Open de España

May 1st, 2009

Girona, Spain is this week’s destination for the European Tour as the Stadium Course at PGA Golf Catalunya plays host to the Open de Espana for first time since the year 2000. The 7172 yard, par 72 layout is in great shape for the event and, with the fairways and greens in pristine condition, four days of low scoring is expected from a high quality field. Titleist Ambassador Soren Hansen certainly delivered a low score on day one as he set the pace with a stunning, course record setting 63 (-9). Round two has seen the likeable Dane consolidate his position with a solid two under par 70. Lying in second place Soren is sure to contend for the title over the weekend.

The players haven’t had an opportunity to utilise the facilities of the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) since the beginning of April, due to a break in the schedule during Masters week and two consecutive events in Asia. Its appearance this week in Spain saw many players approach the team to work on their equipment. The reputation of the 909 metals continues to strengthen and lots of players have received fittings for new 909 products this week.

Click here to view the slideshow

Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, a recent winner on Tour at the Estoril Open de Portugal, was one player to check in with Titleist Fitting Technician Mattias Jelver for a 909 fitting. Despite his recent victory Michael is keen to improve on his driving performance and following a successful fitting session has taken away two 909 drivers for further testing (see below). Michael certainly likes his drivers heavy; his preference is a D6 swingweight!!!

Michael Hoey

> Model: 909D2 RH
> Loft: 9.5°
> Shaft: Fujikura Rombax Motore F1 75, X-Flex (Tipped 1.5”)
> Length: 45”
> Grip: Lamkin Crossline
> Swingweight: D6

> Model: 909D2 RH
> Loft: 9.5°
> Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki 73, X-Flex (Tipped 1.5”)
> Length: 45”
> Grip: Lamkin Crossline
> Swingweight: D6

Titleist Ambassador Bernd Wiesberger was another player to spend some time with Mattias this week working on his driver setup. Bernd has been using a 909D2 for sometime and has been happy with the performance but, with a ball speed up at 174mph, felt his shaft was perhaps a little soft in the tip. The fitting showed that his current driver specification is a good fit but, having tested a number of different options, Mattias also found another setup that yielded positive results. Bernd has taken away a 909D3, 9.5° fitted with the new Fujikura Rombax Motore F1 75 X-Flex shaft for further testing. The combination of the 909D3 head and the stiffer tip of the shaft gave Bernd the desired reduction in spin which should help control his ball flight, particularly in windy conditions.

Two other players to receive 909 fittings this week in Spain were Dutchman Wil Besseling and Australian Matthew Millar. Besseling is currently using the new 2009 Titleist Pro V1x, ZB Forged irons, Vokey Wedges and Scotty Cameron Big Sur Putter and was keen to try out the 909 driver. Wil is a good driver of the ball but, as with most players, is always on the look out for something more. The 909 product certainly worked well during his fitting and he’s taken away a 909D3 9.5° fitted with a Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki 73 X-Flex shaft. Matthew Millar is a new addition to the Titleist roster and was looking for an additional 10 metres in distance from his #3 wood. A simple change from a 909F2 15.5° to a 13.5° version, plus a shaft with a slightly softer tip, delivered the extra distance and Matthew put the new fairway metal straight in play for this weeks event.

In addition to working with the players at the event, this week saw Titleist Ambassador Brett Rumford pay a visit to Titleist’s European Headquarters in the UK. Brett opted not to play at the Open de Espana this week but is gearing up for next week’s BMW Italian Open in Torino. Brett spent time with Titleist Tour Representative Phil Dimmock discussing his equipment needs and subsequently placed an order for new Titleist AP2 irons, Vokey Design wedges and a Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi putter. The clubs were assembled in double-quick time in our Tour workshop and shipped directly to Brett to begin his testing. This week’s slideshow features pictures from inside the workshop including a look at Brett’s clubs being assembled. In addition, a full run down of the specifications ordered are provided below:

Brett Rumford

> Model: AP2 Forged RH
> Composition: 3-9 Iron
> Shaft: True Temper Project X 6.0
> Length: Standard
> Lie: 1° Flat
> Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord .58 Round
> Swingweight: D3

> Model: Vokey 200 Series (Raw Finish)
> Loft/Bounce: 48° / 8°
> Shaft: True Temper Project X 6.0
> Length: Standard
> Lie: 1° Flat
> Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord .58 Round
> Swingweight: D3

> Model: Vokey 200 Series (Raw Finish)
> Loft/Bounce: 54° / 8°
> Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
> Length: Standard
> Lie: 1° Flat
> Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord .58 Round
> Swingweight: D1

> Model: Tour Chrome Spin Milled Vokey
> Loft/Bounce: 60° / 8°
> Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
> Length: Standard
> Lie: 1° Flat
> Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord .58 Round
> Swingweight: D0

> Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi
> Length: 35”
> Lie: 71°
> Loft: 4°
> Grip: Titleist Cameron Cord – Red
> Weighting: 10g weights (heel/toe), 20g (back)

As well as showing you inside our Tour Workshop this week’s slideshow also features images of a new Scotty Cameron creation. We know there are plenty of Cameron fans out there that will get a kick out of this one; a Tour issue Kombi with a black oxide finish. Nice!!!

We’re moving onto Italy next week for the BMW Italian Open, so “arrivederci” from the Tour Blog until then and enjoy the weekend’s play at the Open de Espana.

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