It’s not every week that a former major champion and top 10 player in the world ends one equipment endorsement contract and then signs a new equipment endorsement contract mid-season, but for the second time in the last 30 months, Callaway Golf is the beneficiary of such good fortune.
The company announced Wednesday evening that it has reached an endorsement deal with Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open Champion, 2002 British Open champion and the No. 6-ranked player in the world. On Monday, Acushnet Golf announced that Els had been released from his five-year endorsement contract to use Titleist golf clubs and balls and wear FootJoy shoes and gloves. That deal was set to expire at the end of this year. Els’ departure from Titleist and FootJoy marks the second time an Acushnet player left the company mid-season to join Callaway’s team. In September 2004, Phil Mickelson became a Callaway endorsee, weeks after ending a deal with Titleist and FootJoy.
Terms of the Els deal were not disclosed but sources indicate the contract is long term and multi-year. The deal will include ball, clubs, bag and the side and back of the hat. Els currently also has a major endorsement contract with SAP, which has a position on the front of his cap.
Els is playing on the European Tour’s Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand this week, and he is expected to play the new Callaway FT-5 driver and the Callaway HX Tour 56 golf ball.
It is a strategic boon for Callaway, which has been in the market for a significant player on the international stage for several years. Els is one of the few players to routinely play on several continents, playing frequently on an annual basis in his home country of South Africa, as well as in Asia and in Europe. Els has won 43 times worldwide and 15 times on the PGA Tour. His last victory came in the 2006 South African Open, but his last PGA Tour victory came in 2004.
Nick Raffaele, Callaway’s vice president of sports marketing, said the deal happened very quickly after Acushnet had released Els from his contract. He said that Els specifically had expressed interest in the Callaway golf ball, although Raffaele admitted he was also surprised Els had put the FT-5 driver in the bag so quickly.
“I would say he’s probably only used the club once and that was in the pro-am this week,” said Raffaele, who indicated that because of the sudden nature of the deal, Els will be given time to transition to a full bag of Callaway clubs, including an Odyssey putter. Raffaele said Els will play products that are in the Callaway line, indicating that Els seems to be leaning toward the new X-Forged irons.
It is expected that Els’ next U.S. event will be the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Els won the event, played at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, in 1998.