world.”

ECCO golf shoes are also worn in competition by scores of international Tour stars, including Fred Couples, Stuart Appleby, Thongchai Jaidee, Thomas Bjorn, Aaron Baddeley, Thorbjorn Olesen, Jennifer Johnson and many others.

www.eccousa.com

Graeme McDowell with Billy Bush-Image via Accesshollywood.com

2010 was the year of the European resurgence on the PGA Tour, and what better way to start off 2011 with Graeme McDowell joining Srixon.

Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, has joined Srixon® as a member of their PGA Tour staff. McDowell, who is also a six-time winner on the European Tour, will play Srixon® irons, Cleveland®wedges and Srixon® balls. He will also wear a Srixon® hat and glove and carry a Srixon® bag.

“We are extremely pleased to have Graeme as a member of our PGA Tour staff,” said Greg Hopkins, CEO of Cleveland® Golf/Srixon®. “Having a world class player such as G·Mac choose to make the switch to Srixon, especially following such a successful 2010 season, not only says a lot about the faith he has in our products but also reflects as to the type of competitor and representative he’ll be for our brands.”

McDowell, who is also known as G·Mac, represented Ireland in the 2009 World Cup and was a 2010 Ryder Cup hero for Europe, scoring the decisive point in Europe’s dramatic victory over the United States. G·Mac was also voted 2010 Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America and joint 2010 Player of the Year on the European Tour.

“I am really excited about my decision to sign with 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.”

Graeme McDowell’s setup for Hyundai Tournament of Champions

G·Mac is playing Srixon Z-TX irons, a Cleveland Ultralite FL 3 wood, 588 wedges (47, 52, 58) and Z-STAR ball at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Maui, Hi. No change on his driver and hybrids for now (Callaway FT Tour (8.5°) with an Aldila RIP 60 shaft), although he’s been testing out some Cleveland Golf drivers. And no change on the putter (Odyssey White Hot #7).

www.srixon.com

[View with PicLens]

The 2010 U.S. Open is set to begin June 17th-2oth, 2010 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Find out what your favorite Nike Golf athletes will be wearing on the course:  defending U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover, Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Paul Casey, Trevor Immelman, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Stephen Ames, Carl Pettersson, David Duval, Charl Schwartzel, James Morrison, Pablo Martin, Simon Dyson, and Francesco Molinari.

Watch this video provided by Nike Golf, to get the back story on how athlete scripting works and what the players think about the whole process. It’s  quite interesting and worth watching!

www.nikegolf.com

The 2009 U.S. Open Championship in June at Bethpage Black, was probably one of the wettest U.S. Open’s I can remember, with torrential rains, gusty winds, and cool temperatures. And playing in those types of conditions, would easily keep most golfers away. Most golf shoes on the market are waterproof to some extent, but none have been developed for playing in harsh conditions. Nike Golf’s answer to playing in playing in wet weather conditions like those at Bethpage Black is the Nike Zoom Bandon golf shoe.

[View with PicLens]

Look and Feel
The mid-cut designed Nike Zoom Bandon features a seam sealed synthetic upper that is booth breathable and flexible, with a waterproof lining. The interior of the Nike Zoom Bandon has a full-length padded sock liner, that hugs your foot to help keep your feet comfortable and dry . When you look at the shoe, it looks like a mid-cut aqua sock turned golf shoe with its zipper shroud closure that keeps the water out and your laces dry, at the same time blocking water from entering at your ankle. The Nike Zoom Bandon golf shoe also has a very unique dot like gradient pattern that is outlined in a reflective silver, that is also seen in the Nike Storm-Fit Elite jacket and pants.

Besides wet weather protection, the Nike Zoom Bandon also features Nike Zoom Air unit in the heel of the shoe for comfort and stability when walking. The full-length Phylon midsole also features the Nike Power Platform, for better balance and easy weight transfer during your golf swing, and Scorpion Stinger Spikes for traction.

In terms of weight, the Nike Zoom Bandon are on the heavy side, so I had my reservations for how truly comfortable they would be to play in.

Performance
The day I tried out the Nike Zoom Bandon golf shoes, it was a blustery and cold overcast day with light rain. The course was still very wet from several days of rain and the conditions were very soft. On a cool and miserable day like this, I was glad to be wearing a mid-cut golf shoe. I couldn’t imagine playing in those conditions wearing a regular pair of golf shoe. My ankles would have frozen in those conditions and I’d be worried about watering seeping in around my ankles while walking around the course.

