BRIDGESTONE GOLF BUILDS TOUR TEAM AND CONVERTS STAFFERS TO MINDSET

Tiger Woods and others extend contracts with premium ball brand

January 20, 2025

COVINGTON, Ga. - Bridgestone Golf, the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, today announced major Tour news, including the extension of contracts for key staffers, the signing of new players, and the conversion of multiple staffers to the brand's MindSet technology.

Long time Bridgestone staffers Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar, Fred Couples, and Boo Weekley, as well as relative newcomer Chris Gotterup, all signed contract extensions with the brand. Each player will continue to play a TOUR B golf ball while Gotterup will also play Bridgestone forged 221 CB irons.

"I have played a ball manufactured by Bridgestone since my memorable 2000 season. Since the beginning, Bridgestone has continued to innovate and lead the golf ball category in terms of technology, performance, and consistency," said Tiger Woods. "They are great at what they do, and I look forward to continuing to work with their R&D team to design industry leading golf balls."

Gotterup, who signed with Bridgestone in '23 before getting his first PGA Tour win at the Myrtle Beach Classic with the TOUR B X golf ball in '24, is equally excited to re-up with Bridgestone, as he will also be playing the company's premium forged irons in '25.

"I've been playing the TOUR B X since I turned pro, and I know it's the best fit for my game. Bridgestone's golf ball fitting really opened my eyes to the kind of performance I can gain from playing the right ball," said Chris Gotterup. "And after working with the Bridgestone team I've also decided to utilize Mindset technology in '25. I think it could potentially be a game changer for my mental focus moving forward."

In addition to Woods, Kuchar, Gotterup, Fred Couples, Boo Weekley, and Jason Day, Bridgestone has added several new players to their Tour staff including proven winners Kurt Kitayama and Harry Hall, as well as existing Bridgestone staffer Takumi Kanaya joining the PGA TOUR as a rookie for the 2025 season.

"Building a tour team is part art and part science. We crunch the data and study trends for each player but sometimes it comes down to instinct and judgment on who to recruit to "Team Bridgestone". We believe we have the perfect mix of generational icons, proven winners, and up-and-comers," said Dan Murphy, President of Bridgestone Golf. "The sponsorship game has changed dramatically over the past few years as performance is more important than ever. There is a lot at stake each week for these guys and having the most optimized equipment has never been so important. That trend really plays into our favor and one of the reasons for our current expansion."

Indeed, many pros have started to put much less emphasis on maximizing their gear endorsements and more on playing the optimum gear for their game, as the sport itself has become more lucrative in recent years. Not surprisingly, Bridgestone's new TOUR staffers were drawn to the TOUR B performance more than anything when choosing to sign with the brand.

Englishman Harry Hall who joined the PGA Tour in 2022 is one of the newest members of Team Bridgestone. Harry had a solid 2024 season that included a win at the 2024 ISCO Championship. Hall has been fit into the TOUR B X and will have Bridgestone branding on his signature newsboy style hat.

"For me, the final test for an equipment is in tournament conditions. The Bridgestone team fit me into the TOUR B X, but I really wanted on-course validation before formally joining the staff," said Hall. "After these past two weeks in Hawaii ay Sentry and Sony, I knew I had found the right ball for my game. The ball speed is there, along with control around the green, and stability and consistency in the wind."

Also joining Team Bridgestone is Kurt Kitayama, who played his college golf at UNLV, has been on the PGA Tour since 2021 and is the winner of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Kitayama will game the TOUR B XS MindSet and feature prominent Bridgestone branding on his hat and golf bag.

"When you are playing well, the idea of making an equipment change can be a bit scary. The Bridgestone team flew out to Vegas and took me through the entire ball fitting process. Very quickly I realized that putting the TOUR B XS in play was going to be a no-brainer for me," said Kurt Kitayama. "The performance of the XS is superior and the spin control with this ball is next level. The bonus of switching to this ball is the MindSet technology, which I think will be a significant help to my pre-shot routine and overall mental game."

MindSet is a unique visual marking on the golf ball that Bridgestone developed to help golfers enhance their mental focus and play better golf. The MindSet technique was pioneered by Jason Day, which he debuted on Tour during the 2024 season. Joining Jason Day in playing MindSet on the PGA TOUR in '25 will be Kitayama, and Gotterup. On the Champions Tour Fred Couples and Boo Weekley will put MindSet in play.

"The concept of putting a visual cue on a ball that helps the mental game was a very a forward-thinking idea last year when we launched MindSet," said Elliot Mellow, Golf Ball Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf. "Fast forward a year and not only do we have more of Team Bridgestone playing MindSet, but we also have new guys coming into the fold in part due to MindSet. On the PGA Tour there have been movements in the past that had a significant effect on scoring - the explosion of metal wood technology was huge, and so was the fitness craze brought on by Tiger Woods and others. Now it looks like the mental game is coming to the forefront and MindSet is the only golf ball technology that can deliver a meaningful advantage for both pros as well as amateurs."

BRIDGESTONE STAFF WITB 2025:

Tiger Woods: TOUR B X

Jason Day: TOUR B X MindSet

Kurt Kitayama: TOUR B XS MindSet

Harry Hall: TOUR B X

Fred Couples: TOUR B RX MindSet

Matt Kuchar: TOUR B X

Chris Gotterup: TOUR B X MindSet, 221 CB irons

Boo Weekley: TOUR B XS MindSet

Takumi Kanaya: TOUR B X

For help selecting which premium Bridgestone model is the right ball for them, consumers should try Bridgestone's Golf Ball Selection Guide. To learn more about MINDSET, please visit bridgestonegolf.com.

About Bridgestone Golf

Based in Covington, GA, Bridgestone Golf USA manufactures premium golf balls, clubs and accessories under the Bridgestone and Precept brands. The company started making golf balls in 1935 and beginning in 2006, revolutionized golf ball selection with its custom ball-fitting program, identifying a golfer's ideal golf ball based on personal swing characteristics. Today, as the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, Bridgestone has conducted over four million fittings via a combination of live-fitting, online selection, OTTO Autonomous Ball Fitting, and its V-FIT video ball fitting. The consumer data gathered from ball-fitting continues to inspire Bridgestone's innovative new golf ball designs, yielding industry-leading performance products for the entire range of players, from recreational golfers to the best in the world. Bridgestone Golf has also pioneered the development of MindSet technology, the only visual golf ball technology aimed at improving on-course mental focus and concentration. Bridgestone Golf is proudly represented on international professional tours by Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Kurt Kitayama, Harry Hall, Fred Couples, Matt Kuchar, Chris Gotterup, Boo Weekley, and Takumi Kanaya. Bridgestone Golf USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Sports Co. Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo. More information: bridgestonegolf.com.

Media Contact:

Mike Chwasky, JDPR, [email protected]

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