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The European Tour makes only its third ever trip to India for this week’s Avantha Masters at the DFL Golf & Country Club in the hustling, bustling capital city of New Dehli. Whilst India isn’t the first name that springs to mind when you mention the game of golf it is certainly one of the world’s emerging golf markets and more and more professional players are starting to emerge from the country, the likes of Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur and Jyoti Rhandawa probably being the most recognisable of these.
One name from India that you may not yet be familiar with is that of Gaganjeet Bhullar. Gaganjeet is currently ranked 115th on the Official World Golf Rankings and this week makes a rare European Tour start at the Avantha Masters. The Titleist Ambassador plays the majority of his golf on the Asian Tour and last week tasted victory in fine style at the Asian Tour International Trophy where he closed with a course record 64 (-8) to take the title by a single stroke. At just 21 years of age the future looks bright for Gaganjeet and he will be keen to cut his teeth on the European Tour and build on a bright start to his career on the worldwide professional Tours. Congratulations to Gaganjeet on last week’s win, we look forward to seeing more of him on the European Tour in the years to come.
Click here to view the slide show
Another player making a start on the European Tour this week is current Challenge Tour player Lee Slattery. Lee dropped back to the Challenge Tour having failed to keep his card in 2009 but will still receive a number of starts on the European Tour in 2010 thanks to his category 12 exemption courtesy of a 136th place finish on the inaugural Race to Dubai. Lee received a late invite to this week’s Avantha Masters which he was understandably keen to take but there was one small issue, his irons and wedges, which did not conform to the new R&A groove regulations. However, the Titleist Tour Team is always on a heightened state of readiness in case of such emergencies and Lee was soon in possession of a brand new set of Titleist CB irons and two Vokey Spin Milled C-C wedges made to his specific requirements. Player and clubs seem to have immediately taken a liking to each other and two solid opening rounds of 70 (-2) and 69 (-3) have Lee inside the top-20 places on the leaderboard and in position for a strong finish. Lee was Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner back in 2004 and will be looking for a similar year as he seeks to regain full European Tour playing privileges for 2011. One thing’s for sure, he will certainly have Titleist on his side in 2010 as his new irons and wedges may soon be joined by new 909 metals which are waiting for Lee on his return from India. We wish him all the very best for the season.
Lee Slattery
Model: Titleist CB
Composition: 2-PW
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300
Length: +1/4” (#6 Iron @ 37.75”)
Lie: Std (#6 Iron @ 62.5°)
Loft: 1° Strong (#6 Iron @ 30°)
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Vokey Design Spin Milled C-C
Loft / Bounce: 52.08 & 58.08
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
Length: Std
Lie: Std
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64”)
Swingweight: 52° @ D3, 58° @ D5
Model: Titleist 909D2
Loft: 9.5°
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Whiteboard 73 X-Flex
Length: 44.5”
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist 909F2
Loft: 13.5°
Shaft: Titleist Speeder Fairway by Fujikura X-Flex
Length: 43”
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D3
Model: Titleist 909H
Loft: 17°
Shaft: Aldila NV-85 Hybrid X-Flex
Length: 41”
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D3
Next week sees a break in European Tour action as the world’s top players head to Arizona for the WGC Accenture World Match Play Championship. With $8.5 million to play for the competition will be intense and a number of Titleist Ambassadors, including new world #2 Steve Stricker, recent Qatar Master Champion Robert Karlsson and current world #7 Rory McIlroy will be among the favourites to contend. The Blog will be back in early March from the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpar for the Maybank Malaysian Open but for now it’s goodbye from New Dehli.
February 12th, 2010
There really is only one place to start on this week’s Blog and that’s with a look back to the Qatar Masters where Titleist Ambassador Robert Karlsson claimed a comeback victory. Since claiming the European Tour Order of Merit title in 2008 Robert has been unlucky with injury but, after battling a persistent eye problem for the majority of the 2009 season, he is now back to full fitness and back on form. This was evident last week in Qatar as the Swede birdied the 71st and 72nd hole for a bogey-free closing round of 65 (-7) to claim victory by a three-stroke margin. We would like to congratulate Robert on his tenth career European Tour victory; it’s great to see him back on top form after such a disrupted 2009 season and his return to the winner’s circle is a welcome site for all European golf fans as we head towards the Ryder Cup in September. As proved in 2008, a confident Karlsson is a hard man to beat and it would be no surprise to see him in contention this week at the Dubai Desert Classic. Grattis Robert!!!
