It was a very busy week here on the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) at the Johhnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. Tour Technician Scott Morrison, the newest addition to our Leadership team, was enjoying his first week on the TTSV. He did a great job in the back this week managing to get all builds done on time.
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Gaganjeet Bhullar was using a 909D2 8.5 with an aldila VS 80 X shaft and he does hit it great. Gaganjeet hasn’t tried the 910 yet so we did a driver fitting in the afternoon.
We started of with him trying the Oban 80 gr shaft x stiff and the first drive he hit ended up 318 yards down the practice range, 14 yards longer than his gamer. But G didn’t like that it felt whippier than his VS 80, so we made up a shaft to his old specs and had a go. Straight away he was commentating on how good the driver looked when he addressed the ball and how good the shaft felt. He hits the ball really high so we tried a 7.5 head instead of an 8.5 to bring the flight down a little bit and to get that penetrating flight we all look for. It didn’t take more than 7-8 shots before he knew this was going to be the driver for him. With the new 910 head we managed to increase his ball speed by 3-5 mph, lowered his flight, increased his carry and also increased his roll out. In total, we managed to give him an average of 14 yards. Needless to say, Gaganjeet walked away with a big smile on his face
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• Titleist Brand Ambassador Kenneth Ferrie tried out some Titleist 710 CB irons this week. He also went back to his old shaft which is a Rifle 7.0. Tour Technician Phil Dimmock compared the CB’ to his current gamers, 710 AP2s, on the TrackMan to check which irons performed the best. The CBs with the Rifles didn’t have the desired effect on his trajectory so they are going keep working on different shaft options.
• Recent Irish Open winner and Titleist Brand Ambassador Ross Fisher made a tweak to his 910 prototype driver. Same shaft as before (a PX 7A3) but this time we went for 8.5 instead of a 7.5. Ross felt he needed a higher trajectory and longer carry this week.
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Jose-Filipe Lima came by asking if it was possible to try a lower-lofted head in his new 910 prototype driver. Off course it was, so we took his 910D2 9.5 head, checked the weight on it, grabbed an 8.5 instead, made sure it had the same headweight as his gamer, swapped the head on his Oban revenge shaft and it was ready to hit. In all, it took 4 minutes. We gave Jose a tool for the head so he can change it back if he ever needs some more loft again.
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Sören Hansen is keen on trying out some AP2s, and a set will be made up to his specs: S400 shafts, 1.5′ flat and strong lofted. And then we will ship to his home address in Monaco and follow up with him after he has had a go with them in between events. Soren also put in some work with the 910 prototype driver, testing out the club with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7X shaft.
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Gregory Bourdy’s bag went lost in transit this week. But fortunately we carry extra sets on the TTSV so he could still get some practice done. New wedges, driver and putter was made up for him just in case he doesn’t get his bag back until Thursday.
Next week we go to Switzerland, a week of stunning views and usually a great field.
August 27th, 2010
The European Tour is in the Czech Republic last week for the Czech Open at the hilly, tree-lined Prosper Golf Club, where recent heavy rains have created some favorable scoring conditions.
While the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle didn’t make the trip to the Czech Republic (the TTSV will return at next week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland), there were still a few equipment updates of note:
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Rick Kulacz (pictured, left) returned from a couple weeks off at home in Australia, where he spent some quality time at his new house. Kulacz also put in some work with the Titleist 910 prototype driver, working in front of the TrackMan launch monitor with Australian Tour Tech Brook Salmon.
Accordingly, Kulacz put the 910 prototype driver in play for the first time this week. His specs are as follows:
Model: Titleist 910D2 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue 65 X
Length: 45″
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet BCT 58R
Setting: A1
Other Titleist Brand Ambassadors that have the 910 prototype driver in play this week: Brett Rumford, Tano Goya, George Coetzee, Simon Thornton, Kenneth Ferrie, Martin Erlandsson and Mark F. Haastrup.
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Martin Erlandsson spent most of Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday walking the course and taking notes after his clubs didn’t show up Tuesday morning in the airport carousel, and unfortunate but regular occurrence for a tour professional.
While Martin’s clubs showed up late Wednesday, he still put in an order for new Titleist AP2 irons, his current set having been in play for the last 14 months. His specs are as follows:
Model: Titleist AP2
Composition: 3-PW
Shaft: Dynamic Gold S300
Grips: Golf Pride 58R Red
Swingweight: D3
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Michael Hoey also ordered new set of Titleist MB irons and Bob Vokey Spin Milled Wedges (pictured, right).
