Justin Rose - © Honma

Honma announced the signing of a deal with the world number 2 and defending FedEx Cup champion in a press release. This ad referred to “A multi-year partnership in which Justin Rose would be the first ambassador for the equipment supplier Honma during his world tour. The board sees this as a strategic step in positioning the Honma brand with professionals on a global scale. "

Spurred on by Mark King, the former CEO of TaylorMade, a brand with which Rose had signed a sponsorship contract for the first 20 years of her professional career. In August, Mark King told Golf Digest he was working as a consultant to the OEM, although others familiar with the company suspected that Mark King had a bigger role in helping the Japanese brand strengthen its position. presence in Europe and the United States in particular. Signing the reigning Olympic gold medalist, who plays most of his golfing career in the United States and who led the 2018 Ryder Cup European team to victory, would clearly be a step in that direction.

Company spokesperson John Kawaja said Rose would have to play with an Honma driver, a set of forged irons and wedges. Justin Rose, 38, is set to kick off this new year at the Desert Classic in Palm Springs from Jan. 17-20. Kawaja said that although the roster of the field has yet to be confirmed, Rose is under contract to play with 10 Honma clubs. He added that these clubs will likely include models introduced at the end of 2018 in Japan. This selection should include the driver T // World TW747; a forged prototype version of the T // World TW747V which will include the technology "Cavity back" for irons from 4 to 6; and a forged prototype of the T // World 747 for 7-9 irons. Justin Rose should also play with custom prototype versions of the T // World TW forged wedges (47, 56 and 60 degrees).

The T // World TW747 driver, which entered the Asian market late last year, would feature the carbon crown "The lightest in the world", tungsten in the sole for a low center of gravity and a unique adjustable hosel system that allows loft, lie and face angle to be changed while maintaining the same shaft position.

Rose, who will carry a Honma branded bag and the logo on both sides of her cap. He will also be consulted as a professional on the future development of Honma products.

Honma, founded 60 years ago, famous for its gold-plated clubs (a copy of which was presented to President Trump by Japanese President Shinzo Abe in 2017), craftsmanship and five-figure prices, has redoubled efforts to become a major player in golf on a global scale and more particularly in North America after being bought by Chinese businessman Liu Jianguo.

This partnership deal with Justin Rose is arguably the most important player sponsorship deal in Honma's history. Hideto Tanihara, who ranked 174th in the world and a 14-time winner in Japan, had until then been his main male muse. Honma also has sponsorship deals with So Yeon Ryu and Shan-Shan Feng, former world No. 1 on the women's side.

There are rumors that Honma is working on signing at least one other non-Asian player based on the American Tour.

In the OEM statement, Justin Rose said he was “Extremely excited to join Honma. After one of my best professional years, I wanted to make it a point of honor to play even better. I believe Honma and her legendary craftsmanship can help me achieve this goal. "

Honma Chairman Liu said Justin Rose's athletic values ​​align perfectly with the "Values ​​of society" and "Thanks to Justin's local and international influence in the golf community with his media coverage and his large number of social media fans, this partnership would create an immediate and positive improvement in the image of the brand as well as the notoriety of the products of Honma in mature markets such as North America and Europe, which will accelerate the implementation of Honma's growth strategies in these markets ”.

Honma's stock price on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has risen nearly 30% since the first rumors about the signing of Justin Rose started two months ago.

Honma plans to unveil its next line of dedicated equipment for the North American market later this month.