Click here to view the slideshow
Talking of which, that’s exactly where we are coming from with this week’s Blog. The Emirates Club, Dubai is once again the host venue for the coveted Dubai Desert Classic, a tournament which consistently attracts some of world golf’s biggest names. This year is no exception and a stellar field is once again in attendance. The aforementioned Robert Karlsson will be strongly fancied after tasting success last week in Qatar and current European #1 and Pro V1x loyalist Lee Westwood will also be one to watch. But we couldn’t come to Dubai and not mention the reigning champion, Rory McIlroy. Rory claimed his maiden European Tour victory at this event 12 months ago and goes into this season’s Dubai Desert Classic as one of the most consistent performers in world golf. Rory has finished fifth or better in each of his last five European Tour events and is seemingly in contention whenever and wherever he tees it up. This week is no different and Rory is certainly in no mood to relinquish his crown without a fight as opening rounds of 68 (-4) and 70 (-2) would testify. Rory is currently one shot off the halfway lead and in a strong position to mount a successful title challenge.
During the practice days in Dubai the Titleist Tour Team spent some time working with Portugese Titleist Ambassador Jose Filipe Lima. Jose is back on the European Tour after a successful season on the Challenge Tour in 2009 and will be looking to produce the sort of form that saw him record a European Tour victory at the Saint Omer Open in 2004. Jose took time out during his practice session to work with Tour Technician Phil Dimmock on his driver set-up. Using a Trackman launch monitor, the test revealed that his current 909D2 8.5° was not quite producing the optimum spin rate causing the ball to drop out of the sky a little early. This lack of spin also made it harder for Jose to turn the ball over and hit the little draw that he likes with the driver. Fortunately, the fix for Jose was very straight forward with the switch to a higher lofted head producing the required result. Specifications for Jose’s new driver are detailed below:
Jose Filipe Lima
Model: 909D2
Loft: 9.5°
Shaft: Aldila V*ooDoo XDV6 X-Flex
Length: 45”
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Ribbed .580 (Std)
Swingweight: D3
Denmark’s Soren Hansen was another player to make a tweak to his driver set-up this week in Dubai. Soren has been using the Aldila RIP 70 X-Flex shaft in his 909D2 (9.5°) but felt this specification was yielding too much spin. After consultation with the team Soren decided to go back to a shaft that worked very well in his old Titleist 905R driver, the Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Whiteboard. The Diamana Whiteboard is designed with a strong tip section which helps reduce spin and is a shaft that has found favour with a number of hard-hitting Titleist players over the past couple of seasons. Soren’s full driver specification is detailed below.
Soren Hansen
Model: 909D2
Loft: 9.5°
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Whiteboard 73 X-Flex
Length: 45”
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Ribbed .580 (Std)
Swingweight: D3
A quick glance at the halfway leaderboard in Dubai would suggest another enthralling weekend ahead of us with the likes of Westwood, McIlroy and Karlsson all in contention. This is the final week of the European Tour’s ‘desert swing’ before moving on to an entirely new venue for the inaugural Avantha Masters in New Delhi, India. The new event marks a new destination for the European Tour and the sights and sounds of one of the world’s most bustling cities will provide a unique backdrop for this event (and a new experience for the Titleist Tour Team!!). We will report back from our voyage of discovery at the same time next week.
February 5th, 2010
Week two of the European Tour’s “desert swing” takes us Doha, the capital city of Qatar, for the 13th playing of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. Those players that competed in last week’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship will arrive this week to a very similar set of challenges with the Doha Golf Club offering the same style of desert golf. The course is certainly long at 7388 yards, par 72, but the length of the golf course should only trouble the players if the desert winds begin to blow. However, whether the conditions are benign or blustery the players will certainly need to guard against a watery grave with H2O coming into play on a third of the holes at Doha Golf Club.
