• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 12, 2010

In late March, when Callaway Golf and Golfsmith offered a full "If Phil wins, you win" refund for anyone who bought certain drivers, it seemed like a good idea. Even though Tiger Woods, after a five-month hiatus, was the 3-to-1 favorite to win the Masters, Mickelson was getting 7-to-1 odds. In light of Mickelson's amazing win, of course, the idea seems positively brilliant.

"The impact of his win is just enormous for our brand," Brian Groves, Callaway's VP/brand management, tells Marketing Daily. Because the final round was so close, ratings jumped 36%, reports CBS Corp., and the tournament was seen in 12% of U.S. households. "When you monetize how many times our logo showed up, it's just tremendous."

Callaway, the leading golf equipment marketer, and Golfsmith, the largest golf retailer, made an insurance investment that eliminated any financial risk associated with the promotion, and estimate they will be refunding a cool $1 million in total to those who purchased a Diablo Edge, FT Tour or FT-iZ driver from any Golfsmith store during the three-week promotion earlier this year.

Between the Win with Phil promotion and a second Golfsmith promo, Play with Phil, whereby golfers entered for a chance to play a round of golf with Mickelson, Callaway says more than 15,000 golfers participated.

"The best thing about this whole weekend was Phil's performance on the golf course," Groves says. "His excitement about being there, his love for his family -- and he was so excited about this promotion. He sent us a text last night, as busy as he was with all the accolades and his family, that said, 'Free drivers for everyone!' He's such a good guy, and there just couldn't be a better ambassador for the game."

He says the company will be running ads based on Mickelson's win in upcoming issues of golf publications, as well as in Sports Illustrated.