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The Arizona Cardinals offensive line were in for a surprise earlier this week.
In football, a quarterback’s offensive linemen are his only protection from defenders who are trained and ready to attack. Although the Arizona Cardinals quarterback, Kyler Murray, is especially evasive on foot, it’s best that he keeps his linemen happy and willing to put themselves on the line every play.
Every year since he’s been in the NFL, 24-year-old Murray has gone all out with Christmas gifts for his protectors. In 2020, he gifted each O-lineman a painting of themselves, and in 2019, he gave them personalized Phat Scooters.
For this year’s holiday season, Murray went with a golf theme for his linemen, providing gifts and an experience that any golfer would love.
The surprise, delivered Monday evening, included a full custom golf club fitting session at True Spec Golf in Scottsdale, Ariz.; ultra-custom Vessel staff bags; a True Spec Golf hat; a Black Quail shirt; a custom-made bottle of Cincoro Tequila; and a $4,000 budget to purchase the clubs each lineman got fit into. (True Spec is an affiliate of GOLF.com’s parent company, 8AM Golf.)
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“I think I usually try to give the guys a good gift — something unique,” Murray told GOLF.com. “This year, being in Arizona, I think it’s fitting to do something around golf. Me and my mom kinda came up with the idea. I usually converse with my parents or close people around me about what they think would be good for those guys. That was something we came up with. And then from there it just took off.”
Upon entering the True Spec facility to receive their gifts and club fitting, the linemen were greeted with a row of custom golf bags made to look like NFL jerseys. Each bag was custom-made with the player’s last name and jersey number, and embroidered in a font and colorway to match their own Cardinals jerseys.
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“I’ve never seen a golf bag like this before,” offensive lineman D.J. Humphries, an avid golfer, told GOLF.com. “It’s in [Murray’s] fashion though. He’s a pretty swaggy guy, so us getting bags like this, that’s in true fashion. He always takes care of us, but definitely at Christmas time… I posted an Instagram and already have DMs from other offensive linemen in the league jealous of our Christmas gift.”
From a golf club fitting perspective, offensive lineman come with a unique challenge, because, you know, they’re huge. Most of them stand around at 6-feet-5-inches or more and weigh in at 350-plus pounds; a golf club can seem quite small in relation.
Although there was a tequila tasting table and hip-hop music blasting through the speakers, True Spec fitters focused in on getting each player dialed in. As part of the normal fitting process, they concentrated on getting lie angle and grip size correct, while also making sure the clubheads and shaft flexes matched the swings of each lineman. The gift package is great and all, but the fitters were there to get them exactly what they needed to play better.
“I got put in some Miura 401 irons,” Humphries said. “They’re really fancy. I’m into all that. I also got a Titleist driver, and I was spanking it with great contact as soon as I tried it. I usually shank to the left or right, but with this one I had great lines. My fitter was helping me, twisting heads off and on, changing shafts and grips, all that.”
Between fittings, Murray, who admittedly doesn’t play golf yet himself, was taking on some of his linemen in cash games on the putting mat. Despite playing Santa for the evening, and his general lack of expertise in the sport, Murray was excited to get competitive.
“Anytime money is involved, I usually show up,” he said.
You’d expect nothing less from the 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but let’s get back to the gifts. The fitted clubs and custom bags were probably enough, realistically, but the tequila bottles, shirts and hats put the Murray’s offering over the top.
Murray, as a former Oklahoma Sooner, got a hookup on the shirts from another former Sooner and current PGA Tour player, Abe Ancer. The shirts are made by Black Quail, which is a company that Ancer partly owns.
The tequila also came from another athlete, one who’s often regarded as the greatest of all time. Michael Jordan is a part owner and co-founder of the Cincoro Tequila company, and each custom bottle was engraved with a special note: “Appreciate the hard work this season. Let’s keep it going! –K1”
With gifts like these, it’s no wonder Murray has linemen willing to fight for him on every play. Now, to fight for the greatest gift of all: a Super Bowl ring.
Want to overhaul your bag for 2021? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below!
Andrew Tursky is the Senior Equipment Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com.
GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF