Archive for May, 2010
Following last week’s BMW PGA Championship played in stunning English sunshine at Wentworth (yes, you did read that right, we had sunshine in England!!) the European Tour heads to the equally sunny climes of the Spanish capital for the Madrid Masters. A number of players arrived in Madrid via Walton Heath Golf Club for 36-holes of U.S Open qualifying on Monday and, as you can imagine, this meant a relatively relaxed practice schedule for many.
As is the norm on the European Tour, the Wednesday before the event saw the players assemble for the Pro-Am competition. Each week on the European Tour the Pro-Am competitions attract a sprinkling of celebrities and this week was no different. With the tournament being held in the home of the world famous Real Madrid Football Club a couple of first team players from ‘Los Blancos’ teed it up for the Wednesday Pro-Am. Polish international goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and Spanish international midfielder José María Gutiérrez Hernández (Guti) were in attendance and, as you will see from this week’s slideshow, Guti hit the links wearing a particularly classy piece of headwear!!
Click here to view the slideshow
The early pace is being set by Titleist golf ball loyalist Luke Donald (Pro V1x) who, after opening with a superb 65 (-7), is in the process of recording another low one. At the time of writing Luke is seven under for his second round and bogey-free for the day. It’s great to see the smooth swinging Englishman returning to form after his recent injury problems and, after coming so close at Wentworth last week, he looks firm favourite to go one better in Madrid. Luuuuuuuuuuuuke!!!
Don’t forget that you can follow the Titleist Tour Team on the Titleist Europe Twitter page. The team are posting regular updates from European Tour events and the page also gives you the opportunity to interact with the them as they go about their business on the European Tour. Be sure to follow the team as they ‘Tweet’ from the Celtic Manor Wales Open next week.
May 28th, 2010
One of the world’s top coaches and Titleist Ambassador Pete Cowen took time out of his hectic schedule to pass on some of his wisdom to PGA pros at a Titleist Teachers’ Clinic held at the Celtic Manor 2010 Course – ahead of the Wales Open next week.
Hosted by Titleist, twenty pros listened intently as Pete ran through his approach and told them some “inside the ropes” stories about his work with some of the world’s top players. More comfortable on the range than the classroom, Pete was eager to get outside and demonstrate practical is often better than theory in golf!
Click here to view the slideshow
The gathered pros, including LET star and Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas, all took the opportunity to pick Pete’s brain and quiz him about approaches that would benefit their own coaching skills! A great day – fantastic venue, fabulous weather and happy golfers! Can’t be bad!
May 25th, 2010
This week we are visiting the newly redesigned Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. The course, already one of the finest on the European Tour circuit, now features deeper bunkers and better greens.
Monday here was one of the busiest Mondays we’ve had in quite some time on board the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV), and the traffic hasn’t slowed as players are getting their equipment just right to compete in the prestigious BMW PGA Championship.
Click here to view the slideshow
New addition to the Titleist full line players line up, Matteo Manassero was in early, looking for some new driver and fairway metal options. Not really looking for new woods altogether, Matteo was taking full advantage of the opportunity to have a look at different shaft options, and try them out in perfect conditions at Wentworth. We had him try True Temper Project X graphite shafts in both driver and 3-metal configurations. Here are the spec’s:
Matteo Manassero
Model: Titleist 909D2 Loft: 8.5° Shaft: Project X 6B7 Standard X-Stiff flex Length: 45” Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed) Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist 909F2 Loft: 13.5° Shaft:Project X 8A2 Standard X-Stiff flex Length: 43” Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed) Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist 909F2 Loft: 13.5° Shaft:Project X 7A3 Standard X-Stiff flex Length: 43” Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed) Swingweight: D3
Matteo said he liked the shafts but was going to stay with his current woods and try the Project X’s again at a later point. He also had a look at the New Scotty Cameron Center shafted Kombi putter. Something different that he will have a go with if the old faithful should let him down.
