WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
• Titleist Pro V1 player Chez Reavie (above) won the Travelers Championship, marking the 100th victory this season for players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball on the worldwide professional golf tours.
• Jazz Janewattananondon also won this week, earning his fourth Asian Tour title at the Kolon Korea Open.
• For the eighth time this season, Titleist accomplished a feat not seen even once in PGA TOUR history prior to this year, topping the official Travelers Championship equipment counts in every major equipment category – from golf balls to drivers, fairways, hybrids and utiltiy irons, irons, wedges and putters.
• For the second time in three weeks, Titleist achieved a similar equipment history-making first by sweeping all seven equipment categories at the Wichita Open on the newly-minted Korn Ferry Tour (previously, Web.com Tour).
• Titleist was the also top choice across every major equipment category among the 288 players who competed in the world's oldest amateur golf championship, the R&A Amateur at Portmarnock.
• Following the recent Tour debuts of new T100, 620 CB and 620 MB irons, U-500 and U-510 utility irons and TS hybrids, Titleist rolled out the new Titleist T200 and T300 iron models at The Travelers Championship. Seventeen sets of new Titleist irons were put into competitive play at the event.
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100 WINS... AND STILL COUNTING
This past weekend, Titleist reached a remarkable season-long milestone, as the worldwide professional victory total for players teeing up a Titleist golf ball eclipsed the century mark.
Jazz Janewattananondon (story below) notched No. 99 as he trusted a Pro V1 golf ball to enter the winner’s circle at the Kolon Korea Open. On the heels of that victory, Chez Reavie (story below) relied on a Pro V1 golf ball to capture No. 100 for Titleist players (and the second PGA TOUR win of his career) at the Travelers Championship. That’s nearly six times the victory total of the nearest competitor with just 17 wins to date.
Reavie’s victory continued a record of success that stretches back more than twenty years (since 1996 when we first started tracking worldwide professional tour counts and wins). In every single golf season since that time, players relying on Titleist have recorded 100 professional wins or more, an unmatched testament to the performance supremacy of Titleist golf balls and the vote of confidence given to them by the world’s finest players.
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Winning every major equipment category – from golf balls to drivers, fairways and hybrids, irons, wedges and putters – is an achievement that had never been accomplished prior to this season on the PGA TOUR.
This week, Titleist accomplished it for the eighth time since January, even adding utility irons to the mix.
From week to week, the tournaments staged on the PGA TOUR demand so much of players – length off the tee, precision and shot-shaping, distance control, creativity and finesse – that it speaks volumes when players trust one golf brand across every major equipment category. When they have to put their livelihoods on the line, under the greatest competitive pressure in the game, the majority of players are making the same singular choice – Titleist.
The other events in which Titleist has been the field favorite across every major equipment category include: AT&T Byron Nelson, Wells Fargo Championship, Corales Puntacana Championship, Valspar Championship. Honda Classic, Farmers Insurance Open and Sony Open in Hawaii.
Titleist achieved another equipment history-making first when it doubled up by also sweeping all seven categories at the Wichita Open on the newly-named Korn Ferry Tour (Web.com). This marks the second time in three weeks that Titleist was the field favorite across all major equipment categories on the Korn Ferry Tour.
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AND NOT JUST THE PROS...
Titleist’s tee-through-green equipment success is not just happening at an unprecedented level on the professional tours. At the R&A Amateur, where 288 of the world’s most elite amateurs gathered at Portmarnock this week – and where the winner receives exemptions into The Open Championship and U.S. Open, and an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament – Titleist was the top choice across every major equipment category.
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Let’s take a closer look at this past week’s Titleist tour highlights…
Chez Reavie | Pro V1 - Travelers Championship
Chez Reavie (Pro V1), who tied for 3rd at last week’s U.S. Open, owned a six-shot overnight lead and ended up winning by four at the Travelers Championship in Hartford. His 17-under-par 263 victory total – which included seven birdies and a 28 on the back nine on Saturday – marked the second win of his PGA TOUR career, nearly 11 years after his only previous win at the 2008 RBC Canadian Open as a rookie.
Reavie’s win marks the 17th for Titleist golf ball players on the 2018-19 PGA TOUR, including nine of the last 10 events. Eight of the 12 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.
GOING PRO… AND PLAYING TITLEIST
The four players who recently turned professional out of the college ranks and received exemptions into the Travelers Championship, all teed up a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball this week. Justin Suh, who had a decorated amateur career and played at Southern Cal, turned professional at the Memorial, has officially joined the Titleist player roster and is playing a Pro V1 golf ball. Meanwhile, the low amateur at the U.S. Open and current U.S. Amateur champion, who is playing in his first event as a professional, will continue to play the Pro V1. He finished T-57 in his debut.
The 2019 NCAA Division I individual champion from Oklahoma State, who is also playing in his first event as a professional, is currently playing the Pro V1 with which he has found overwhelming success. And the Cal graduate who turned professional at the RBC Canadian Open (tied for 14th), and also made the cut at the U.S. Open (T-35), is playing Pro V1x. He tied for 36th this week. Both players chose to tee up a Titleist without an agreement.
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#1 BALL
Titleist was once again the most popular golf ball choice among players at the Travelers Championship,with 74% of players (116 players in the 156-man field) trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than six times the nearest competitor with 19 players and more than all other competitor brand golf balls combined.
#1 DRIVER
For the 21st time this season, continuing a trend of player trust and validation, Titleist was the #1 choice in the driver category at the Travelers Championship, with 50 Titleist models in play. Of those Titleist drivers, 43 were TS models (TS2 - 9 | TS3 - 30 | TS4 - 4).
Titleist was also the #1 choice among players in fairway metals (134), hybrids (24), utility irons (32) and irons (45).
Vokey Design Wedges also topped the approach, sand and lob wedge category with 225 Vokey models in play and Scotty Cameron putters were the top choice among players with 57 Cameron models in play at Hartford.
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TITLEIST CLUB VALIDATION PROCESS CONTINUES
The tour validation process for new Titleist hybrids, utilities and irons continued at the Travelers Championship. Following last week’s debut of the new T100, 620 CB and 620 MB irons at the U.S. Open, and the new U-500 and U-510 utility irons and TS hybrids at the Memorial Tournament, Titleist rolled out the new Titleist T200 and T300 iron models in Hartford. Titleist Tour Representatives continue to work with players, fitting them into the new hybrids, utilities and irons – as the process continues on the PGA TOUR and across the worldwide professional tours.
Validating product performance across the global tours is a critical step in the development of all high performance Titleist golf equipment. Based on initial tour player testing and feedback, the new lineup is poised to continue Titleist's run as the most played iron on the PGA TOUR for each of the last five years and 14 of the last 15 seasons. Titleist is also the most played hybrid and utility iron on the PGA TOUR.
EARLY ADOPTION FOR NEW IRONS
There were 17 sets of new Titleist irons into competitive play this week. The breakdown included nine sets of T100’s (Ryan Blaum, Joey Garber, Charley Hoffman, Sung-Jae Im, Matt Jones , Michael Kim, Nicholas Lindheim, Cameron Smith, Scott Stallings), three 620 MB (Bud Cauley, Jim Herman, Peter Uihlein) and two 620 CB (Morgan Hoffmann, Robert Streb).
Bud Cauley (620 MB/5-9, 620 CB/4), Denny McCarthy (620 MB/8-9, 620 CB/5-7) and Richy Werenski (620 MB/6-9, 620 CB/4-5) each played split sets of new irons as well as one new U-500 utility iron each. Justin Thomas used a T100 4-iron.
TITLEIST RISES TO TOP IN UTILITY IRON CATEGORY
As mentioned, Titleist topped the utility iron count with 32 in play, nearly half of which were new U-500 (14) and U-510 (1) models. The U-500’s are currently in the bags of Ryan Blaum (4), Joey Garber (4), Fabian Gomez (3), Chesson Hadley (3), Brian Harman (4), Morgan Hoffmann (3), Patton Kizzire (4), Jordan Spieth (4), Scott Stallings (4), Adam Svensson (4) and Peter Uihlein (3), as well as Cauley (3), McCarthy (4) and Werenski (3).
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Jazz Janewattananond | Pro V1 - Kolon Korea Open
Jazz Janewattananondon (Pro V1), who won the Singapore Open in January, earned his fourth career Asian Tour title following a 6-under-par 278 victory total at the Kolon Korea Open, an event co-sanctioned by the Asian and Korean Tours. He finished one shot clear of InnChoon Hwang (Pro V1x) while Chan Kim (Pro V1x) closed with a 68, 280 total to finish another shot back in solo 3rd.
In fact, each of the top nine finishers all relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success, and 11 of the 13 who finished among the top 10 and ties. Hwang and DongKyo Jang earned the two qualifying spots for next month’s Open Championship on offer, as they were top two finishers not already qualified for Royal Portrush and also finished among the top eight at the event. Jang tied for 4th.
Titleist golf ball players have now won 13 of the first 14 events on the 2019 PGA TOUR Champions.
Titleist was the top choice in golf balls at the event with 78% of the field of 144 (113 players) relying on a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 10% (15 players).
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Congratulations to all of #TeamTitleist!
Click here for a listing of all Titleist golf ball wins this season.