His specs are as follows:
Model: Titleist MB
Composition: 3-PW
Shaft: Dynamic Gold S100
Grip: Golf Pride 60R White
Swingweight: D2
Model: Vokey Design
Composition: 52.08 (D5 swingweight), 56.10 (D6), 60.08 (D6)
Shafts: Dynamic Gold S400
Grip: Golf Pride 60R White
• A Scotty Cameron California Del Mar recently caught the eye of Titleist Brand Ambassador Tano Goya in a pro shop in his home country of Argentina. Tano, looking to freshen things up with a putter change, called in a request to the Tour Team to bring a California Del Mar (35”, 20g weights) to the Czech Republic this week. Goya went out and shot 65 in his first round.
• Lastly, a big thank you to Titleist Brand Ambassador Robert Karlsson for making a massive effort to get from Whistling Straits on Sunday evening to St. Ives on Monday at lunchtime for the opening of the new UK Titleist Fitting Centre.Top work!
August 19th, 2010
Titleist Brand Ambassador Ross Fisher’s victory at the European Tour’s 3 Irish Open highlighted a riveting 1-2-3 weekend for Titleist golf ball and equipment players.
Make that:
• Win NUMBER ONE for the Titleist 910 prototype driver, which Fisher (pictured above) put in his bag just a couple weeks ago at The Open Championship and used this week in Ireland;
• TWO major championships in two weeks for Pro V1 loyalist Bernhard Langer, who followed last week’s Senior British Open victory with a win Sunday at the U.S. Senior Open, one of golf’s rare doubles;
• And THREE career majors for Pro V1x loyalist Yani Tseng, whose wire-to-wire victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open moved her to the top of the LPGA Player of the Year award standings.
OVERALL, Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice on all of the major worldwide professional tours this week, leading to six victories around the globe for Titleist players. In 2010, Titleist golf ball players have recorded 81 victories, more than four times the nearest competitor with 17.
• • •
ROSS FISHER’S IRISH OPEN VICTORY, his fourth-career win on the European Tour, moved the 29-year-old Englishman to sixth place in the European Ryder Cup standings and No. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“(The Ryder Cup) was one of my goals at the start of the season. … So I kind of put a little bit more pressure on myself, having some good weeks in the last sort of month and a half to give me a bit of momentum to push on,” said Fisher, who made two late birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to close in 6-under 65 at Killarney Golf & Fishing club and hold off Pro V1x loyalist Padraig Harrington by two shots. “… I want to go out there (the next two weeks) and prove that this win was not a fluke.”
Fisher’s 18-under 266 total, which matched a tournament record, included a second-round 10-under 61 that featured 10 birdies and no bogeys and almost turned into the European Tour’s first 59.
Fisher also became the first player to win using the Titleist 910 prototype driver, which was introduced on the European Tour just four weeks ago.
Fisher was one of 93 players at the the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club trusting a Titleist golf ball, more than three times the nearest competitor with 29. Titleist was also first in the Iron Sets (36) and Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (144).
A closer look at Ross Fisher’ equipment:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D3 7.5 prototype w/ Project X 7A3
3-wood: Titleist 909F2 13.5 w/ Project X 8A4
Hybrid: Titleist 909H 17.0 w/ Fujikara Speeder 904
Irons: Titleist 695 MB (3-9) w/ Dynamic Gold
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (48, 54, 60) w/ Dynamic Gold
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron prototype
• • •
YANI TSENG’S TRIUMPH AT ROYAL BIRKDALE made the 21-year-old the youngest player ever to win three major championships.
Tseng, also a winner at the Kraft Nabisco Championship earlier this season, followed three consecutive 4-under 68s with a final-round 1-over 73, rolling in her Pro V1x from 7 feet on No. 18 Sunday for a one-shot victory over Pro V1x loyalist Katherine Hull.
“I never even thought this could happen,” said Tseng, one 107 players that trusted Titleist golf balls at Royal Birkdale, nearly 11 times the nearest competitor with 10.
“I have three majors already, and this is my third year on tour. I’m 21 years old, three majors. It’s like, nobody can think that way. So I think it’s going to be huge in Taiwan, and I’m really looking forward to going back to share this trophy with them.”
• • •
LANGER EARNED HIS SECOND MAJOR IN TWO WEEKS by posting four rounds in the 60s at Sahalee Country Club and playing 72 holes without a three-putt. He also didn’t make a bogey with his Pro V1 Sunday en route to a sturdy 3-under 67.