Brett Rumford came in for a new lob wedge this week. The player that supposedly is the best bunker player on tour had probably practiced too much as usual. We copied his gamer which is a Raw finished 60-degree’ wedge with 8 degrees’ of bounce. Brett also had a look at the Laguna 2 with a plumbneck from the Scotty Cameron studio. Brett currently uses a broom stick, but he eventually wants to use a short putter and he might have found what he’s been looking for in the Laguna 2. The Laguna family is available on tour now in three different models – Laguna 1.5 with a slant neck, Laguna 2 with a plumbneck and finally the Laguna 1.6, which is a center shafted putter. All three models have interchangeable weights in the bottom and the red cherry bombs in the back. Great looking putters.
Volvo China Open winner, Wales Open winner and, most importantly, Titleist staffer Scott Strange came by the truck on Wednesday with the newest addition to the Strange family safely in his arms. Meghan is the name of his 4-month-old young daughter and she was very cute. Scott aslo picked up a new set of wedges and we had a look at his lofts and lies, making sure they are spot on for this week’s important tournament. Scott uses the new AP2’s and the Vokey Spin Milled series of wedges (54.11 and 60.07). His 3-metal got slightly damaged on his latest airplane trip, so we decided to make him a new backup, just in case. Scott has a 13.5-degree 909F2 in his bag.
Malaysian Open winner and Titleist ambassador Seung-Yul Noh was in need of a new lobber as well, so we gave him a Vokey C-C 60.04 wedge on the driving range Tuesday morning, before he headed out to play his first practice round.
Rory McIlroy is back in Europe after his amazing win at the Quail Hollow Championship where he beat a world class field containing the best golfers in the world. The Leadership team took the opportunity to congratulate him on his great achievement. Rory wasn’t in need of any help with his equipment this week, which wasn’t a big surprise, since he doesn’t change his clubs very often. Rory uses the new Titleist MB irons and the 909D2 driver.
Wentworth member and Titleist Staffer Ross Fisher came by for a quick loft and lie check. We also looked at options for a fairway metal that would produce a lower spin rate, since he felt his current fairway metal spun a little too much with its Diamana whiteboard 83x. We made him a new 909F2 13.5 with an Oban devotion 8 x shaft in it. Hopefully, he will have time to practice with it on Wednesday afternoon. If not, we will follow up next time we see him. Ross also needed a new set of Vokey wedges with some fresh grooves. This could be the week for Ross. Let’s hope he does well in front of his home crowd
Longtime Titleist loyalist Peter O’Malley found a new putter he wanted to try. The Kombi mid at 39” was a great fit and we think he is gonna use that this week. We also tried out a new set of irons. POM currently uses the MB’s but after we had a look at his trajectory and dispersion we thought it would be a good idea to try the CB’s instead. The CB’s have a little wider sole and are slightly more forgiving than the MB’s. But most importantly, they created the preferred trajectory that we were looking for. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter will put those in the bag this week
We made Robert Karlsson a full back up set. We’ll keep these clubs for him at the office in case one of the airlines loses his luggage.
We built a back-up driver for Martin Erlandsson and we placed an order for a Scotty Cameron Studio Select Squareback plumbneck putter, as well. No sightline on the flange, but instead , the putter features a dot on the top, and it’s going to come in a tour-only black finish.
Staffer Rick Kulacz has decided to change from AP2’s to CB’s. The CB’s flattened out his flight and that was exactly what Rick was after.
Australian staffer and Avantha Masters winner Andrew Dodt got a new putter this week. He is currently using a Scotty Cameron Newport without any sighline at all, but Andrew felt he sometimes struggles to hit the ball in the sweetspot. So, a line on top might help him in this regards, so we made one up for him.
Argentinian ambassador Tano Goya ordered back-ups of everything in his bag. Tano looked good on the range and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does well in the upcoming events.
Staffers in the field this week are…..
Rory McIlroy
Robert Karlsson
Ross Fisher
Seve Benson
Scott Strange
Peter O’Malley
Martin Erlandsson
Paul Waring
Brett Rumford
Rick Kulacz
Sören Hansen
Gregory Bourdy
Jose-Filipe Lima
Pablo Larrazabal
Seung-Yul Noh
Mikko Ilonen
Matteo Manassero
Andrew Dodt
Kenneth Ferrie
Tano Goya
Michael Hoey
Here’s looking forward to a Titleist win here at Wentworth! Please continue to visit us on Twitter (TitleistEurope). We will be updating on a daily basis from the European Tour. Look out for Titleist Tweets!!
