If Garcia wins at Augusta, Golfsmith Gives Away TaylorMade Drivers

Golfsmith has gone Randy Gonigam on Sergio Garcia, well sort of.

Gonigam isn't a household name by any stretch, but a promotion he orchestrated at his Chicago area furniture store in the fall of 2006 may jog your memory.

A "huge Bears fan," Gonigam grew tired of the preseason hubris exhibited by Brian Urlacher and his fellow Monsters of the Midway. So Gonigam, who owns the World Furniture Mall in Plano, Ill., offered customers free furniture, up to $10,000 worth, if the Bears shut out the Green Bay Packers in the season opener.

The defense wound up forcing three turnovers, including two interceptions of Brett Favre, allowed just 267 yards of total offense and led the Bears to a 26-0 victory. As a result, all of the customers, more than 200 of them, were awarded full refunds on their purchases. Those refunds totaled in the neighborhood of $300,000.

Garcia will have a chance to help golfers walk away with some free loot when he tees it up at Augusta National in this year's first major championship.

From now until April 11, golfers who purchase one of three new TaylorMade drivers (R9, r7 limited or Burner '09) at any Golfsmith store or online will have the purchase price of their TaylorMade driver full refunded by Golfsmith if Sergio wins in Augusta, Ga., April 9 - 12.

Garcia has been average in his three PGA Tour starts this season, with his best finish being a T13 at the Honda Classic. His most recent Masters record doesn't exactly inspire confidence either. Garcia has missed the cut in three of his past four starts in Augusta since he finished in the top five in 2004. He's also saddled with the title of best golfer to have won a major.

If you were planning to buy a new TaylorMade driver, why not take a chance on Garcia on the Masters. Then again, you don't see Nike giving away free golf clubs if Tiger Woods wins a tournament, so I wouldn't get my hopes up.

There is also the question of whether or not such a promotion should be associated with one of sport's most celebrated events. Imagine the drama on Sunday. Woods and Garcia going head-to-head on the back nine at Augusta with everything on the line; a step closer to Jack Nicklaus' career major record, Garcia's first major and his breakthrough victory, plus a refund on your buddy's VISA card. If Garcia does win, the guy in your foursome who saved big taking this risk-reward shot should buy the first few rounds at the clubhouse.

To find a Golfsmith near you or shop the store online, visit www.golfsmith.com.