Tommy Fleetwood is facing a pending crisis after switching his final set of new Nike irons with none left for the Englishman after the company’s hardware exit.
The equipment-free agent stuck with his VR Pro Blade irons when Nike left the scene in 2016 but now faces a problem in replacing the set. The clubs have played an integral part in the Englishman’s rapid rise, which saw him reach the world’s top 10 and win the Race to Dubai.
Countryman and fellow former Nike staffer Paul Casey has refused to part with a set that he has unless Fleetwood needs them for September’s Ryder Cup.
‘They are as rare as rocking horse poo,’ Casey said with a laugh. ‘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.’
Casey, who remains a free agent with his irons, opted to go with Mizuno after Nike’s exit. While he admitted he likely won’t ever use the set in competition, he’s been holding on to them due to the scarcity of the iron that was popularized by Tiger Woods.
‘If I hopefully make the Ryder Cup team, and he’s my partner, maybe I’d loan them out to him for the week because I want him to play well,’ Casey said. ‘But I’ll have them right back at the end of the week.’
Credit: PGA TOUR
