Though the majority of worldwide professional golf tours are closing the books on the 2018 season, a few circuits continue to provide world-class thrills for fans and opportunities for players still eager to prove themselves.
This week, the winning momentum continued for two Titleist golf ball loyalists. In Hong Kong, at the very first tournament on the 2018-2019 European Tour schedule, a resilient performance through tough conditions earned a young player his maiden victory. And on the Japan Tour, for the second time in three weeks, a player entered the winner's circle trusting the New 2019 Pro V1x golf ball.
Players trusting their games to a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball have now accumulated 205 wins across the worldwide professional tours during the 2018 season. That's six times more wins than the nearest competing brand with just 33 and more than all competing brands combined.
Let’s take a closer look at this past week’s Titleist tour highlights…
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Aaron Rai | Pro V1- Honma Hong Kong Open
On the European Tour, it was a Titleist 1-2 finish at the season-opening Honma Hong Kong Open, where Englishman Aaron Rai (Pro V1) claimed his maiden European Tour title by one shot over a surging Matthew Fitzpatrick (New 2019 Pro V1x).
The 23-year old Rai posted a 17-under-par 263 victory total to open the 2019 Race to Dubai campaign with a stunning wire-to-wire victory in his 46th European Tour appearance. Fitzpatrick closed with a 6-under par 64.
Titleist was the golf ball of choice at the Honma Hong Kong Open, with 75% of players (99 players in the field of 132) relying on a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 10% (13 players) and more than all competitors combined.
Titleist was also the top choice in hybrids (26) and irons (41) at this, the opening event on the European Tour's 2018-2019 calendar. Vokey Design Wedges also topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (174) category.
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Ho-Sung Choi | New 2019 Pro V1x - Casio World Open
Just two weeks after Tatsunori Nukaga became the first player across the worldwide professional tours to win with the NEW 2019 Pro V1x golf ball when he captured the VISA Taiheiyo Masters, Ho-Sung Choi also saw his trust in the New 2019 Pro V1x rewarded in the form of victory, as he captured the Casio World Open by one shot. (Last week, Charles Howell III became the first player to win on the PGA TOUR with the NEW Pro V1 the first time he played it in competition, when captured the RSM Classic for his first victory in over 10 years.)
The Casio World Open win marks the second career JGTO crown for Choi who has earned a following for his talent and having one of the most unique swing follow-throughs in golf. The 45-year-old didn’t start playing golf until he got a part-time job at an upscale club outside of Seoul in his mid-20s.
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Choi, who captured his first Japan Tour title at the 2003 Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, also has two Korean Tour victories to his credit - the 2008 SBS Hana Tour Championship and the 2011 Lake Hills Open.
Choi’s win this week comes less than one month after putting the New 2019 Pro V1x in play for the first time.
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Congratulations to all of #TeamTitleist!
Click here for a listing of all Titleist golf ball wins this season.