If Tommy Fleetwood ever takes Nike irons out of his bag, he’ll do it kicking and screaming.
Fleetwood, one of the best iron players in golf, used to be sponsored by Nike and has an aging set of the company’s VR Pro Blade Irons that would have, under normal circumstances, been replaced by now. The problem is, Nike recently stopped making golf equipment and Fleetwood is reluctant to move to another manufacturer, like Titleist or Mizuno.
So Fleetwood has resorted to begging.
He asked fellow Englishman Paul Casey, who was also sponsored by Nike, about using a set he has stored away in his garage, according to PGATour.com. Casey — somewhat tongue in cheek — said Fleetwood didn’t offer him much for the now-rare clubs that were popularized by Tiger Woods.
“They are as rare as rocking horse poo,” Casey, who now uses Mizuno irons, told PGATour.com. “And I will not sell them to him. Or put it this way, he hasn’t offered me enough money. They look beautiful, by the way, and I haven’t used them. They’re the kind of clubs you could hang on the wall.
“I love the fact that Tommy’s running around telling everybody. I haven’t found any gifts in my locker or handwritten notes. He’s got to try harder.”
Fleetwood switched irons before this season and is now on his last set. He used those irons for his record-tying, final-round 63 during the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.
He’s not hopeful about securing another set, saying Casey’s “got a brand-new set and he won’t give them to me.”
“Shame on Paul,” he told the website. “He’s pretty set in his ways, so I don’t think I’ll be getting those. Honestly, changing [clubs] might make life easier if something went wrong. With a set from another manufacturer, I could get them fixed and it wouldn’t be a struggle.”
There is at least one scenario, though, where Casey would consider loaning Fleetwood the clubs.
“If I hopefully make the Ryder Cup team, and Tommy’s my partner, maybe I’d loan them out to him for the week because I want him to play well,” he told the paper. “But I’ll have them right back at the end of the week.”