May 20th, 2010
It’s a slightly abbreviated Tour Blog this week as the European Tour lands in the Balearic island of Mallorca (Majorca) for the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca. This event is new to the European Tour schedule for 2010 and, with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth being the next event on the calendar; the majority of the players at the top of the Race to Dubai have chosen not to attend. With that said the tournament is an opportunity for some of those players lower down the rankings to post a strong finish and even secure their place on the European Tour with a victory.
Click here to view the slideshow.
Titleist Ambassador’s in the field this week:
> Soren Hasen
> Kenny Ferrie
> Scott Strange
> Seve Benson
> Seung Yul Noh
> Mark Haastrup
> Simon Thornton
> George Coetzee
> Andrew Dodt
The event is being played at the Jose Maria Olazabal designed course at Pula Golf Club and it was good to see the man himself take the first step on his return from ill health by competing in this week’s Pro-Am tournament. The two-time Masters champion and former Ryder Cup stalwart is a Titleist golf ball loyalist (Pro V1x) and we’re all looking forward to seeing him back in competitive action in the very near future. Anyone who has watched Jose play the game over his illustrious career can be in no doubt of his class and seeing the Spaniard back to his mercurial best would only be good for the European Tour and the game as a whole. Vamos Ollie!!!
There was no Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) on site in Majorca and with only a limited number of Titleist Ambassadors in the field there was little to report on the equipment front. We know that our regular readers love to hear about Tour equipment and, not wanting to disappoint, the Blog has this week gone into our European Tour workshop (AKA Aladdin’s Cave) based in the UK to see what treasures lie within. As you’ll see from this week’s slideshow there are some real gems in the workshop that we know you’ll enjoy.
As a final note this week, we’d like to welcome back Titleist Ambassador Seve Benson as he makes a return to action in Majorca. Seve is back following a five-week lay-off due to a bulging disc in his spine and is hoping to eradicate any ring rust before heading back to England next week for the BMW PGA Championship at his home course of Wentworth. Seve’s first round showed clear signs of his enforced lay-off but, despite missing the cut, a much improved second round should have him feeling more positive about teeing it up on the West Course next week. We’re all hoping Seve stays injury free for the remainder of the 2010 season as he looks to secure his European Tour playing privileges for 2011.
Don’t forget that you can follow the Titleist Tour Team on a daily basis through the Titleist Europe Twitter page. With the European Tour’s best assembling for their shot at a €4.5 million purse at Wentworth next week the team will certainly have plenty to Tweet about. Titleist Ambassadors Rory McIlroy, Ross Fisher and Robert Karlsson will all be returning to action for what is one of the most prestigious events in the European Tour calendar. One thing is for certain; the West Course at Wentworth always finds a worthy champion and, having undergone some remodeling since last year’s championship, this year should be no exception. We’re all prepared for a week of compelling action.
May 14th, 2010
Turin was this week’s destination for the European Tour with the Royal Park I Roveri Golf Club playing host to the Italian Open. Northern Italy sounds like a lovely destination at this time of year so imagine our surprise as the Titleist Tour Team rolled into town to be greeted by consistent and torrential rain. In fact, the weather was so appalling that the range was closed for long spells during the usual pre-tournament practice days which meant a quieter week on the equipment front aboard the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV).
The Italian Open is always a significant week for Italian Golf but this week it has extra significance as it marks the professional debut of their most promising golfing talent. 17-year old Matteo Manassero makes his European Tour bow as a professional in Turin following a glittering amateur career which saw him clinch the 2009 British Amateur Championship and establish himself as the #1 ranked amateur in world golf. In addition to a host of amateur honours Matteo also claimed the low amateur crown at the 2009 Open Championship and, more recently, at Augusta back in April of this year where he was competing as the youngest player in the history of the Masters tournament. The buzz surrounding the arrival of Matteo amongst the professional ranks is palpable and no where is this more evident than in his native Italy where a partizan crowd will cheer him every step of the way.
