Michael Phelps signs endorsement deal with PING Golf

PING Golf announced a new addition to their professional roster today.  However, the player is not a professional golfer.  He may be the most well-known Olympian in the world and one of the most popular athletes around.  None other than Michael Phelps.

Phelps announced his retirement from swimming after the 2012 London Olympic Games.  Phelps, who holds Olympic records for most gold medals (18) and most total medals (22), told the world he wanted to concentrate on his golf game following his prolific Olympic career.  Phelps is just beginning his journey in golf, but with the drive and dedication of a world-class athlete, it will not take him long to improve his game.

Phelps signed on to The Golf Channel's Haney Project, a show lead by PGA Tour instructor Hank Haney.  In the show, viewers will be able to see the progress Phelps is making in his golf game on his way to becoming a solid player.

When Phelps stepped on a golf course, it didn't take long for him to set a new record.  Last fall in Europe, Phelps drained what is thought to be the longest ever televised putt, at 153 feet.  Not only is he better than you at swimming, his golf game is better too!

Phelps is debuting his new bag of clubs this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open Pro-Am, where he partnered with Bubba Watson and three other amateur golfers to take on the Wednesday Pro-Am field.  Phelps will have a full set of PING G25 clubs in his bag that were custom fit for him.  Watch for The Haney Project coming soon on the Golf Channel to see more of Phelps' game.

2013 LPGA Tour Schedule Released

The 2013 LPGA Tour schedule is finally released.  This year's schedule includes 28 tournaments and over 300 hours of television coverage for the ladies, a new record. 

The season opens once again in Australia for the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open on February 14th.  The tour then moves to Asia for two tournaments before the start of the US season with the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Arizona on March 14th.  Three new events have been added to the LPGA schedule, including the North Texas LPGA Shootout, the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, and the Reignwood Pine Valley LPGA Classic in Beijing.  Each of these events mark a new era on the LPGA Tour where worldwide events will become more of the norm.

The LPGA Tour also moves to 5 major championships this season.  The Kraft Nabisco Championship will be the first major of the year on April 4-7th.  It will be played at Mission Hills Country Club in California.  The Wegmans LPGA Championship will move to Locust Hill Country Club in Pennsylvania and will take place June 6-9th.  The US Women's Open moves to storied Sebonack Country Club in New York and is June 27-30th.  The Ricoh Women's British Open will be played at the birthplace of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland on August 1-4th.  And finally, the LPGA's newest major, the Evian Championship, will be played on September 12-15th at The Evian Resort Golf Club in France.

After the Evian Championship, the tour moves to its fall Asian Swing, with five tournaments overseas  The ladies then return to Mexico for the Lorena Ochoa Invitational before finishing the season with the CME Group Titleholders in Florida.

This season should be one of the best in recent history on the LPGA Tour, with many young American golfers joining the tour along with the continued strong play of the veterans who have made the LPGA Tour one of the most exciting golf tours in the world.

Rory McIlroy finalizes deal with Nike Golf

What has been a rumor for the past few months is finally true: Rory McIlroy has left Titleist Golf and switched to Nike Golf.  McIlroy has signed a head-to-toe deal with Nike and will used 14 Nike golf clubs and wear Nike clothing.  McIlroy was with Oakley for the past few seasons as well.

The deal was once rumored to be around 200 million dollars but the actual deal is much less.  The exact terms are not released.  McIlroy joined Tiger Woods in a new commercial for Nike that mirrors commercials of old with Michael Jordan.  Here's the spot:

Here's what McIlroy will be gaming this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Classic:

Driver: Nike VR_S Covert

Fairway Woods: VR Pro Limited Edition Fairways

Irons: VR Pro Blades

Wedges: VR Pro Wedges

Putter: Method Prototype

Ball: Nike 20XI Ball

Will McIlroy continue his strong play or will the new clubs come with a learning curve?  Well, we will see this weekend at the Abu Dhabi HSBC, where McIlroy will be grouped with Woods as well as Martin Kaymer.