-Historic memorabilia to be on display at the Wilson house during 150th Open -
Wilson Golf, the brand with more Major wins with its irons than any other (62), will pay tribute to its galaxy of Champion Golfers at a specially decorated house just a Padraig Harrington 5-wood away from the Old Course 18th fairway during the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
Players using Wilson clubs, including legendary giants of the game like Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer, have won a total of 10 Claret Jugs and two of those came at the Home of Golf – Snead in 1946 and John Daly in 1995. Other famous Wilson players with names on the iconic trophy include Johnny Miller (1976 at Royal Birkdale), Bill Rogers (1981 at Royal St George’s), Paul Lawrie (1999 at Carnoustie) and Harrington (2007 at Carnoustie & 2008 at Royal Birkdale).
The Wilson golf brand - which dates back more than 105 years itself - will showcase historic promotional material from its archives at the Wilson Innovation Centre in Chicago and its UK fitting centre in Irvine, Scotland. The material featured at the Wilson house in St Andrews includes priceless artwork dating back to the 1920’s, through the highly successful 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s when the brand won 23 Majors, into the late 90’s and early 2000’s to the present day.
“The 150th Open at the Home of Golf is going to be an incredibly special week and we wanted to celebrate the part that Wilson equipment and our famous Advisory Staff players have played in the Championship over the years,” said Global Commercial Director, Doug Wright.
“Wilson is a historic golf brand, synonymous with golfers around the world and we’re looking to take that heritage and present it to the next generation of players, while recognising our success over the years. We think visitors to the house will be inspired by the many great players that have played Wilson clubs and hopefully we can add another Major winner to our impressive list of Champion Golfers during this historic year,” he added.
The brand is starting its celebrations with an exclusive gathering on the Monday of Open week, with past Champions Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie in attendance.
“Everyone in golf knows the heritage of Wilson clubs and the success the brand has enjoyed in Major championships is phenomenal, so I’m very proud to have played a part in that,” said Padraig, who won back-to-back Open’s in 2007 and 2008 and has been a Wilson brand ambassador for 25 seasons - one of sports longest running partnerships.
“The history of Wilson is like no other brand in golf and the names that have won Majors with them reads like a who’s who of the game. Open Championship week is always special but being the 150th and being able to celebrate Wilson on its past achievements whilst also looking ahead to exciting times to come, will make it an even more special few days,” he added.
For more information on all Wilson Staff products, including woods, irons, wedges, putters, balls and accessories, visit www.wilson.com