SCHAUMBURG, Illinois (March 1, 2010) - Nippon Shaft today congratulated the player who won the first two tournaments of the 2010 LPGA season - the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore.

The 24-year-old native of Japan used Nippon Shaft's custom-made N.S. Pro V-90 lightweight steel shafts in her Bridgestone irons to secure both victories in which she won a total of $390,000 - $195,000 per tournament. The victories were the second and third of her career, which began in 2006. She currently is the fourth-ranked player in the world. She won her first event last year at the Evian Masters in France.

"Nippon Shaft congratulates the winner of the HSBC Women's Champion and the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand on her early season winning streak," said Hiroyuki Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft. "We also congratulate the many other players in both fields who used lightweight steel shafts from Nippon Shaft in their irons. We are proud to continue our support of the players on the LPGA Tour and look forward to increasing the number of NS Pro brand users in 2010."

At the HSBC Women's Champion, which concluded yesterday (Feb. 28), the champion shot a total of 10-under par total on rounds of 69-71-69-69-278 at the Tanah Merah Country Club to notch a two-stroke victory over the second-place finisher.

A week earlier, at the Siam Country Club in Thailand, the player shot 67-67-70-63-267 for a 21-under par total to win the Honda PTT. Her 9-under par final round 63 enabled her to overtake one of Europe's top players and earn a one-stroke victory in the event - despite having started the final round five shots out of the lead.

Before coming to the U.S. in 2006 to play full time, the well-regarded champion had won 12 tournaments on the Japanese LPGA Tour.

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Nippon Shaft has more than 50 professional victories worldwide. Based in Yokahama, Japan, Nippon Shaft is the No. 1-selling steel shaft in Asia, where it controls 80 percent of the golf shaft market. In North America, Nippon Shaft is the No. 2-selling steel shaft and is growing.

Nippon Shaft is a subsidiary of privately-held NHK Spring Co., LTD., a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer. Nippon Shaft's North American headquarters is in Schaumburg, Illinois.