Click here to view the slideshow
In recent week’s the Tour Blog has brought to your attention a number of new names from the current roster of Titleist players; names such as Neil Schietekat, Jbe’ Kruger and Rick Kulacz for example. In this week’s Blog Englishman Kenneth Ferrie is another name to add to this list. Kenneth Ferrie will be a name that is familiar to many of you largely thanks to a couple of high profile performances. Kenneth was paired with Phil Mickelson in the final group of the 2006 U.S Open at Winged Foot golf club but his finest hour undoubtedly came at the K-Club in 2005 where he claimed European Tour victory at the European Open. Kenneth is in the field this week in Qatar and touched base with the Titleist team to work on his equipment during the practice days. He is currently playing the new AP2 irons but this week decided to switch his longer irons to the new AP1 model in order to produce a higher ball flight. He loved the look, feel and added forgiveness offered by the AP1 and has replaced his #3 & #4 iron for this weeks event - even Tour professionals appreciate forgiveness!!! In addition to new long irons Kenneth was also experimenting with a new Scotty Cameron Newport Buttonback during practice. However, after much deliberation he decided to stick with his Black “Tour-only” Kombi (pictured in this week’s slide-show) for the event.
Kenneth Ferrie
Model: Titleist AP1
Composition: #3 & #4 iron
Shafts: True Temper Rifle 6.5
Length: +1” (#6 Iron @ 38.50″)
Lie: 1° Flat (#6 Iron @ 61.5°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound .600 Round Blue/Black (Std)
Swingweight: D8
Another Titleist Ambassador who will soon be making an equipment change is Argentina’s Tano Goya. We mentioned in last week’s Blog that Tano had paid a visit to the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) in California during the off-season and he clearly found this a hugely valuable experience; so much so that he is planning to make the trip to TPI on an annual basis. After working with the team at TPI to analyse his game Tano feels that he needs a stronger ball flight from his irons. With this in mind Tano is looking to move away from his current AP2 irons into the new Titleist MB. The traditional blade design of the MB results in a higher CG than the AP2 which should help deliver the more penetrating ball flight he requires. The irons are being assembled in our European Tour workshop back at Titleist HQ in England and will be shipped to Tano for his next event. Full specifications for the irons are are given below:
Tano Goya
Model: Titleist MB
Composition: #2 Iron & 4-PW
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Length: Std (#6 Iron @ 37.5”)
Lie: Std (#6 Iron @ 62.5°)
Lofts: 1° Strong (#6 Iron @ 30°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound .600 Round White/Black (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D2.5
At the time of writing we are at the halfway stage in Qatar and the event is shaping up nicely with a number of big names near the top of the leaderboard. Top spot is currently being occupied by Titleist Ambassador Brett Rumford following opening rounds of 69 (-3) and 66 (-6). Brett’s second round featured a stunning finish which saw him post six birdies in his final eleven holes without a blemish on his card. On that sort of form Brett will be a hard man to beat over the course of the weekend but, that said, there are two men in close proximity that will have Brett looking over his shoulder. Titleist ball loyalist and reigning European number one Lee Westwood is just two shots off the lead at -7 with 2008 Order of Merit winner and Titleist Ambassador Robert Karlsson a further shot back at -6. The stage looks set for compelling finish to the event in Qatar and with strong Titleist representation at the top of the leaderboard we will be watching with great interest.
Next week sees the final event of the “desert swing” as we head to Dubai for the prestigious Dubai Desert Classic. Titleist Ambassador Rory McIlroy claimed his maiden European Tour victory at this event 12 months ago and will be keen to defend his title. We will be blogging from the Emirates course at the same time next week.