One of the big problems with synthetic materials is they have a tendency to be not very flexible and breathable. I was concerned that the Nike Zoom Bandon would be very uncomfortable to wear and not very breathable, because of the synthetic uppers and mid-cut height. This wasn’t the case at all when I wore them. I found the synthetic uppers to be extremely comfortable when walking and the padded sock liner did a great job of keeping my feet at a cool and dry. No clammy wet feet after 18 holes.

The zipper shroud closure is a feature that did a great job of keeping the elements from entering at my ankles and keeping my feet dry. And you don’t have to worry about getting your laces wet or untying either. Wearing the Nike Zoom Bandon, I felt like there was no way water was going to get into these shoes.

Comfort
Like I mentioned before, the Zoom Bandon are a mid-cut golf shoe and I had some reservations about how comfortable it would be playing 18 holes in them. I can tell you that this isn’t a major issue. While the shoes are a little heavy, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to walk in these shoes. The Phylone mid-sole couple with the Nike Zoom Air unit in the heel did a good job of keeping my feet comfortable throughout my round. What I really liked is how well the Scorpion Stinger Spikes provided traction in the wet conditions, without getting clogged with mud. This is a bonus and makes it easier to clean the shoe post round.

The Nike Power Platform that is used in the Zoom Bandon also does a great job of helping you keep your balance for better foot work and weight transfer during your golf swing. I wasn’t expecting this to be the case, since it’s a mid-cut golf shoe.

Overall, the Nike Zoom Bandon are a great pair of wet weather golf shoes, that not only keep your feet dry, but are also comfortable wear. If you play a lot of Fall golf or live in the Pacific Northwest, you really should invest in a pair of Nike Zoom Bandon golf shoes. Your feet will thank you.

Nike Zoom Bandon MSRP $176
Black/Black-Varsity Red
2 Year Limited Waterproof Warranty

This week at Bethpage Black, Tiger Woods will be going for his 15th Major at the 2009 U.S. Open.  Nike Golf sent me a box of the golf shirts from Tiger Woods Collection that he will be wearing each day of the 2009 U.S. Open, called “The Dress Code for Bethpage Black.” 

[View with PicLens]

The Tiger Woods Collection incorporates a full assortment of styles, that blend the best in class technology for the discerning player’s on-course performance and off-course lifestyle needs. All the shirts feature Nike’s Dri-FIT technology that help keep you comfortable and dry by wicking perspiration from your skin to the outside of the garment for rapid evaporation. Plus 30 UPF.

Another nice touch is the use of Mercerized technology, which uses mercerized cotton on the outer surface for a soft luxurious touch, and Dri-FIT technology on the inside.

The Dress Code

Thursday, June 18th Dri-Fit Ground Strip Polo (Dri-FIT UV) in Midnight Navy, MSRP $85

Friday, June 19th Dri-FIT Texture Mock (Dri-FIT Mercerized) in White, MSRP $75

Saturday, June 20th Dri-FIT Fine Stripe Polo (Dri-FIT UV) in Boarder Blue, MSRP $85

Sunday, June 21st Dri-FIT Diagonal Texture Polo (Dri-FIT Mercerized) in Carmine, MSRP $80

For more information visit http://www.nike.com/nikegolf/index.htm

The U.S. Open, to be held this year at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., is one of four major golf events, including the Masters, PGA Championship and the British Open, at which DIRECTV will showcase its expanded, interactive coverage.

DIRECTV’s 2009 U.S. Open Experience

DIRECTV’s “U.S. Open Experience” will be available all four days  (June 18-21) of the prestigious USGA event for the first time, and only DIRECTV will offer TV viewers three extra channels in addition to ESPN’s coverage on Thursday and Friday and NBC Sports’ broadcast on Saturday and Sunday – all available in HD.  

Mix Channel viewers will see the home network channel and three feature channels that will follow a group of golfers around the 7,426-yard course, focus on particular area of the course and provide an “in-depth” channel with live updates, highlights and interviews.  Each of the extra channels will be offered in both standard- and high-definition and are fully produced with their own production crew and announcers. Customers with interactive receivers can view all four channels in the Mix and use their remote to listen to any channel’s audio or tune directly to the full-screen channel. The Mix also features a real-time leader board to keep tabs on all the action.

For more information visit http://www.directv.com.