“I putted well, I chipped pretty good and my bunker game was good. I felt calm and I just had a good feeling, I had a lot of confidence in my game,” said Langer, who became the first German to win not only the U.S. Senior Open but any U.S. Golf Association championship.
Langer finished at 8-under 272 (69-68-68-67) for a three-shot victory at Sahalee Country Club. He has finished just one of his last eight rounds outside the lead.
“Hasn’t sunk in yet. I think it’s quite amazing to win back-to-back
majors because it does take a lot out of you when you’re in the lead,” Langer said. “To have won these two majors back-to-back, that’s something that doesn’t happen very often, if ever.”
Langer was one of 112 players that trusted Titleist golf balls at the U.S. Senior Open, more than six times the closest competitor with 18. Titleist was also first in Iron Sets (54) and Sand, Lob & Approach Wedges (140).
• • •
ALSO THIS WEEK:
• At the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic, Pro V1x loyalist Jeff Overton shot a final-round 3-under 67 for his third runner-up finish of the year, while Titleist Brand Ambassador Brendon de Jonge (Pro V1x, 910D3 prototype driver, 909F2 fairway metal, AP2 irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi putter) closed in 5-under 65 his third top-3 finish of the season.
Pro V1x loyalist J.B. Holmes, who shot a third-round 60, was one of 103 players trust Titleist golf balls at The Greenbrier, more than six times the closest competitor with 17. Titleist was also first in Iron Sets (46), Putters (71) and Sand, Lob & Approach Wedges (121).
• Pro V1x loyalist Martin Piller shot a 7-under 64 Sunday to win the Nationwide Tour’s Cox Classic by two shots over Pro V1 loyalist Dicky Pride. Piller, also a winner at the Stadion Athens Classic in May, and Pride were two of 104 players that trusted Titleist golf balls at the Cox Classic, nearly 6 times the nearest competitor with 18. Titleist was also first in Iron Sets (47), Putters (68) and Sand, Lob & Approach Wedges (147).
• Pro V1x loyalist Siddikur became the first Bangladeshi to win on the Asian Tour with a playoff victory at the Brunei Open over Titleist Brand Ambassador Jbe Kruger (Pro V1x, 909D2 driver, 906F2 fairway metal, 909H hybrid, AP2 irons, Vokey Design wedges).
Siddikur and Kruger were two of 107 players that trusted Titleist golf balls at the Brunei Open, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19.
• It was an all-Titleist finish at the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Business Origins of Golf on the South African Tour, where Pro V1x loyalist Ulrich van den Berg shot an even-par final round of 72 to edge fellow Pro V1x loyalist Daniel Greene by a shot. In total, 51 players trusted Titleist golf balls in the event, three times the nearest competitor with 17.
August 3rd, 2010
The Titleist Tour Support Vehicle was parked this week at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, where the European Tour has returned to play the Irish Open after a 20-year absence. Players teed off this morning on the picturesque Killeen Course, set on the banks of the stunning Lough Leane. We’ve got some especially impressive views from the back of the TTSV.
Here are some Titleist player equipment updates from the week, including more activity involving the prototype Titleist 910 driver:
• Titleist Brand Ambassador Matteo Manassero (pictured above), 17, had been looking forward to testing out the 910 driver this week in Ireland, his first opportunity to spend some time with the Titleist European Tour Team. (The Titleist 910s first hit the European Tour four weeks ago at the Barclays Scottish Open.)
The result? A massive smile on the young Italian’s face – not to mention increased ball speed, higher launch and great spin numbers. That all added up to an extra 15 yards in the air, and increased total distance.
Manassero, who earlier this year became the youngest player to ever make the cut at the Masters (36th), also found that he was able to turn the ball over with the 910 better and without losing some control, which he found especially significant.
Matteo’s Titleist prototype 910 specs:
• 910D2 9.5
• Project X 6B7 (tipped 1.5″), 45″
• Tour Velvet 58 Round (1+1 reversed)
He put the 910 straight in the bag.
• Unlike Manassero, Titleist Brand Ambassador George Coetzee was turning the ball over to the left a bit too much for his liking. After a few twists and a click on the adjustable 910, Goetzee, one of the biggest hitters on the European Tour, was going at his ball hard without the fear of losing it left.
Coetzee’s Titleist prototype 910 specs:
• 910D2 9.5
• Grafalloy ProLite 3.5 X ( tipped 1.5″), 45″
• Tour Velvet Midsize
Coetzee also ordered a new set of Titleist CB irons, having worn out his latest set from hours and hours of practice.
