Danny Willett’s surprise win at the Masters golf tournament this past weekend wasn’t just a victory for the Englishman, but also for his sponsor, Callaway.
Just hours before Willet donned the famed green jacket, defending champion Jordan Spieth held a five-shot lead with nine holes to go, and was seemingly on his way to a second Masters title, plus another marketing win for his sponsor Under Armour.
All that fell apart when Spieth quadruple-bogeyed the par three, 12th hole at Augusta National and went on to tie for second, three shots back of Willet.
So it was Callaway that got to celebrate in the end — cheering him on social media, plus follow-up releases showing fans exactly what clubs Willett used on the course with links to buy. Well done by the marketing team!
Willett, only the second Englishman to win the Masters in addition to three-time champion Nick Faldo, almost didn’t make it to the competition, as he and his wife were awaiting the arrival of their first child. But good timing led to Willett being the last competitor to take the course, and eventually win his first green jacket.
At 28-years-old, Willett is a three-time winner on the European Tour and has competed at the BMW International Open, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Australian Golf Open, among others, but his comeback at Masters has been the rocket-ship propelling him in front of the masses. Although Nike and Under Armour hadn’t thought to sign him, Callaway, Saujana Hotels & Resorts and Audemars Piguet watchmakers currently make up his list of sponsors.
While the loss stings, Spieth remains the top golfer to watch this season and its likely his sponsors will do just fine. The 22-year-old’s Masters and U.S. Open wins in 2015 helped secure major deals with Under Armour, AT&T, Rolex, Titleist and others. And his second-place finish this year is nothing to sneeze at — the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, Jason Day, finished tied for tenth.
For Callaway, who last got the Masters spotlight with Phil Mickleson winning in 2010, Willett’s win capped a great week for the brand, that also gained some good press during the tournament thanks to veteran golf great Tom Watson, who played in his final Masters.