January 29th, 2010
The desert oasis that is the Abu Dhabi Golf Club welcomes the European Tour for the fifth playing of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. This event marks the start of the European Tour’s ‘Desert Swing’ a series of events which also sees the Tour visit Doha and Dubai over the coming weeks. This three-tournament swing has become more and more popular with the players over the years thanks to a combination of perfect weather, excellent golf courses and sizeable prize funds. For many, Abu Dhabi marks the start of the 2010 season and many of the world’s top players, including Pro V1 ball loyalists Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson and Titleist Ambassadors Rory McIlroy and Geoff Ogilvy are in the field. McIlroy is now undoubtedly one of golf’s hottest properties following a sensational 2009 season whilst Ogilvy, a new Titleist Ambassador for 2010, comes to Abu Dhabi having already claimed victory at the PGA Tour’s season opening SBS Championship.
Click here to view the slideshow.
Here is a full list of Titleist Ambassadors in the field this week:
Robert Karlsson
Geoff Ogilvy
Kenneth Ferrie
Gregory Bourdy
Rory McIlroy
Pablo Larrazabal
Michael Hoey
Tano Goya
Rick Kulacz
Soren Hansen
Martin Erlandsson
Mikko Ilonen
Brett Rumford
Paul Waring
Seve Benson
The aforementioned Rory McIlroy will be seen far less on the European Tour this season having committed to play more golf on the PGA Tour. That said however, he is in the field in Abu Dhabi this week as he gears up for the defence of his title at the Dubai Desert Classic in two weeks time. Rory is fast becoming one of the most consistent performers in world golf, a point emphasised by a remarkable 14 top-ten finishes in 2009, and he is once again in contention after two rounds in Abu Dhabi. Rounds of 66 and 69 have Rory well inside the top-ten at 9 under par just two strokes off the halfway lead at the time of writing. Rory comes into the event having made an equipment change with the new Titleist MB irons going into play. The MB is proving very popular on Tour and Rory joins the likes of Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Karlsson in making the switch to the new irons.
Rory McIlroy
Model: Titleist MB
Composition: 3-PW
Shafts: True Temper Project X Rifle 6.5
Length: Standard (#6 iron @ 37.50”)
Lie: 1° Upright (#6 iron @ 63.5°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compund Black/Yellow (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D2
Two other Titleist Ambassadors looking to kick-start their seasons this week are Englishman Seve Benson and Argentinean Tano Goya. Both players are teeing it up for their first event of 2010 and both go into the tournament with a new flatstick following off-season visits to the Scotty Cameron Putter Studio in California. There are pictures of both putters in this week’s slideshow and the specifications are detailed below. As well as making high performance putters Scotty certainly knows how to make them look good; these two are bordering on works of art!!!
Seve Benson
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport - Tour Issue
Length: 35”
Loft: 4°
Lie: 71°
Grip: Red Cameron Cord
Weighting: 10g (Heel & Toe)
Stamping: Seve (Heel), Benson (Toe), S.B (Face), Circle T (Face)
Paintfill: Studio Select Red
Tano Goya
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport – Tour Issue Black
Length: 35”
Loft: 4°
Lie: 71°
Grip: Black Baby-T
Stamping: Tano (Heel), Goya (Toe)
Paintfill: Blue & White (Argentina Colours)
Final word in this week’s Blog goes to a name that will be new to many of you; Rick Kulacz. Rick joins the European Tour as a full-line Titleist Staff Ambassador and is embarking on his first full season after securing his card at European Tour Q-School back in November. A native of Perth, Western Australia, Rick has been playing on the Asian Tour since turning professional back in 2007 and, following success on the Asian Tour including a victory at the 2008 Brunei Open, Rick is now eager to test himself against the best that the European Tour has to offer. He has certainly made a more than competent start to his rookie season with a top-5 finish at the Africa Open in just his second event of the season. At the time of writing Rick’s form is getting better and better!! Following an opening round of 69 (-3), Rick has produced arguably the round of his life to post a stunning 63 (-9) and lead the event by a single stroke. The round included eleven birdies; seven of which came in the final nine holes of the round. The Titleist team would like to wish Rick all the very best for his debut season but judging from the start he’s made it doesn’t appear that he will need it!!! Way to go Rick!!!
