Kj choi buys mp-64’s off the rack on route to memorial
KJ Choi buys MP-64’s off the rack on route to Memorial
Mizuno was surprised and delighted to learn from cult equipment site GolfWRX that eight-time PGA Tour winner KJ Choi has purchased a set of off-the-rack MP-64 irons.
The 43-year-old South Korean took a detour on his way to The Memorial Tournament on Monday to visit Golf Galaxy in Dublin, Ohio, before paying for a set of Mizuno MP-64s he’d been practising with on the range.
No equipment trucks are allowed on the hallowe’d turf of Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village this week so Choi decided to test four different sets of irons at the retail store’s range before typing in his four-digit pin number.
“He tried a few different Mizuno irons, the MP-59s, MP-69s and MP-64s,” said Doug Fleischmann, customer assistant at Golf Galaxy. “He also tried the Titleist [712] CB’s.”
According to Fleishmann, Choi went into a hitting bay at the store and hit each club about five to 10 times. Choi had store employees check the swing weights and lies on the clubs, and commented that all of the irons with the exception of the MP-64s had swing weights that felt inconsistent.
When the swing weights were measured, Fleischmann said the other clubs had swing weights that ranged from D2 to D4, while all of the swing weights of the MP-64s were D2, so he plumped for them, paid up and headed for the tournament!
Mizuno has a history of professionals choosing to play its irons when not tied to sponsorship contracts. Colin Montgomerie, David Toms and John Daly have also picked up sets of Mizuno’s in recent years…while inbetween equipment deals. Famously Tiger Woods started his professional career with Mizuno irons before signing his first endorsement with Titleist.
Andy Kikidas, Tour Operations Manager, “Mizuno made its name in professional golf – so we do things a little differently to the other manufacturers. The products we sell to the public are identical to the ones we supply to our professionals via the tour workshops. So when a tour player needs a set in a hurry from their local shop – they often walk away with a set of Mizunos.”
