CARLSBAD, Calif., June 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Callaway
Golf Company (NYSE:ELY) officially announced that it has signed 5
top-ranked amateurs to its professional staff: Lee McCoy, Aaron
Wise, Thomas Detry,
Matt NeSmith and Will Starke. All five of these players have
recently turned professional after standout collegiate careers.
They will all use Callaway equipment and Odyssey putters in
professional competition.
Lee McCoy
McCoy was
named a 1st Team All-American for 2016, he was a 3-time
All-American selection at the University of
Georgia, and he's been one of the most highly regarded
amateurs in the world this year. He was also selected SEC Player of
the Year, won the 2016 SEC Championship, and was 3rd in the amateur
rankings before turning professional. McCoy made headlines in March
when he finished T4 at the Valspar Championship, the best finish on
the PGA Tour by an amateur in nearly two decades. He competed in
the 2015 U.S. Open, played on the 2015 U.S. Walker Team, and won 7
college tournaments during his amateur career.
Aaron Wise
Wise had an
historic end to his college career, winning the NCAA Individual
Championship and the NCAA Team Championship for the University of Oregon, in addition to being named a
1st Team All-American selection. And this week, he is
playing in the U.S. Open at Oakmont after taking medalist honors in
his local qualifying section. Before turning pro, he was the 5th
ranked amateur in the world, and he won medalist honors at the 2016
PGA Tour Canada Q-School. He won 5 collegiate tournaments while at
Oregon, and his other notable
victories include the 2014 Inland Empire Amateur, 2015 Pacific
Coast Amateur, and 2016 Australian Master of Amateurs.
Thomas Detry
Detry was
the 7th ranked amateur in the world before turning pro after a
tremendous NCAA career at the University of
Illinois, which he capped off by winning the 2016 Big Ten
Championship. In 2015, he was named the Big Ten Golfer of the Year
and was voted an All-American. He also competed for Team Europe in
the 2014 Palmer Cup. A native of Belgium, Thomas has represented his country at
the World Team Amateur Championship as well.
Matt NeSmith
After
earning All-American honors and winning the SEC Championship last
year as a junior at the University of South
Carolina, NeSmith won two events and was named
1st Team All-SEC and 1st Team All-American in 2016. Matt
was ranked 8th in the most recent men's amateur world rankings, and
prior to his outstanding college career he was named the 2012 AJGA
Rolex Player of the Year.
Will Starke
An
All-American at the University of South
Carolina, Starke got his professional career off to a great
start by winning the Mackenzie Tour Q-School in April, earning full
status on the Canadian Tour in 2016.
These five athletes join a long list of young, successful
players on the company's Tour Staff, including major winners
Danny Willett and Lydia Ko, Branden
Grace, Patrick Reed,
Danny Lee, Harris English, Ryo
Ishikawa, Emiliano Grillo,
Thomas Pieters, Ollie Schniederjans, and Wesley Bryan, among many others.
Callaway staff pros continue to win on Tours around the world in
2016, including at Augusta, on the
European Tour, LPGA, and Web.com. Willett, Ko and Bryan are all
currently #1 on the money list on their respective Tours.
About Callaway Golf
Through an unwavering commitment to innovation, Callaway Golf
Company (NYSE:ELY) creates products designed to make every golfer a
better golfer. Callaway Golf Company manufactures and sells golf
clubs and golf balls, and sells golf accessories under the Callaway
Golf® and Odyssey® brands worldwide. For more information please
visit www.callawaygolf.com.
CONTACT: Scott Goryl, Callaway
Golf Company, scott.goryl@callawaygolf.com
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SOURCE Callaway Golf Company