This week the winning momentum continued for Titleist across the worldwide professional golf tours, as players who trust their games to Titleist golf balls and golf clubs added four more wins to the Titleist victory count.
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
• At the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, Tom Lewis (Pro V1x) closed with a 7-under-par 65, good for a 5-shot margin of victory and a PGA TOUR card for the 2019-2020 season. Lewis topped a leaderboard that included each of the top six finishers relying upon a Titleist golf ball for their success.
• Of the 50 Korn Ferry players who will be graduating to the PGA TOUR next season, 39 will be trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball.
• On the PGA TOUR Champions,Wes Short Jr. (Pro V1x) won the Shaw Charity Classic in dramatic fashion, birideing the final hole to finish one shot clear of Scott McCarron (Pro V1).
• In Indonesia, 40-year-old Miguel Carballo (Pro V1x) captured his first Asian Tour title. The two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and former PGA Tour player, overcame a six-shot overnight deficit to enter the winner's circle at the BRI Indonesia Open.
• At the Korean Tour's Busan Kyongnam Open, seven of the top 10 finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls, including Titleist Brand Ambassador JaeKyeoung Lee (Pro V1x) who won the event by one shot to claim his first career KPGA Tour victory.
• Titleist players have captured a total of 141 victories across the worldwide professional tours this season. That’s more than five times the nearest competing brand with just 26 and more than all competing brands combined.
• The ball count for the 2018-19 season also checks in at 20,613 players trusting a Titleist for their success across the worldwide professional tours. That’s more than eight times the nearest competing brand with just 2,529 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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KORN FERRY
Tom Lewis captured the Korn Ferry Tour Championship by five shots, adding an exclamation point to the season finale by earning his 2019-20 PGA TOUR card. He was one of 25 players who earned full PGA TOUR status next season based on their performances in the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, joining the Top 25 from the regular season rankings.
Lewis, who plays the Pro V1x, closed with a 7-under-par 65 en route to a 23-under-par victory total, topping a leaderboard that included each of the top six finishers relying upon a Titleist golf ball for their success, including runner-up Fabian Gomez (Pro V1x), Kramer Hickok (3rd/Pro V1), Titleist Brand Ambassador Tyler Duncan (T4/Pro V1), David Hearn (T4/Pro V1x) and Chris Baker (T4/Pro V1).
All but Hickock played their way into the Top 25 this week having started the event outside the top 40. Hickok began the week as a lock at tied for 8th in the Playoffs, but improved his final position to No. 4 with his solo 3rd effort.
THE FINALS GRADUATES:
Of the 25 players who earned their PGA TOUR card, 22 of them rely upon Titleist golf balls, compared to one each for cally, TM and srxn.
From the Regular Season 25, Titleist golf ball players accounted for 17 PGA TOUR cards, more than four times the nearest competitor with 4 (TM), followed by cally and srxn with two each. Seven of the 25 were full product line ambassadors.
At the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, the top 50 players were ranked, in alternating fashion from each points list. This order will be used to determine priority entry into PGA TOUR events for the upcoming season, which opens the week of Sept. 9-15 with A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Here’s a list of the Korn Ferry Tour graduates who will be trusting a Titleist golf ball on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR:
Scottie Scheffler - Pro V1
Xinjun Zhang - Pro V1x
Robby Shelton - Pro V1
Tom Lewis - Pro V1x
Brandon Hagy - Pro V1
Lanto Griffin - Pro V1
Kramer Hickok - Pro V1
Mark Hubbard - Pro V1
Viktor Hovland- - Pro V1
Kristoffer Ventura - Pro V1
Brendon Todd - Pro V1x
Zac Blair - Pro V1x Yellow
Ben Taylor - Pro V1
Bo Hoag - Pro V1x
Anirban Lahiri - Pro V1x
Nelson Ledesma - Pro V1x
Rhein Gibson - Pro V1
Tyler Duncan - Pro V1
David Hearn - Pro V1x
Mark Anderson - Pro V1
Bronson Burgoon - Pro V1
Scott Harrington - Pro V1x
Chris Baker - Pro V1
Robert Streb - Pro V1
Tom Hoge - Pro V1
Vincent Whaley - Pro V1
Cameron Percy - Pro V1x
Rafael Campos - Pro V1
Hank Lebioda - Pro V1x
Vince Covello - Pro V1x
Rob Oppenheim - Pro V1x
Cameron Davis - Pro V1x
Joseph Bramlett - Pro V1
Tyler McCumber - Pro V1x
Doug Ghim - Pro V1
Tim Wilkinson - Pro V1x
Richy Werenski - Pro V1x
D.J. Trahan - Pro V1
Inside the Counts:
According to Darrell Survey, for the fourth time this season, Titleist swept the player count across every major equipment category on the Korn Ferry Tour. From golf balls, to drivers, fairways and hybrids, to utility irons, irons, wedges and putters, Titleist was the top choice versus all other brands. Titleist also swept the count at 10 PGA TOUR events last season.
At this week's Korn Ferry Tour Championship 72% of players in the field of 122 (88 players) teed up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball. That’s more than seven times the nearest competitor with 10% 12 players and more than all competing brands combined.
Titleist was also the #1 choice among players in drivers (38), fairway metals (39) , hybrids (19), utility irons (42), and irons (48).
Vokey Design Wedges also topped the approach, sand and lob wedge category with 235 in play.
Scotty Cameron putters where also the top choice with 42 putters in play.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Wes Short Jr. (Pro V1x) birdied the final hole to win the Shaw Charity Classic, finishing one shot clear of Scott McCarron (Pro V1). Short fired a final-round 4-under 66 en route to a 13-under 267 victory total. The win was the second of Short’s PGA TOUR Champions career, both of which have come in Canada (2014 Quebec Championship).
Short topped a leaderboard on which 7 of the top 10 finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.
The win was the 17th for Titleist golf ball players through the first 21 events this season and more than five times the nearest competitor with 3.
Titleist was the top choice in golf balls with 76% of the field of 78 (59 players) teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, 50 more than the nearest competitor with 9.
ASIAN
Miguel Carballo (Pro V1x) captured the BRI Indonesia Open for his first Asian Tour title. The 40-year old, a two time Korn Ferry Tour winner and former PGA Tour player, overcame a six-shot overnight deficit for the victory.
A 19-year-old top-ranked Indonesia amateur, relying upon a Pro V1x golf ball, AP2 irons and Vokey Design SM7 gap, sand and lob wedges, fired a third round 9-under par 63 to take the lead into Sunday. The amateur finished solo 4th, five shots behind Carballo who closed with a 5-under par 67 en route to a 17-under par 271 victory total.
Yikuen Chang (Pro V1x) who carded the day's best score at 8-under 64, was runner-up, three shots behind Carballo.
Eleven of the 15 players wo finished among the top 10 and ties trusted Titleist as their golf ball of choice for their success.
Titleist was the field favorite in golf balls (116), utility irons (39), hybrids (36), irons (43) and wedges (192).
KOREAN
Titleist Brand Ambassador JaeKyeoung Lee (Pro V1x golf ball, Pro V1x, 917 D3 (10.5º) driver, TS3 (15º) fairway metal, 818H2 (19°) hybrid, 718 T-MB (3), 620 CB (4-7) and 620 MB (8,9) irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching (46.10 F Grind), gap (52.08 F Grind) and lob (58.06 K Grind) wedges.) captured the Busan Kyongnam Open by one shot to claim his first career KPGA Tour victory.
Lee closed with a 2-under-par 70 en route to a 19-under 269 victory total.
Seven of the top 10 finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls, including brand ambassador JaeHo Kim (Pro V1x, TS4 driver, TS3 and TS2 fairway metals, 718 MB irons, Vokey Design gap, sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Select Roundback putter), who fired a final round 7-under-par 65. He shared fourth place with KyongJun Moon (Pro V1x), three shots behind Lee.
Titleist was the most played golf ball in the field with 99 players (69%), four times the nearest competitor with 24. Titleist was also the overwhelming top choice in the driver (67), iron (71) and wedge (238) categories.
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Congratulations to all of #TeamTitleist!
Click here for a listing of all Titleist golf ball wins this season.