A victory on the PGA Tour brings with it a load of perks: a two-year Tour exemption, an invite to the Masters, and, of course, a boatload of cash, to name just a few. The luckiest players get an extra special something from their equipment sponsor. Exhibit A: Paul Casey and his custom Nike Air Force 1 golf shoes.
Casey ended a near decade-long winning drought when he captured his second-career PGA Tour victory at the Valspar Championship in March. Casey has long been a Nike staffer, and he still rocks the Nike swoosh and apparel on the course.
To celebrate his triumph, Nike created a one-of-a-kind pair of Air Force 1 golf shoes for Casey. On Tuesday, the veteran posted a series of photos of his new kicks on Instagram, along with the message, “Thank you to my @nikegolf family for these amazing 1 of 1 #AF1 to celebrate my @valsparchamp victory. The details are perfect! #nikegolf #nike #justdoit”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BriXK8QFiGg/
The black and white sneaker-like shoes are covered with the champion’s name, season stats, career highlights, and a silhouette of the Ryder Cup trophy, among many other details.
Casey made a major comeback in 2018 after a years-long slump. In addition to his Valspar win, he finished T2 at the Travelers on his way to collecting five top 10s in all, while only missing two cuts. That success paid off with a spot on the European Ryder Cup team, via a captain’s pick. Team Europe beat the U.S. side decisively in Paris to reclaim the Cup.
Coincidentally, Casey had to fight off two other Nike players to complete his win at Innisbrook; both Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods finished one-shot back. Those two would do just fine for themselves as the season wore on, however. Reed won his first major championship a month later at the Masters, while Woods picked up his first W in five years at the Tour Championship in September.
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