Next week takes us to Doha for the Qatar Masters where another week of sunny skies is promised. One thing’s for sure, the players (and the Titleist Tour Team) will all be looking suitably tanned after three weeks in the desert. We’ll be back with the Blog (and a healthy suntan) at same time next week.
January 22nd, 2010
The final tournament of the European Tour’s South African swing brings us to Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club for the Joburg Open. The event is one of only three tournaments on the European Tour schedule which uses more than one course for the week’s play, with both the East and West course at Royal Joburg and Kensington being used for 36-holes a piece. Both courses offer up their fair share of challenges with a mixture of tree-lined and exposed holes. There is also plenty of H20 to be found thanks to a 2.5km stream that meanders through the complex and the eleven separate ponds that come into play across the two courses.
Click here to view the slideshow.
As with all the South African based events the Joburg Open provides an opportunity for a number of local players including a healthy contingent of South African Titleist Ambassadors. One such player is Bloemfontein native Jbe’ Kruger. Jbe’ has played every event in the 2010 South African swing and, following a missed cut back at the season-opening Alfred Dunhill Championship, has really hit his stride. A third place finish at last weeks Africa Open has Jbe’ in confident mood and this has so far reflected in his play this week in Joburg. At the time of writing Jbe’ is off to another strong start after opening rounds of 63 and 69 and will have high hopes of contending for the title over the weekend.
Another South African Titleist Ambassador who is off to a solid start in Joburg is Neil Schietekat. A blistering opening round of 62 (-9) was followed by a 72 (+1) and sees Neil inside the top-ten on the leaderboard going into the weekend. Neil was another player to finish well at last week’s Africa Open recording a top-25 finish but came to see the Titleist Tour Team this week to discuss his fairway metal. There was no doubt that Neil could flat-out crush his current fairway metal from the tee (in fact, most people would be happy hitting their driver like he hits that fairway!!) but he felt that it was not performing well from the fairway, leaving him at a disadvantage when trying to reach long par 5’s. Neil really needed a higher launching, higher spinning fairway option which would give him the ability to get the ball up from the fairway. After working with Titleist Tour Technician Mattias Jelver for just a short time Neil found a specification that was to his liking and went away a happy man!!
Neil Schietekat
Model: 909F2
Loft: 13.5°
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White Board 73 X-Flex
Length: 43”
Grip: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Red (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D3
Titleist Ambassador Paul Waring is in the field this week for his first tournament of 2010. Following an injury hit campaign in 2009 which saw him secure his card by the narrowest of margins by finishing exactly 115th in the Race to Dubai, Paul is looking forward to a new European Tour season and goes into his opening event with renewed optimism and some new Titleist equipment to boot. Paul has recently made the switch from his Titleist 735.CM irons to a set of the new Titleist CB and speaking to Mattias Jelver in Joburg this week was feeling very happy with their performance. In addition, Paul has also dropped his faithful 907D4 prototype driver in favour of the 909D3. Unfortunately a solid opening round of 69 (-2) was undone with a poor start to the second round and, in spite of a solid closing nine holes, Paul will sit it out this weekend. However, if Paul can stay clear of injury in 2010 we would strongly fancy him to contend for a title this season and post a strong finish in the Race to Dubai.
Paul Waring
Model: Titleist CB
Composition: 3-PW
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Length: +1/4″ (#6 iron @ 37.75″)
Lie: Std (#6 iron @ 62.5°
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Red (+1/32”)
Swingweights: D4
Model: 909D3
Loft: 8.5°
Shaft: Grafalloy Blue X-Flex
Length: 45″
Grip: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Blue (+1/32″)
Swingweight: D5.5
A trip to the Middle East now beckons as the players, and the Titleist Tour Team, head out to the United Arab Emirates for the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Some of the European Tour’s biggest names will be in the field including Europe’s reigning #1, and Titleist ball Loyalist, Lee Westwood and Titleist Ambassadors Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Karlsson. The event marks the start of a three tournament stretch which also takes in the sights and sounds of Doha and Dubai along the way. The players will undoubtedly be looking forward to soaking up some sunshine in the Middle East and the perfect playing conditions promise to offer up some spectacular golf along the way.
