Tuesday’s Episode Takes the Six Finalists Behind the Scenes at Wilson Global Headquarters to Begin Prototype Development and Marketing Plans
Video Preview: Driver vs. Driver episode 3 sneak peek
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 24, 2016 – In a series that began with 11 finalists taking their first steps towards winning a grand prize of $500,000 and their concept sold as a Wilson Staff Driver, Driver vs. Driver presented by Wilson has narrowed the field down to its final six.
PGA TOUR PROFESSIONAL KEVIN STREELMAN JOINS PANEL OF JUDGES: Two-time PGA TOUR winner and Wilson Advisory Staff member Kevin Streelman joins the series on Tuesday’s episode as a judge, helping to evaluate and critique the driver concepts. Streelman joins former Chicago Bears linebacker and avid golfer Brian Urlacher, former USGA Technical Director Frank Thomas and President of Wilson Golf Tim Clarke on the panel. Streelman will join Morning Drive on Tuesday (7-9 a.m. ET) to preview Tuesday night’s new episode and to discuss his involvement on the series as a judge and thoughts on the six finalists’ concepts.
Tuesday’s new episode at 10 p.m. ET will go behind the scenes at Wilson Global Headquarters in Chicago, where the final six will work with Wilson LABS engineers in developing their concepts into prototypes, as well as working with the company’s brand and golf marketing team to develop driver concept launch plans, including a two minute commercial. One team will be eliminated at the conclusion of this new episode.
DRIVER VS. DRIVER “FINAL SIX”: Following the first two episodes of presentations, the field has been narrowed to the final six. Some of the finalists are well-versed in the sport of golf, while others have never taken up the game but have extensive engineering and design backgrounds.
- Richard Gischer, Crowley, Texas; and Kimberly Leonard, Pinckneyville, Ill. (Prototype: Wilson Staff Neoforce) – A brother-sister team with golf, sales and communications expertise.
- Kyle Hanquist and Kevin Neitzel, Ann Arbor, Mich. (Prototype: Wilson Staff Energy) – Colleagues and friends at the University of Michigan who are PhD students in aerospace engineering.
- Jimmy Huynh, Brian Mar, Patrick Soriano, Sheila Pancani and Matt Ulery, Long Beach, Calif. (Prototype: Wilson Staff Magnus) – Seniors in the industrial design program at California State University.
- Weston Maughan, Draper, Utah (Prototype: Wilson Staff Fulcrum) – A former golf professional now working in the business sector.
- Eric Sillies, Cincinnati, Ohio (Prototype: Wilson Staff Triton) – A product designer who interned at Dick’s Sporting Goods in college, helping the aesthetic direction for the 2012 Nickent golf club line.
- Gavin Wallin, Eagle Mountain, Utah (Prototype: Wilson Staff Pivot) – A product designer who has extensive experience in golf club design with multiple manufacturers.
LIFE-CHANGING GRAND PRIZE OF $500,000: The seven episode series airs on Tuesdays this fall, concluding Nov. 22, where a life-changing grand prize will be awarded: $500,000 in cash, the largest grand prize in Golf Channel history. Three days later on Black Friday (Nov. 25), the newest Wilson Staff driver inspired by the winning concept will be available for purchase at hundreds of retail and golf course pro shop stores across the country.
SERIES PREMISE: Wilson Golf issued an open call and declared an unprecedented challenge to develop an innovative concept that could be transformed into Wilson Golf’s newest driver. Driver vs. Driver will give viewers an exclusive inside look at the golf club design process from taking prototypes to reality, taking viewers from the company’s Global Headquarters in Chicago and its manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia to on-location at various golf events, where PGA TOUR professionals and stars from the world of sports and entertainment will test out several of the driver concepts. In addition, visits to the hometowns of the finalists will be packaged into special features interspersed throughout the series. Sports broadcaster Melanie Collins hosts Driver vs. Driver.
ABOUT WILSON SPORTING GOODS:
Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a subsidiary of Amer Sports, is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of sports equipment, apparel and accessories. Wilson Golf is a global leader in high performance golf equipment and uses player insights to design products that push golf innovation into new territories. Through its dedication to creating products that enable athletes at every level to perform at their best, Wilson has earned its place as a leader in sporting goods for over a century.
ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open Championship, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by Golf Channel Digital, are leading golf digital destinations, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and NBC Sports Live Extra and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.
-NBC Sports Group-