• Also switching to the prototype 910 driver this week was Titleist Brand Ambassador Peter O’Malley, one of the straightest drivers on the European Tour (he is currently ranked second, hitting 75.8 percent of fairways). O’Malley put in some work on the range with the TrackMan launch monitor, eventually choosing to go with the 910D2 10.5, because it gave him an extra little bit of spin and helped keep the ball in the air a little longer, as opposed to the 910D2 9.5.
OMalley’s Titleist prototype 910 specs:
• 910D2 10.5
• Aldila Voodoo XVS6 ( no tipping), 46″
• GripMaster Round 0+1
• The list of European Tour staffers now gaming the Titleist 910 drivers is as follows: Andrew Dodt (D2, 8.5), Brett Rumford (D3, 10.5), George Coetzee (D2, 9.5), Jose Filipe Lima (D2, 9.5), Kenneth Ferrie (D2, 10.5), Mark Haastrup (D2, 7.5), Martin Erlandsson (D3, 9.5), Matteo Manassero (D2, 9.5), Mikko Ilonen (D2, 8.5), Pablo Larrazabal (D2, 9.5), Peter O’Malley (D2, 10.5), Ross Fisher (D3, 7.5), Scott Strange (D2, 9.5), Seung-yul Noh (D3, 7.5), Simon Thornton (D2, 10.5), Tano Goya (D2, 9.5), Robert Karlsson (D3, 9.5).
• Other orders from the week included new Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges for Mikko Ilonen, Scott Strange and Jose Felipe Lima, plus Scotty Cameron putters for Simon Thornton and Rick Kulacz.
July 30th, 2010
As the European Tour makes the trip across the North Sea from the home of golf to Stockholm for the Nordea Scandinavian Masters, the talk of the golfing world is firmly focused on the sports newest major champion – Lodewicus Theodorus “Louis” Oosthuizen. The Titleist Pro V1x loyalist was perhaps a surprise winner of the 139th Open Championship but his performance was nothing short of sensational as he decimated the field at The Old Course with an exhibition of golf that belied his relative inexperience in Major Championships. The sweet swinging, 27 year old South African, who had never previously made the cut in an Open Championship, put on a stellar display of precision golf for all four rounds of the Championship to record a hugely impressive 16 under par total and a seven stroke margin of victory. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Louis on his stunning success and we are hugely proud that the Titleist Pro V1x helped guide him towards the coveted Claret Jug.
Louis is showing no signs of an Open Championship hangover and has continued his Open form in Stockholm with rounds of 67 and 70 putting him in a share of second place at the time of writing. The newly crowned Open Champion is just one of a number of big names in the field in Sweden this week. Among them is Titleist Ambassador Robert Karlsson who will have the home crowd firmly on his side as he tees it up in Stockholm. The crowd will also be looking forward to catching a glimpse of American starlet Rickie Fowler as he makes a rare European Tour start. The Titleist Ambassador has made a significant impact on the PGA Tour since turning professional in 2009 and the 21 year old from Oklahoma State University is now firmly established within the upper echelons of the game. Rickie is an exciting talent with a refreshing, care free approach to the game which makes him a great player to watch during the course of a tournament.
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July 23rd, 2010
Ninety of the world’s best players trusted a Titleist golf ball in their quest to win The Open Championship, more than three times the nearest competitor with 20.
In the end, the name at the top of St. Andrews’ large, yellow leaderboard belonged to Pro V1x loyalist Louis Oosthuizen, who closed in 1-under 71 to capture his first major championship at the Home of Golf.
Oosthuizen’s walk over the Swilcan Bridge and up the 18th fairway was as historic as it was carefree, as the 27-year-old from South Africa walked away with a seven-shot victory to become the Champion Golfer of the Year.
It is impossible to give Oosthuizen anything but a 10 for his final-round performance, which included a 50-foot eagle putt on No. 9 after driving the green, and ended with his 10-letter surname etched into the Claret Jug.
“Oosty,” who jumped from 54th to 15th in the world rankings, rolled in his Pro V1x for par on the 18th hole to finish at 16-under 272 (65-67-69-71).
“It’s like I said yesterday, to win an Open Championship is special, but to win it here at St. Andrews is just – it’s something you dream about,” Oosthuizen said.
Pro Vx loyalist Lee Westwood finished runner-up, shooting a final-round 70 to finish at 9-under 279.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy (Pro V1x, 909D2 driver, 909F3 and 906F2 fairway metals, MB irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport Fastback putter) finished tied for third at 8-under 280 after opening with a 9-under 63, along with Pro V1x loyalist Henrik Stenson.
