Evan Hoffman from San Diego, California and his ‘CORTEX’ Driver have been chosen the winner of Wilson Golf’s DRIVER vs DRIVER2 Competition, a year and a half after submitting his initial application and driver design idea. Hoffman takes home the $250,000 grand prize and his design becomes Wilson’s newest driver on the market. The ‘CORTEX’ driver is officially on sale at more than 1,000 golf retail stores around the world and online at Wilson.com/Cortex.
“I was confident, but still you can’t prepare yourself for something like this,” Hoffman said after being announced as the winner. “So many emotions going on, the main one being shock. This has been an experience of a lifetime and a dream come true.”
Tim Slama from Salem, Oregon and his Rozwell design driver finished runner-up on Driver vs. Driver2. Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf, surprised Tim when he announced at the conclusion of the finale that Wilson Golf will pay for his final year of college at Oregon State University. “It was a gold lining in the clouds,” said Slama after the show. “This really echoes what Wilson has been the entire show, which has been true to themselves. They have been so honest, so generous and so amazing to everyone on this show, especially me.”
“I am so proud of the team I work with at Wilson.” said Tim Clarke. “Not only did this team deliver products that are amazing in working with both designers, but also the reality is we got a driver that tested better than any driver Wilson has ever produced.”
“It was very close between the final two designs and a very tough decision to make,” said nine-time NHL ALL STAR Jeremy Roenick, one of the three judges on the show. “I teetered between the two, but I think we made the right decision and the best driver won with Evan’s CORTEX.”
“To be a part of the process and seeing what hard work and effort goes on behind the scenes has been amazing,” said Rick Shiels, golf equipment reviewer and a judge on the series. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
The finale took place at Wilson Sporting Goods’ worldwide headquarters in Chicago. During the finale, PGA TOUR Professionals and Wilson Brand Ambassadors Troy Merritt, Brendan Steele and Kevin Streelman tested the two finished prototypes and provided their feedback. The judges on the show- Clarke, Roenick and Shiels- also hit the driver prototypes before ultimately making their decision in announcing Hoffman as the winner.
Wilson CORTEX Driver:
At the heart of the CORTEX Driver is Fast Cage Technology. 44% of the head has been replaced with lightweight carbon fiber, leaving a rigid titanium skeleton that provides structural stability, and more precise weight distribution for adjustability, maximizing distance and optimizing spin for all swings.
Production for Driver versus Driver2 began in Fall of 2017 and concluded in August, 2018. The series was produced by Golf Channel’s original productions division which produces high quality instruction shows including School of Golf, Golf Channel Academy, Playing Lessons and Feherty and a slate of award-winning and critically acclaimed Golf Films.
Driver vs Driver presented by Wilson debuted in 2016. The show, from inception, was designed to utilize the power of crowd-sourcing combined with Wilson LABS(the innovation hub at Wilson) deep golf experience and expertise to create a world-class golf driver in a way that had never been done before. It also was created to infuse new energy and excitement into the golf equipment conversation, open the game of golf to a broader audience and bring highly innovative products to the marketplace, all while educating golfers on how drivers are designed, developed and manufactured.