January 15th, 2010
The European Tour visits many countries and many spectacular courses and this weeks venue just 50km northwest of Cape Town is up there with the best. Pearl Valley Golf Estates is set amongst some of SA finest vineyards and flanked by stunning mountain backdrops on every side. The course has a par of 72 and can be stretched to just short of 7500 yards.
Titleist Staffers in the field this week include Grégory Bourdy, Shane Lowry, Michael Hoey, Soren Hansen, Martin Erlandsson, Mikko Ilonen and Paul Waring.
Click here to view the slideshow
After a good week at Leopard Creek last week Grégory Bourdy successfully made the short flight to Cape Town but unfortunately his clubs didn’t. Grégory had to wait until Tues afternoon for his tournament winning MB irons to show up before hitting the practice ground.
Paul Waring made his 2010 season debut this week. The SA sunshine was a far cry from The Belfry in late November when Karl Arthur and myself met up with him to do some 909 metal testing, Paul has moved into 710 CB irons and C-C Vokey wedges during the short off season but was yet to find a 909 driver which he was totally happy with.
After a couple of hours testing we were able to identify the launch and spin issues Paul was facing and built him the following driver. I caught up with Paul this week at Pearl Valley and the 909 has gone straight in the bag.
Model: 909 D3
Comp: 8.5
Shaft: Grafalloy Blue
Flex: Standard X - Stiff
Length: 45″
Grip: SPIDERMAN 60R BLUE
Grip Size: 2 + 1
Swing Weight: D5.5
Tipping: 2″
Paul has also moved away from the belly putter this week into a standard-length SC Newport.
Model: Studio Select Newport
Shaft: Stepless Straight Tip
Length: .SC34″
Grip: SC Red Cord
Grip Size: 0 + 1
Loft: 4 Degree
Lie: SC 71 Degree Std
Weights: 15 grams
South African Staffer Branden Grace was back in his homeland, after a year of travelling around the world. Unfortunately his Titleist Staff bag was looking a little worse for wear, so SA’s Leadership Executive, Leonard Loxton, had arranged delivery of a new one for the 2010 campaign. When you look at what his caddie, Shane, is carrying around on a week to week basis it’s easy to see it’s not going to be light work!!!
Staffer Martin Erlandsson looked in great form on the range this week and has ordered a back up driver for the coming season.
Model: 909 D2
Comp: 8.5
Shaft: Fubuki 63g
Flex: Standard X - Stiff
Length: 45″
Grip: SPIDERMAN 60R WHITE
Grip Size: 0 + 1 UPS
Swing Weight: D3
Tipping: 1.5″
Staffer Callum Macaulay has been using his C-C Vokeys for a little while know and all the practice he has put in with it has taken its toll, so a new one was ordered this week.
Model: Spin Milled C-C
Finish: Tour Chrome
Comp: 260.08
Shaft: Dynamic Gold
Flex: Standard S300
Length: 35″
Grip: Tour Velvet 58R
Grip Size: 0 + 1
Swing Weight: D5
Loft: 60 Degree
Lie: 64 Degree Standard
Stamp: Callum
The Tour now takes a well earned week off for the festive period before returning to South Africa for the African Open at East London GC on the Eastern Cape.
Cheers!
Phil Dimmock
December 18th, 2009
After barely a moment to catch our breath following a stunning climax to the 2009 season the Race is on again as the 2010 season kicks off in South Africa at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. And what a place for the 2010 Race to Dubai to begin!!!
Located on the edge of Kruger National Park, the magnificent par-72 layout at Leopard Creek Golf Club offers up one of the most spectacular settings on the European Tour schedule. The course is literally built on the banks of the park’s “Crocodile River” which, as the name suggests, is home to some of South Africa’s most infamous residents!! But the crocs are certainly not the most famous inhabitant of Leopard Creek Golf Club; that title would have to go to a certain hippopotamus that resides in a lake on the 16th hole and has become something of a celebrity. Our Tour team were suitably intrigued and took time out to see Harry the hippo during some down time this week. Check out the picture of Harry in this week’s slideshow.
