Seve signs with Mizuno

Spanish legend Severiano Ballesteros’s quest to return to the summit of European golf has been backed by Japanese equipment giant Mizuno. Ballesteros will make his first competitive start of 2000 at the Dubai Desesrt Classic this week with an equipment and bag deal from Mizuno. Ballesteros will play with Mizuno’s Pro II irons and new Forged driver (Review coming soon), carry the Mizuno staff bag and wear a Mizuno Tec Flex glove.

The deal cements a relationship that has run for the last two years, with Mizuno servicing Ballesteros’ equipment through it’s European Tour Workshop.

Ballesteros said: “Mizuno make good simple looking equipment that lets me play to my strengths. The irons have more feel and consistency than others I’ve tried and allows me to be more creative. I’m also looking forward to competing with the new Mizuno driver. It’s a good traditional shape and is very responsive from the face. Mizuno built a number of drivers, with different lofts and shaft flexes and we’ve found the right combination.

David Matthews, Marketing Manager for Mizuno commented, “Seve is the perfect figurehead for Mizuno. He is the rare type of sportsman whose appeal crosses boundaries of age, ability and nationality. He rarely has a dull round and that’s why the public relate to him.”

“Over the last few years club golfers have been conditioned to play like robots. There are golfers tying themselves in knots, trying to perfect the game. Most players would enjoy golf more if they let a little more feel and instinctiveness back into their game.

“Modern equipment is partly to blame. As it’s become easier to use, its lost its sensitivity and there is very little reward in ‘feel’ for hitting a ‘true’ shot.
Our new equipment is all about ‘feel’. That’s what Seve stands for and why we want him to represent Mizuno.”