The 2017-2018 PGA Tour season hit a high note yesterday, as this year’s final major, the 100th PGA Championship, culminated with a final round for the ages and the crowning of a champion who is quickly affirming his place in the top echelon of players in the modern game.
The win also marked a Major Season sweep for the #1 ball in golf. That’s right, at each and every major championship on the PGA TOUR in 2018, the winner relied on a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball. In fact, yesterday’s win at Bellerive Country Club marks the seventh consecutive major victory for a Titleist golf ball player dating back to the 2017 U.S. Open.
This year’s major season kicked off with a gritty performance at The Masters, where the champion, who had recently made the switch to a Pro V1 golf ball, fired three rounds in the 60s to climb to the top of the leaderboard. In the final round, he shot 1-under-par 71, good for a 15-under-par 273 total and a one-stroke margin of victory.
At the U.S Open, the champion trusted a Pro V1x golf ball to validate his first major win, which he captured with a Pro V1x the year before at the U.S Open at Erin Hills. In topping the field at Shinnecock Hills GC, he became the first player since 1989 and only the seventh player in the history of the championship to win back-to-back titles at the U.S. Open.
Famed Carnoustie was the site of the 147th Open Championship, where Francesco Molinari put together one of the most impressive weekends of championship golf in recent memory. Molinari switched this year to a Pro V1x golf ball, and he was the only player in the field to navigate the demanding setup at Carnoustie without a bogey on the final 36-holes. In doing so, he made history, becoming the first Italian to claim a major title.
And yesterday’s win at the PGA Championship marked the second major victory of the season for the champion, who relied on a Pro V1x golf ball to also successfully defend his U.S. Open crown at Shinnecock Hills GC in June. By wining the second and fourth majors of the season, he became just the fifth player in history to win both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same calendar year.
Congratulations to all our major champions and thank you for trusting Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls in your major victories!
100th PGA Championship: Highlights and Fast Facts
• This year’s champion fired a final round 4-under-par 66, good for a 16-under 264 total and a two-stroke margin of victory. His 16-under total ties Henrik Stenson for the lowest 72-hole number in major championship history (2016 Open Championship at Troon).
• It was a dramatic four days at the year's final major for Adam Scott, who played in the final group and finished solo 3rd, his best performance at a major since winning the 2013 Masters.
• Scott switched to the new TS3 (10.5) driver the first week it was available at the U.S. Open. The driver paid off all week at the PGA Championship, as Scott averaged over 308 yards off the tee (T18), while also finishing among the Top 20 in Greens in Regulation (T20/73.6%), Scrambling (6/73.7%), Putts Per Greens in Regulation (T15/1.698) and Birdies (T4/20).
• The lone PGA club professional to make the cut - out of the 20 that participated - was Titleist staff member Ben Kern from Georgetown (TX) Country Club. Kern played the Pro V1 golf ball and a full bag of Titleist equipment at Bellerive CC. He was one of only three players in the field to fire a bogey-free 2nd round en route to a 3-under par 67. Kern finished at 3-under 277 to finish T42, the best result by a club professional in 13 years.
• Kern was playing the new TS3 driver, TS2 fairway metal, 718 T-MB 3-iron and Scotty Cameron T5.5M putter for the first time in competition. Statistically he ranked 3rd in Driving Accuracy (80.4%), hitting 45 of 56 fairways and he averaged 299.2 yards off the tee.
• Webb Simpson earned his way onto the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team by securing the eighth and final qualifying spot. Simpson, who made the cut in all four majors and won the PLAYERS Championship this year, finished T19 this week after firing four consecutive rounds in the 60's.
• In fact, seven of the eight 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team qualifiers play Titleist golf balls, including the 2018 U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner, the 2018 Masters winner, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson.
• The last seven major championships have all been won by players trusting either a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball (2018 PGA Championship - Winner; 2018 Open Championship – Francesco Molinari; 2018 U.S. Open – Winner; 2018 Masters – Winner; 2017 PGA Championship – Justin Thomas; 2017 Open Championship – Jordan Spieth; and 2017 U.S. Open – Winner).
• Titleist was #1 in golf balls, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters at the 100th PGA Championship. Here are the numbers inside the Counts:
•• Golf Ball – Titleist: 101 | Nearest Competitor: 18
•• Hybrids – Titleist: 21
•• Irons – Titleist: 39
•• Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges – Vokey Design: 180
•• Putters – Scotty Cameron: 54
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