The European Open
After Ross Fisher’s demolition of the field and the course at last year’s European Open at the London Club in Kent, expectations were high for more low scoring and great golf at the 2009 event. The week got off to a blustery start as players battled against high winds in the practice rounds, but by the time the first players teed it up on Thursday, they were faced with fine weather and perfect golfing conditions.
Titleist golf ball loyalists Gary Orr and Steve Webster (both 2009 Pro V1x users) obviously got to grips with the course and the conditions as they finished joint runners-up – with Webster combining good driving and table topping GIR stats to put himself in contention. Full line Titleist players Soren Hansen, Ben Curtis and Rory McIlroy all put in good performances to see them finish well up the leaderboard.
The Titleist Tour Team was working hard with a number of Titleist staffers this week as they sought to try a few new options. Martin Erlandsson was looking for a new driver and following a successful fitting was built a 909D3 8.5°. The Driver is was fitted with a Fujikura Rombax 6X07 shaft (tipped two inches) and a Golf Pride Multi Compound grip (red / black reversed). Martin and his caddie Chino walked the course with Titleist Fitting Technician Mattias Jelver to see how the new driver performed and we’ll be looking out for updates over the coming weeks.
Click here to view the slideshow
Fellow Titleist staffer Branden Grace decided he was going to put an ”oldie but goldie” into play at the European Open….. a Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Design # 5 (see pictures). The flat stick obviously worked well for Brandon, as he finished 10th in the stats for the number of putts per greens in regulation!
Reigning European Tour Order of Merit Winner and World #11, Robert Karlsson also worked with the Titleist Tour Team to optimise the performance of his fairway wood. Robert’s current fairway is a 909 F2 13.5° at 43.5 inches – made ½” longer to try to gain distance. Having used the longer shaft for a couple of weeks, Robert decided he wanted to go back to the original 43” shaft and so tried out the following:
Model: 909 F3
Loft 1: 15°
Loft 2: 13° bent to 13.5°
Loft 3: 13° bent to 14°
Shafts: Grafalloy Pro-Launch Red Fairway X-Flex
Grips: Golf Pride Multi Compound red / black grips (+1/32”)
Swingweight: D5
Joining the ranks of Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi users this week was Estoril Open De Portugal winner and full line player Michael Hoey. Michael has been trying out the new Kombi Mid with the following specs:
Model: Studio Select Kombi Mid
Length: 43.75”
Loft: 4°
Lie: 69°
The Titleist Tour Team also worked with Michael on a new driver – the results of some thorough testing saw him fitted into a 909 D3, 8.5°, Diamana Kai’li 70, X-flex with Golf Pride Dual Durometer 2 (DD2) yellow grips.
No doubt celebrating his team’s success in the Champions League Final, Barcelona fan and Titleist staffer Pablo Larrazabal wanted to try a Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Squareback. The new putter worked well for Pablo as he posted table-topping putts per GIR stats having put the Squareback straight in his bag at The London Club. The specs for Pablo’s new flat stick were:
Model: Studio Select Squareback
Length: 33”
Loft: 4°
Lie: 71°
Weights: 30g (Heel & Toe)
Pablo also was testing a new 5-wood after he was made a 909 F2, 18.5° fitted with a Grafalloy Comp NT Prototype 85 shaft in X-Flex at 42.5” in length.
All-in-all, another very busy week on the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle, demonstrating how hard the players work on their game and how much store they put by having the right equipment in the bag. This week sees the Tour move to Wales as a strong field will contest the Celtic Manor Wales Open. Defending champion and Titleist staffer, Scott Strange, will be looking to repeat last year’s success and add to this year’s European Tour success at The Volvo China Open. As always, the Titleist Tour Blog will be on hand to bring you all the details from inside the ropes at the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup!
2 comments June 3rd, 2009
