Woodland holds nerve to stay top at U.S. Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and Massage Envy have announced a four-year partnership designating Massage Envy as an Official Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions along with being the Official Total Body Care Sponsor of the Player Performance Centers, the TOUR’s mobile training and wellness trailers. The agreement marks Massage Envy’s first major sports partnership and is the PGA TOUR’s first agreement with a brand in the massage and skin care services categories. The new relationship coincides with the introduction of Massage Envy’s new assisted stretching service called Total Body Stretch. Performed by a trained service provider, the company’s proprietary Streto Method is built around a sequence of 10, targeted stretches performed top down and designed to increase flexibility, mobility and performance.  An award-winning chiropractor, massage therapist and ergonomist developed the proprietary Streto Method for Massage Envy. Beginning in July, Total Body Stretch will be available to members and guests of the company’s more than 1,150 franchise locations across the country, including most cities that host PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions tournaments. “As the recognized leader in the massage and body care industry, Massage Envy is an ideal partner for the Player Performance Center unit that primarily focuses on therapeutic and injury-prevention services for our PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions members,� said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Sponsorship and Partnership. “We are excited to welcome Massage Envy to the TOUR as a sponsor and look forward to having its team collaborate with the Player Performance Centers’ highly skilled staff to integrate some of their services into the player program, including their new stretching program.� The PGA TOUR’s professional staff of the Player Performance Center will be certified in the Streto Method and beginning this week at the Travelers Championship, the Massage Envy logo will be prominently displayed on one of the two trailers that are available each week on both tours to support player performance and wellness with fitness training, physical therapy and chiropractic services. They are staffed with professional therapists and when fully deployed, are 16.5 feet wide, over 14 feet high and 60 feet long.  “We can’t think of better partners than this team of professional athletes and the PGA TOUR, especially as we launch Total Body Stretch,� said Joe Magnacca, Massage Envy CEO. “The PGA TOUR and its players have a deep appreciation for body care and how it can boost performance. Massage Envy is proud of making massage an integral part of so many people’s lives and now, we are bringing Total Body Stretch and our Streto Method not just to professional golfers, but to everyone as part of their wellness routine.� To activate the partnership, Massage Envy also has built relationships with the following 10 PGA TOUR members: • Jonas Blixt  • Patrick Cantlay • Bud Cauley • Tony Finau  • Smylie Kaufman  • Jamie Lovemark  • Patrick Rodgers • Brandt Snedeker • Henrik Stenson • Justin Thomas “It’s impossible to compete at this level if you aren’t taking care of your body, and assisted stretching is a big part of my training,� says Justin Thomas. “Being flexible and having a wide range of motion gives me an edge, especially against bigger guys who naturally get more power behind their swing, and it also helps me stay healthy over the course of the season.� “We’re excited about our new relationships with these tremendous athletes, who will help us tell the story of how proactive body care services, such as massage and assisted stretching, can boost performance and maintain the bodies of all athletes – from the professional to the weekend warrior – so they can do more of what they love to do,� said Derek Detenber, Massage Envy’s Senior Vice President of Marketing.

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Expert picks for The Greenbrier Classic

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It used to be easier to identify the brand of irons that a PGA TOUR player uses. These days, it’s becoming more difficult. In the current golf equipment landscape, ultra-personalized custom irons are growing in popularity among PGA TOUR players, whereas they historically would use irons that were available to the public on the retail market. The tide is shifting. In 2022 alone, Adam Scott debuted custom Miura Golf-made irons with his logo on them, and Maverick McNealy used a custom set of Callaway Apex prototype irons – a set that included an “11-iron” – throughout the year. Justin Thomas also has been using a “1-of-1” custom set of Titleist irons that meet his specs. There may be another big name added to that list soon. In a Halloween-day post on Instagram, former FedExCup champion Justin Rose revealed an equally mysterious set of irons, showcasing no other logos aside from his personal “JR” logo. The golf world was abuzz trying to figure out which equipment manufacturer designed and built the set. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long to find the answer. Rose revealed shortly after, in a comment on the GolfWRX Instagram page, that Custom Golf Works at Gatwick Studio custom-built the irons. He later confirmed via Instagram DM with GolfWRX that the iron heads themselves were manufactured by Miura, much like Scott’s custom irons. While Rose is not entirely positive if and when the custom “JR” irons will go into play, he’s giving them serious consideration. Most players do the bulk of their equipment testing in tandem with a company’s reps – often at tournaments, a company’s home office or the player’s home course – but Rose has used Custom Golf Works, an independent, off-site clubfitting facility, multiple times this year. They also helped fit him for the Titleist 620MB irons he was using earlier this year. The fitter boasts a decade of fitting players on the DP World Tour but also is open to the public. It isn’t affiliated with a single equipment brand. When Rose switched to Titleist clubs earlier in the year, it was simply because the irons won out over other brands he was testing. For Rose, changing irons wouldn’t be anything new; since becoming an equipment free agent in 2020, Rose has used multiple sets of irons in PGA TOUR competition, including TaylorMade P-730 irons, Mizuno MP-20 irons, TaylorMade P-7MC irons, and Titleist 620 MB irons. This time around, it seems Rose’s new custom “JR” irons are made especially for his look and preferences, so maybe his iron search has reached a finish line.

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