Nordea Scandinavian Masters

July 23rd, 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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The event itself comes from the delightfully named Bro Hoff Slott Golf Club just on the outskirts of Stockholm. It’s a new destination for a Championship that has typically changed venues every few years since its inception in 1991, and the players will be looking to add their name to an illustrious list of winners which includes the likes of Faldo, Montgomerie, Westwood, Scott and Donald. The first thing that you notice about the Bro Hoff Slott Golf Club is the clubhouse which is both stunning and obscure in equal measure. The clubhouse is actually a converted castle that dates all the way back to 1888 and its character really adds something special to the Golf Club. Out on the course there is no shortage of character either. The Par 72 parkland layout measures a mighty 7365 yards and water plays a big part throughout with hazards in play on 12 of the 18 holes. Nowhere is the water more prevalent than at the Sawgrass-inspired par-3 17th hole which, like the famous 17th at Ponte Vedra Beach, features an island green surrounded by the dreaded H20. At 150 yards in length the 17th maybe the shortest hole on the golf course but, for any player protecting a lead on Sunday, the hole will represent a significant obstacle to overcome.

Despite the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) not being at this week’s event, due to the logistics of getting the truck from Scotland to Stockholm, the buzz surrounding the new Titleist 910 driver continued and a number of players arrived fully intent on putting the 910 in play for the first time. Adding to the list of players already ‘gaming’ the 910 were Titleist Ambassadors Michael Hoey, Pablo Larrazabal, Andrew Dodt and George Coetzee. The 910 certainly seems to be working well for George as he currently sits in a tie for fourth place at four under par, well in contention for the weekend and nicely placed to record his best finish of the season so far.

Of the 23 Titleist Ambassadors in the field for the Scandinavian Masters, 17 have already made the switch into the new 910 driver. This is an overwhelming acceptance for the new product and it’s exciting to see the 910 getting such a positive response from some of the best players in the world. The buzz is growing with each passing week with more players inquiring about the 910 and making their booking for a driver fitting. The Team will continue the seeding of this stunning new product at the 3 Irish Open next week where we expect yet more players to make the transition. Don’t forget that you can stay in touch with the Titleist Tour Team through the Titleist Europe Twitter Page and, as always, the Blog will be back next week with a full report from the 3 Irish Open.

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