To little surprise, Callaway Golf has announced they signed 16-year-old golf phenom and two-time Canadian Women’s Open champion, Lydia Ko, to an endorsement deal. Ko will play Callaway clubs and an Odyssey putter.
Speculation about Ko signing with Callaway began in late November, shortly after she announced she was turning pro on YouTube. Ko tweeted that she met her “idol” Phil Mickelson at the Callaway fitting center.
Omg i met my favourite player Phil Mickelson at the Callaway fitting centre! I was so nervous! #myidol
— Lydia Ko (@Lko424) November 12, 2013
This is the proof 🙂 pic.twitter.com/pSXT01IK4e
— Lydia Ko (@Lko424) November 12, 2013
From Callaway’s press release.
“Lydia is an exceptional talent and a great addition to our staff,” said Nick Raffaele, vice president of Sports Marketing for Callaway. “Last year we had several Pros win after successfully transitioning into our products and we’re excited to see what Lydia can accomplish on the LPGA with the world’s best clubs, balls and putter in the bag.”
In addition to Ko, Callaway also signed Yani Tseng – the youngest player, male or female, to win five major championships – who spent 109 weeks of her career as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.
With 15 career LPGA Tour wins to her name and an appearance on TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” list in 2012, Tseng is one of the most recognizable players in LPGA Tour history.
Callaway posted the following video to it’s corporate blog.