Click here to view the slideshow
In addition to his arrival on the European Tour, Matteo has also become our latest Titleist Ambassador and, having trusted Titleist throughout his amateur career will go into his first event as a professional with a full bag of Titleist clubs and the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball in play. We had the opportunity to catch up with Matteo this week in rain-soaked Turin and snapped some pictures aboard the TTSV – check out this week’s slideshow to see the man himself (and his Titleist equipment of course!).
Matteo Manassero
Model: Titleist 909D3
Loft: 8.5°
Shaft: UST Mayima Proforce AXIVCore 69 X-Flex
Length: 45”
Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist 909F2
Loft: 13.5°
Shaft: UST Mayima Proforce V2 86 X-Flex
Length: 43”
Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist 909H
Loft: 17°
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 904HB X-Flex
Length: 41”
Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist AP2 (New #3 Iron, Original 4-PW)
Composition: 3-PW
Shafts: True Temper Project X 5.5
Length: Standard (#6 @ 37.50”)
Lie: 1° Flat (#6 @ 61.5°)
Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed)
Swingweight: D2
Model: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C
Loft / Bounce: 252.08 and 58° (TVD M-Grind)
Shafts: True Temper Project X 5.5
Length: Standard
Lie: 1° Flat
Grip: Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64” Reversed)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Tour Black Newport
At the time of writing Matteo is tied for eighth place at three under par. It’s no surprise to see the seemingly unflappable teenager making a highly competent start to his professional career. Watch this space!!
Another Titleist Ambassador to check-in with the team in Italy was Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal. Regular readers of the Titleist Tour Blog will know of Pablo’s penchant for putters and this continued in Turin as he caught sight of a Scotty Cameron Laguna 2. True to form the putter didn’t stay aboard the TTSV for long and Pablo is going to test it over the coming weeks. In addition, Pablo’s 909 fairways have been into the TTSV for a reshaft. Pablo has recently switched to the new Aldila RIP shaft in his driver and wanted the fairway shafts to match so the team set about switching out his existing Grafalloy Comp NT shafts in favour of the RIP 80 X-Flex. The fairways are back in Pablo’s bag and we’ll look forward to him giving them RIP.
Don’t forget that you can now follow the Titleist European Tour Team on a daily basis using Twitter. The guys have posted plenty of content during their time in Turin this week and will continue to do so as they move onto Majorca for the Iberdola Open de Cala Millor Mallorca. Until next week it’s ‘Arrivederci’ from Turin.
May 7th, 2010
Italian teenager Matteo Manassero will make his professional debut at this week’s BMW Italian Open on the PGA European Tour as Titleist’s newest brand ambassador. Matteo turned professional earlier this week after a brief but decorated amateur career that included a win at last year’s British Amateur Championship as well as low amateur honors at the 2009 Open Championship and 2010 Masters Tournament. Having just recently celebrated his 17th birthday, Matteo established himself as the youngest player to record a victory at the British Amateur and to compete and make the 36-hole cut at the Masters.
Persistent rain and soggy course conditions currently threaten the scheduled Thursday start of the BMW Italian Open. Be sure to check out EuropeanTour.com for the latest updates.
Titleist Equipment in Matteo Manassero’s Bag:
Golf Balls: Pro V1x
Driver: 909D3 – 8.5°, UST Mamiya Proforce AXIVCore 69 X (45″)
Fairway: 909F2 – 13.5°, UST Mamiya Proforce V2 86 X (43″)
Hybrid: 909H – 17°, Fujikura Speeder 904HB X (41″)
Irons: AP2 – 3, Precision Project X 5.5*
Irons: Original AP2 – 4-P, Precision Project X 5.5*
Wedge: Vokey Design Spin Milled C-C 252-08, Precision Project X 5.5*
Wedge: Vokey Design Spin Milled C-C TVD 58, Precision Project X 5.5*
Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Newport Select – Xperimental Black Finish
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet – .580″ round, 1 extra wrap, logo underneath
*All irons and wedges standard loft and length, 1° flat lie angle
May 6th, 2010
