Adizero to Hero
How a new pair of shoes made Brandt Snedeker into a world beater.
"I definitely think it's an advantage over guys who aren't using them."
Brandt Snedeker wasn't referring to anchored putters or deer antler spray, but rather talking about his new found affection for his shoes.
Starting in Kapalua last month, Brandt Snedeker has been wearing Adidas's new
adizero shoes.
The new lightweight adizero shoe weighs just 10.6oz (300 grams) and have been designed to offer a near barefoot feel with the performance, stability and traction players demand.
Adidas' president of Athlete Performance, Mark Verstegen, says the adizero shoes offer "everything you need and nothing you don't."
They have certainly made an impact on Snedeker's form. Since putting them on in Kapalua, he has played 5 events, posting a third place finish, two seconds and a win this past week at Pebble Beach. He has scored in the 60s in 16 of his last 17 rounds on Tour and is reaping the rewards of his good form.
In fact, in his last 12 PGA Tour events, Snedeker has won an incredible $15,808,720 (including a $10m bonus for his 2012 Fedex Cup victory). In simple terms, that is more than $5,000 per shot since the end of August!
"I put them on straight out the box at Kapalua to play 36 holes and I could tell a marked difference in my energy levels at the end of the day, the way my feet felt at the end of the day. I definitely think it's an advantage over guys who aren't wearing them." said Snedeker.
"As light as I am on my feet this week, I feel a little bit lighter with these shoes on. It feels great to have 10oz less on my feet than I normally do and I can definitely tell a difference with them"
Walking the fairways at Pebble Beach on Sunday, Snedeker showed off his adizero shoes, striding to a two-shot victory and moving up to 4th in the Official World Rankings.
Snedeker's win was the second for the new adizero shoe, coming just one week on from Stephen Gallacher's European Tour victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Here's what other TaylorMade and Adidas' golf Tour players thought of the new adizero shoes: