After a thrilling, yet grueling week and a historic winning performance at this year's U.S. Open Championship, it feels like the golf world has exhaled a long, deliberate breath and eased back into a more familiar routine. Schedules resumed across the worldwide professional tours and we were treated again to aggressive play and low scoring.
This week we saw good things that came in threes and record-setting performances, charges down the stretch and playoff drama. And five times this week, players raised a Titleist golf ball in celebration.
We're haven't quite reached the midway point in the 2018 season, but all told, players trusting their games to Titleist have now accumulated 109 wins across the worldwide professional golf tours. Making that figure even more impressive is the fact that it's nearly seven times the nearest competing brand with just 16 wins.
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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Taking center stage this week was Bubba Watson (Pro V1x), who became the first player to notch three wins on the PGA Tour this season with his victory at the Travelers Championship. Watson charged from six shots back, firing a 7-under-par 63 to secure his third Travelers crown and the 12th PGA TOUR victory of his career - all earned using a Pro V1x golf ball.
Watson’s win in Connecticut marks the 22nd victory for Titleist golf ball players on the 2017-18 season, more than twice the nearest competitor with 8.
At this week's Travelers Championship, Titleist was once again the overwhelming golf ball of choice with 117 players in the field of 156 trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 16 and more than all competitors combined.
Titleist was also the top choice in the hybrids (22) and irons categories (43). Vokey Design Wedges topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (215) category and Scotty Cameron putters were the choice of more players than any other brand with 61 in play.
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Matt Wallace (Pro V1) won his second European Tour title of the season - and his third in just over a year - as he overtook Thorbjørn Olesen (Pro V1x) with a fantastic final day performance to claim the BMW International Open.
Wallace, who started the day two shots off the overnight lead, saw Olesen sign for a career-low round of 11-under 61 to post a 9-under-par total and open up a three-shot lead before the final group even teed off. Olesen’s 61 was the lowest round in BMW International Open history as well as the joint-lowest round of the season on the European Tour.
Wallace responded by making five birdies in seven holes on the final nine to sign for a spotless 7-under-par 65, good for a 10-under 268 victory total and a one shot margin of victory over three players, including Olesen, who was also seeking his second title of the season (Italian Open) and Mikko Korhonen (Pro V1x), who won the inaugural Shot Clock Masters just two weeks ago.
With the win, Wallace added to last season's victory at the Open de Portugal and his triumph at the Hero Indian Open in March.
Titleist was the most played golf ball with 112 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, nearly six times the nearest competitor with 12.
Wallace’s win marks the 18th for Titleist golf ball players through the first 22 European Tour events this season, nine times the nearest competitor with 2.
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It was an all-Pro V1, three-way playoff at the Wichita Open where Brady Schnell earned his first career Web.com Tour title with a birdie on the second extra hole.
Schnell converted a 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to extend the playoff, eliminating Scott Pinckney (Pro V1, 917D2 driver, 917F3 fairway metal, 917F2 fairway metal, 718 CB/MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges, Scotty Cameron 340 putter). He made a 10-footer on the second playoff hole to top Brandon Hagy for the win.
Schnell, who entered the final round in 3rd place at 10-under, closed with a 4-under-par 66 to match Pinckney and Hagy at 14-under 266. Hagy set the clubhouse lead after racing up the leaderboard with a closing 7-under 63.
Titleist was the most played golf ball with 110 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than five times the nearest competitor with 20.
Titleist was also the top choice in irons (43). Vokey Design wedges topped the approach, sand and lob wedge category (211) and Scotty Cameron putters were the choice of more players than any other brand with 45 in play.
Schnell’s ’s win marks the 10th for Titleist golf ball players through the first 15 Web.com Tour events this season, more than three times the nearest competitor with 3.
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Scott McCarron (Pro V1) captured the American Family Insurance Championship by one shot, closing with an 8-under-par 64 en route to a 15-under 201 victory total.
McCarron birdied three of his final five holes to earn his first victory of the season and seventh in three years on the PGA Tour Champions.
Tournament host and first-round leader Steve Stricker (Pro V1x) closed with a 7-under-par 65 to finish in a three-way tie for 3rd, two shots behind McCarron.
Titleist was the most played golf ball with 56 players relying a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, seven times the nearest competitor with 8.
McCarron’s win marks the 9th for Titleist golf ball players through the first 14 events this season, more than twice the nearest competitor (4).
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Min Chel Choi relied on a Pro V1x golf ball and Titleist clubs tee-to-green to capture his first career victory, following up a 7-under-par 64 on Saturday with a Sunday 69 en route to a 12-under 272 victory total at the KOLON Korea Open.
Choi finished two shots clear of last week’s KEB HanaBank champion SangHyun Park (Pro V1, 917D3 driver, 917F2 fairway, 818H1 hybrid, 816H1 hybrid, 718 MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges, Scotty Cameron Del Mar prototype putter). Choi carded eight birdies to post a 7-under 64, the low round of the championship.
K.T. Kim (Pro V1x, 917D2 driver, 816H1 hybrid, 718 CB/MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching, gap and lob wedges), Jae Woong Eom (Pro V1x, 917D2 driver, 917F3/917F2 fairways, 818H1 hybrid, 718 CB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges, Scotty Cameron Futura 5W putter) and Kyong Jun Moon (Pro V1x) shared 3rd place, six shots back.
The KOLON Korea Open is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association and is part of The Open Qualifying Series. Park and Choi will be making their first appearances in The Open at Carnoustie in July, as the leading two players in the top eight and ties who were not already exempt.
Titleist was the overwhelming most played golf ball at the event with 110 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, nearly seven times the nearest competitor with 16. In fact, 9 of the 11 players who finished among the Top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.
Let’s take a closer look at the Titleist equipment that Min Chel had in the bag in South Korea.
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: 917D3 (9.5º)
Fairway: 915F (13.5º, 18°)
Hybrid: 816H1 (21°)
Irons: 718 T-MB (3), 718 AP2 (4-9W)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM7 pitching (46.10 F Grind), gap (52.12 F Grind) and SM7 TVD lob (580.06 K Grind)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T5W
Congratulations to all of #TeamTitleist!
Click here for a listing of all Titleist golf ball wins this season.