The Loop

Rory McIlroy has some new challengers for the longest hitter on the Nike tour staff

If you’re Nike Golf, and you have Rory McIlroy and Michelle Wie sporting the swoosh (not to mention the sidelined Tiger Woods), your brand visibility is already pretty strong. Still, the addition of Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau, a pair of rising stars on the PGA Tour signed to new equipment endorsements on Monday, doesn’t hurt.

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Photo by Patrick James Miller

Koepka (above), who had been with Titleist, is coming off breakthrough 2014-’15 season that saw him win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and earn more than $3.5 million, helping his rise to his current 16th spot in the World Ranking. The 25-year-old also ranked eighth in driving distance while averaging 308.2 yards off the tee.

The power-hitting Finau spent last season with Callaway and also enjoyed a strong 2014-’15 campaign with five top-10 finishes and 16 top-25s in 31 starts. That allowed the 26-year-old to top $2 million in earnings, good enough for 40th on the money list. Finau ranked seventh in driving distance last season at 309 yards and is second so far in the 2015-’16 season at 324.9 yards.

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Koepka’s new Nike equipment will get an early test as he is playing in this week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions.