The 2018 golf season is shaping up to be a year to remember, as we see thrilling victories and momentous performances at every turn. This weekend, from the United States to Indonesia, Scotland to China, Titleist players captured five more professional victories around the globe.
We saw four players capture maiden victories, some in record-setting dominance and others in dramatic playoff action. We were on the edges of our seats with a 59-watch on the European Tour and we saw several players turn in gutsy, 11th-hour performances to punch the final tickets to Carnoustie.
All told, Titleist players have now accumulated 125 wins across the worldwide professional golf tours. That's over 100 more wins than the nearest competing brand with just 17.
This record of success is something we’re extremely proud of, and grateful for. All of our team members work very hard to make sure that every player who tees up a Titleist can be absolutely certain that it is the very best golf ball available. To all the players who put their trust in us, whether you're a professional or a weekend warrior, thank you from everyone at Titleist.
Congratulations to all of our winners! Let’s take a look at this past week’s Titleist tour highlights…
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“You know, you say you dream about playing on the PGA TOUR, winning on the PGA TOUR, but as a kid you don't really know how hard that is, how much work that takes.
But to be sitting here with the trophy, I don't know, I'm just at a loss for words. I think I made the right career choice.”
These were the words of Michael Kim (Pro V1x), shortly after he ran way with the John Deere Classic in record-fashion to capture his first career PGA Tour title.
Kim, who fired four consecutive rounds in the 60’s (63-64-64-66) at TPC Deere Run, won by a record-setting eight shots. His 27-under 257 victory total broke Steve Stricker's (Pro V1x) tournament record (2010) by one shot, while his margin of victory doubled the previous mark last set in 2003.
Kim, who started the final round with a five-shot lead after birdieing the final four holes on Saturday, increased it with birdies on the first three holes on Sunday, and never looked back.
He topped a leaderboard that included 10 Titleist golf ball players of the 11 players who finished among the top 10 and ties, including Bronson Burgoon (Pro V1, 917D2 driver, 917F3 fairway metal, 718 T-MB 2-iron, 716 T-MB 3-iron, 718 MB/4-9 irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching, sand and prototype lob wedges), Quicken Loans National champion Francesco Molinari (Pro V1x) and Joel Dahmen (Pro V1x), who finished in a four-way tie for 2nd. It was Dahmen’s second consecutive top five finish.
Harold Varner III (Pro V1x) placed solo 6th, another shot back, a week finishing 5th at the Greenbrier Classic. Varner switched to a Titleist golf ball at the Valero Texas Open.
Trusting the Pro V1x golf ball and a full bag of Titleist equipment from tee-through-green, Kim statistically ranked first in Birdies (30), Putts Per Greens in Regulation (1.533) and Strokes Gained: Putting (13.514); his ranked 2nd in Driving Accuracy at 82.14% (46/56); and 3rd in Greens in Regulation at 83.33% (60/72).
Kim, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday, also became the first player to post a victory with the new Titleist TS2 driver. At the John Deere Classic, Kim averaged five yards more off the tee (294.8) and was nearly 30 percentage points (82.14%) higher in Driving Accuracy with his new TS2 driver compared to his 2017-18 season average.
He transitioned into the TS2 driver at the Quicken Loans National, making John Deere the third event in which he has played the new driver.
Kim’s winning performance marked the 25th victory for Titleist golf ball players on the 2017-18 season, more than three times the nearest competitor with 8.
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Let’s take a closer look at the Titleist equipment that Michael had in the bag in Silvas, Illinois.
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: TS2 (10.5º)
Fairway: 917F2 (16.5°)
Hybrids: 816H1(21°)
Irons: 716 T-MB (4), 718 AP2 (5-PW)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM7 gap (52.12 F grind), sand (56.14 F grind) and lob (60.04 L grind)
Putter: Scotty Cameron GSS 350
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At this year's John Deere Classic, Titleist was once again the overwhelming golf ball of choice with 81% of the field (126 players in the field of 156) trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, nine times the nearest competitor with 9% (14 players) and more than all competitors combined.
Making that figure even more impressive is the fact that this 81 percent mark of players in the golf ball category is the highest ever for a golf ball manufacturer in a 156-player field (according to Darrell Survey records dating back to 1996).
This week at TPC Deere Run, Titleist was also the top choice in the hybrids (232) and irons categories (45). Vokey Design Wedges topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (211) category and Scotty Cameron putters are the choice of more players than any other brand with 56 in play.
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One month after their official PGA Tour launch, the momentum continues to roll at The John Deere Classic for new Titleist TS drivers. Of the 33 players gaming a Titleist driver at the event, 16 are playing a new TS model (TS2: 10 | TS3: 6).
To date, between the PGA Tour and the European Tour, 61 different players have put a new Titleist TS driver in play. Click here for a full listing.
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This also marked the third week since Titleist introduced the new TS2 and TS3 fairway metals. Of the 44 Titleist fairway metals in play at The Deere, 16 were a new TS model (TS2: 9 | TS3: 7).
Click here to sign up for alerts on the latest TS driver and fairway metal news and updates.
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Brandon Stone (Pro V1) tied the lowest round in European Tour history to win the Scottish Open by four shots.
Stone became the 18th player to shoot 60 (one player did it twice) and just the fourth to do so in a final round en route to winning the title. His 10-under-par performance gave him a 20-under-par 260 victory total.
Stone began the final round three shots off the lead and has now won a European Tour event in three consecutive seasons. He won the 2016 BMW SA Open and the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship.
The South African’s performance also earns him a spot at next week’s Open Championship at Carnoustie with runner-up Eddie Pepperell (Pro V1), and Trevor Immelman (Pro V1x), Luke List (Pro V1) and Jens Dantorp (Pro V1x golf ball, New TS3 driver, 915 Fd fairway metal, 818H1 hybrid, 818H2 hybrid, 718 CB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges, Scotty Cameron T5M putter), all of whom tied for 3rd.
All five qualifiers trusted Titleist golf balls for their success.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at The Scottish Open, with 101 players in the field trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than four times the nearest competitor with 25 and more than all competitors combined.
Titleist was also the top choice in the hybrids (12) and irons categories (37). Vokey Design Wedges also topped the approach, sand and lob wedge category with 225 in play.
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It was an all-Titleist playoff at the Marathon Classic where Thidapa Suwannapura (Pro V1) topped Brittany Lincicome (Pro V1x, 917D2 driver, 917F2 fairway metal, 818H2 hybrid, 718 AP2 irons) with a birdie on the first extra hole for her first career LPGA Tour title.
Suwannapura fired a final round 6-under-par 65 and had to wait over an hour for Lincicome to finish with a matching 14-under 270 total in regulation.
Brooke Henderson (Pro V1) finished solo 3rd, one shot out of the playoff, while Austin Ernst (Pro V1), who shot a final-round 66, was 4th, another shot back.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Marathon Classic with 113 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, an overwhelming 80% of the field and more than 12 times the nearest competitor with 9.
Suwannapura’s victory marks the 15th of the season for Titleist golf ball players on the 2018 LPGA Tour, five times the nearest competitor with 3.
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Justin Harding trusted a Pro V1 golf ball and a full complement of Titleist clubs to win the Bank BRI Indonesia Open for his maiden title on the Asian Tour. He was playing in the tournament on an invite.
Harding, who started the final round with a two-shot lead, carded a 1-under-par 71 to win by one. Harding, who has seven career Sunshine Tour victories to his credit, will now take up full-time membership on the Asian Tour.
At this year’s Indonesian Open, eight of the top 10 finishers relied upon a Titleist golf ball for their success.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Indonesian Open with 111 players in the field of 150, more than six times the nearest competitor with 18.
Titleist was also the top choice among all players in the hybrid (34%), iron (33%) and wedge (42%) categories.
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Let’s take a closer look at the Titleist equipment that Justin had in the bag in Indonesia.
Golf Ball: Pro V1
Driver: 917D3 (9.5º)
Fairway: 915Fd (13.5°)
Hybrids: 816H2 (19º)
Irons: 718MB (4-9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM6 pitching (46°), SM7 gap (50.08 F grind), sand (54.10 S grind) and lob (60.08 M grind)
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Joseph Winslow (Pro V1) captured the Yantai Championship for his first career PGA TOUR China crown.
Winslow fired a final round 7-under-par 65 en route to a 19-under 269 victory total. He topped 20-year-old Yuwa Kosaihira (Pro V1x) by three shots.
Eight of the top 10 finishers trusted Titleist for their success.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Yantai Championship with 124 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, an overwhelming 82% of players in the field of 152 and nearly nine times the nearest competitor with 14.
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Let’s take a closer look at the Titleist equipment that Joseph had in the bag in China.
Golf Ball: Pro V1
Driver: 917D2 (9.5º)
Fairway: 917F2 (15°)
Hybrids: 915H2 (17.5º)
Irons: 718CB (4-PW)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM7 gap (50.08 F grind), sand (54.08 M grind°) and lob (60.04 L grind)
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Congratulations to all of #TeamTitleist!
Click here for a listing of all Titleist golf ball wins this season.