The comeback (and perhaps shot) of the week came from Titleist Brand Ambassador and Pro V1x loyalist Rickie Fowler, who followed an opening-round 79 with rounds of 67-71-67 to finish tied for 14th at 4-under 284. Fowler’s bogey-free final round included a 43-yard birdie putt from off the green at the famous par-4 17th Road Hole that grew enormous cheers from the St. Andrew gallery.
“(It was) 129 feet, but I’m just going to round up to 130,” Fowler told Team Titleist via text message.
July 19th, 2010
As one of the most accomplished fields of professional and amateur golfers worldwide gathered at the Home of Golf, St. Andrews, Scotland, to compete for one of the game’s most prestigious titles, an overwhelming number of players relied upon Titleist, the #1 ball in golf. In the 156-player Open Championship field, 90 players chose Titleist golf balls, more than four times the nearest competitor with 20, and more than all other golf balls combined.
With the third major of the year in full swing, Titleist continues to outperform all other golf balls on the 2010 PGA Tour with 15 wins, more than all other golf balls combined. The momentum also continues to grow across all the worldwide professional tours, where Titleist has been the choice of 69 champions, more than four times the nearest competitor.
The Open Championship marks the latest of the major professional and amateur championships this year where the trust and confidence in the superior performance and consistency of Titleist golf balls has never been stronger. From the Masters and U.S. Open, to the NCAA Division I and U.S. Amateur Public Links championships, Titleist continues to be the overwhelming favorite of more competitive players than all other golf balls combined:
July 19th, 2010
It’s a truly special week in the golfing calendar as the best players from all four corners of the globe assemble at golf’s most historic and revered venue for the 139th playing of The Open Championship. The oldest championship in world golf celebrates the 150th anniversary of its first playing by returning to the home of golf – The Old Course at St Andrews.
Since the very first Open Championship was held with just eight participants in 1860 the event has become established as one of golf’s four major championships and the list of past winners reads like a who’s who of golfing greats. Among others, names like Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros are all indelibly engraved on the famous Claret Jug. As this year’s Championship gets underway at St Andrews the field has increased somewhat since the first event in 1860 and 156 competitors will take to the links for their shot at golf’s oldest prize. The beauty of the Open Championship is the cosmopolitan nature of the field; proven major champions and tour winners play alongside qualifiers from all over the world, for whom this may be their one any only Open Championship experience. In addition, the field is also sprinkled with a number of amateur talents who have gained entry to the championship courtesy of their succes in the amateur game and will be hungry to write their name into The Open history books by claiming the coveted silver medal.
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July 16th, 2010
We are on the final leg of our journey back to the home of golf as the European Tour reaches Scottish soil for the Barclays Scottish Open. With The Open Championship just a week away, the beautiful Loch Lomond Golf Club is the ideal venue for the players to fine tune their game and find form as they head to the year’s third major championship. However, whilst The Open is understandably on the minds of many, the Scottish Open is still a prestigious prize and the Tom Wieskopf and Jay Morrish designed parkland layout will provide both a stern test of golf and a stunning backdrop in which the golfing drama will undoubtedly unfold.
The natural splendour of Loch Lomond is hard to beat but for many of the players at this week’s event the scenery was not the main attraction. This week, the natural wonder has been usurped by a man-made wonder as the Titleist 910 drivers landed on the European Tour. Messrs Scott and Ogilvy had brought their 910 drivers across from the U.S. to last week’s Alstom Open de France and it’s fair to say that the sighting of the new driver created quite a buzz among the other Titleist Ambassadors in the field. This week, the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) headed to Loch Lomond packed to the rafters with 910 driver product for the players to test. As soon as the TTSV opened up during the practice days a host of Titleist players were beating a path to our door asking to hit the new 910. Fortunately, the Titleist Team had anticipated such a reaction and had taken the step to assemble 910 drivers to the player’s current ‘gamer’ specifications – they’re a savvy bunch!!!
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July 8th, 2010
It’s ‘Bonjour’ from beautiful Paris this week as the European Tour rolls into the French capital for the Alstom Open de France. The event comes from Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris, a course which is very highly rated amongst the players and always attracts a stellar field year after year. The course is bidding to become the host venue to the 2018 Ryder Cup and these designs on staging golf’s premier event only serve to illustrate just how good the golf course really is. The 7300 yard par 71 layout is about as close as you’ll get to an inland links course for the first 14 holes, but the closing four holes bring about a change in character with a finishing stretch based on a stadium design. This ensures perfect viewing for the always strong Parisian crowds and a daunting finish for any player in contention on Sunday.
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July 2nd, 2010
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