Hyo Joo Kim Rallies From Five Shots Back to Win the HSBC Women's World Championship

By Zack R., Team Titleist Staff On 3 May 2021 Balls Tour Clubs

LPGA | HSBC Women's World Championship

Playing a Pro V1x golf ball, Hyo Joo Kim rallied from five shots back after 54 holes to win by one shot after posting a final round 8-under 64.

  • Kim made eight birdies over an 11-hole stretch from holes 5 through 15 to secure the victory, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens over the final 18 holes.
  • ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit (NEW Pro V1x) closed in 65 to finish T-3, two shots back.
  • Titleist golf ball players have won seven of the first eight LPGA events to start 2021. 

PGA TOUR | Valspar Championship

Titleist was the most played golf ball, driver, hybrid, utility iron, iron, wedge and putter at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course.

HOVLAND MAKES SWITCH TO NEW PRO V1

Viktor Hovland played a NEW Titleist Pro V1 golf ball at the Valspar Championship, his first time using the 2021 model in individual competition after teeing it up for the first time at last week’s team-format Zurich Classic.

Hovland decided to make the switch after using the ball on the range and during short-game practice at recent TOUR events, having noticed faster ball speeds with the driver and more control into and around the green. He finished T-3 at Valspar following a final-round 65, the best round of the day.

Said Hovland: “I’ve really liked it at tournaments just when I’ve been chipping around greens. I feel like I’m still able to launch the ball up in the air a little bit while getting that spin. And so then I was entering the testing process with the mindset of, ‘OK, I like it around the greens. Let’s see how it performs with irons and the driver.’ And for me, it didn’t do that much differently (than prior generation), which is a good thing because I liked where the spins were at, the launch angles, and the overall feel of it. So if it’s very, very similar with all those shots, but I feel like it performs better around the greens, I felt like it was a good decision just to start playing it.

“I think around the greens, I was able to get more spin, which is huge when you’re playing greens that are firm and fast. I don’t care how high you are launching, you need spin to get the ball to stop. So, that was a big thing. But then as well with the driver, I started to notice the ball speeds were a little higher, and it wasn’t like it was just coming off hotter with more spin. It was faster and, if anything, maybe spinning a hair less with the driver. So overall, I picked up a couple of extra yards, which is nice. And then with the longer irons going into greens, I didn’t feel like it was under spinning or anything. It still maintained that very similar look as what I’ve been used to. So I thought it was great.”

“At the end of the day, you need to hit the shot. But it helps when you have a ball that can optimize what you’re doing. If you can put the same swing and get another extra couple of yards off the tee, that’s huge because you literally just got better like that."

PGA OF AMERICA | PGA Professional Championship

Playing a NEW Pro V1 golf ball, TSi3 driver and bag full of Titleist equipment, Omar Uresti won his second PGA Professional Championship title, leading a group of 15 Titleist golf ball and golf club players who qualified for the upcoming PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course.

  • Uresti, a PGA Life Member out of Onion Creek Golf Club in Austin, Texas, posted an 11-under 276 en route to the three-shot win and his second PPC title.
  • Stuart Smith, the PGA Director of Golf at Somersett Golf & Country Club in Reno, N.V., started Wednesday’s final round in 66th position.
  • Over the closing 18 holes, Smith’s NEW Titleist Pro V1x Yellow golf ball found the bottom of the cup for eight birdies, as he posted a 7-under 65 to propel himself 60 spots up the leaderboard and qualify for his third PGA Championship.

PGA Professionals Trust Titleist

  • Titleist was the most played golf ball, driver, fairway, hybrid, utility iron, iron and wedges in the field of 312 teaching and club professionals.
  • Fifteen of the 20 qualifiers into the PGA Championship trusted a Pro V1, Pro V1x or Pro V1x Left Dash.
  • Eleven of the Top 20 played a NEW Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, while two players qualified playing a NEW Pro V1x Yellow model. Two others qualified playing Pro V1x Left Dash. 
  • Titleist TSi was the most played driver at the event, with 33% of the field playing a TSi1, TSi2, TSi3 or TSi4 driver model, including the winner and 11 of the 20 qualifiers.
  • Twelve of the 20 qualifiers also played Titleist irons (including 620 CB, T100 and T200 models) and Vokey SM8 wedges. Nine qualifiers used a Scotty Cameron putter.

What’s in Omar Uresti’s bag?

Ball: NEW Titleist Pro V1
Driver: TSi3 8.0° | Aldila Rogue Black 60
Fairway Metals: TSi3 15.0° | Aldila Tour Green 85 X and TS3 18.0° | Aldila Tour Green 85 TX
Hybrid: 816 H2 21.0° | Aldila Tour Blue 105
Irons: 620 CB 3-PW | KBS Tour FLT 120 S (3-6), KBS Tour 120 S (7-P)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM8 56.08 @55 | KBS High Rev 125 S
Putter: Scotty Cameron Circa 62 #2 

Check out WITB for the 15 qualifiers here.

KORN FERRY TOUR | Huntsville Championship

Paul Barjon lifted his first trophy on the Korn Ferry Tour, rolling his Pro V1x golf ball in from 20 feet for eagle on the third hole of an all-Titleist playoff with Pro V1 players Mito Pereira and Billy Kennerly.

  • Barjon led a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Titleist golf ball players.
  • Titleist golf ball players have won six of the first seven events on the KFT to start 2021.

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS | Insperity Invitational

Playing a NEW Pro V1 golf ball, Mike Weir earned his first PGA TOUR Champions victory, closing in 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory.

  • Weir led a 1-2-3-4 finish for Titleist golf ball players, with John Daly (NEW Pro V1x), Tim Petrovic (NEW Pro V1) and David Toms (NEW Pro V1), tying for second. 
  • Weir first put 2021 Pro V1 in play at the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open, where he finished T-47 after four rounds in the 60’s.
  • The following week at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, he shot a personal-best 13-under 59 playing in the Wednesday pro-am. 

KOREAN TOUR | Gunsan CC Open

Titleist Brand Ambassador DongEun Kim – playing a NEW Pro V1x golf ball, TSi3 driver and bag full of Titleist equipment – claimed his first-career KPGA Tour victory by one shot.

  • Kim led a group of 10 Titleist golf ball players in the top 13 positions.

What’s in DongEun Kim’s Bag?

Ball: NEW Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0°
Fairway Metal: TSi2 21.0°
Utility Iron: 718 T-MB 2-iron
Irons: T100 4-5, 620 MB 6-9
Wedges: Vokey Design SM8 46.10 F, 52.08 F, 58.08 M
Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Rat

SUNSHINE TOUR/CHALLENGE TOUR | Bain's Whiskey Cape Town Open

J.C. Ritchie, playing a NEW Pro V1 golf ball, made birdie on the first hole of a two-man playoff to earn his second European Challenge Tour victory and eighth title of his Sunshine Tour career.

CHINA TOUR | Boao Classic

The winner of the Boao Classic trusted a NEW Pro V1x golf ball to his first China Tour victory.

  • The 16-year-old amateur posted four rounds in the 60s to win by four shots, as nine of the top 11 players on the final leaderboard had a Titleist golf ball in play.

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