Click here to view the slideshow
But of course, our main concern this week in South Africa is the inhabitants of the golf course!! Some of the European Tour’s best are in the field and looking to get off to a flyer on the 2010 Race to Dubai. A number of Titleist Ambassadors are in the field this week including Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, a recent winner at the UBS Hong Kong Open, and Irishman Shane Lowry who is embarking on his first full season of European Tour play. Who can forget Shane’s sensational victory at the 3 Irish Open back in May whilst still an amateur; a win which secured his playing European Tour playing privileges for 2010. Shane has been slowly adjusting to life on Tour since turning pro shortly after his win and is clearly revved up for his first full season. At the time of writing Shane is off to a solid start currently lying in a tie for 14th place at five under par. The whole Titleist team would like to wish Shane all the very best for what is undoubtedly the biggest year of his golfing career to date.
With many of our Titleist Ambassadors not playing this week there was very little equipment activity to speak of at Leopard Creek. However, with a new season now upon us we are fully expecting business to pick up over the coming weeks. One thing’s for sure, the popularity of Titleist equipment on the European Tour continues to grow. As well as being the #1 ball on the European Tour with 65.1%* of players using Pro V1 and Pro V1x across the 2009 season, Titleist is also the most played iron brand with 22.7%* of European Tour players trusting the performance and quality of Titleist irons during the 2009 season. A Titleist iron was also in the bags of more European Tour winners than any other brand during the 2009 with 12* victories. With a new range of Titleist irons now on offer, a number of players have already transitioned into the new AP2, CB or MB irons and we fully expect more to follow suit as the new season gets underway.
One player who did touch base with the team to place an equipment order this week was Titleist Ambassador Michael Hoey. Regular readers of the Blog may remember Michael taking a shine to a 909F2 fairway metal being tested by fellow Titleist player Rory McIlroy in Hong Kong and, since receiving his own 13.5° version to this specification, Michael has been delighted with the performance. The specification has been so much to his liking that Michael has now asked the team to put together a 15.5° version to the same specification. The club will be built at our European Tour workshop back in England and shipped to him at the earliest opportunity.
Michael Hoey
Model: 909F2
Loft: 15.5°
Shaft: Project X 7A3 X-Stiff
Length: 43”
Grip: Golf Pride DD2 .600 Round Black/Yellow (Std).
Swingweight: D3
The Titleist Tour Team will remain in South Africa next week as the Tour moves further south to Cape Town for the South African Open Championship at Pearl Valley Golf Estates. Set in the shadows of the Drakenstein Mountains the course offers up one of the most challenging layouts in all of Africa and undoubtedly one of the most visually spectacular golfing locations on the planet. It promises to be a great week and we will of course bring you another Blog update from the event.
* Source: IFM Sports Marketing Surveys – November 2009
December 11th, 2009
Following last week’s European Tour season finale at the Dubai World Championship it’s time to look back at a season of achievement for Titleist on the European Tour. The iconic Titleist Pro V1 has once again proved itself as the ball of choice on the European Tour with 65% of players choosing a Titleist ball across the 2009 season. The Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x also entered the winners circle no fewer than 25 times throughout the course of the season, a figure which equates to 56% of all tournament victories on the European Tour.
Click here to view the slideshow
Included in these 25 tournament victories were maiden wins for a number of young, up-and-coming European Tour talents. Titleist Ambassador Rory McIlroy (Pro V1x) set the trend back in February at the Dubai Desert Classic when a stunning up-and-down from sand on the 18th hole of the Emirates Course delivered his maiden Tour success. Victory for Rory seemed to open the floodgates and bring about a raft of maiden victories for Titleist ball loyalists. American Anthony Kang (Pro V1x) was next to taste success as as a birdie at the 72nd hole gave him a one stroke victory at the Malaysian Open. Argentinean Tano Goya (Pro V1x) and Northern Irishman Michael Hoey (Pro V1x) followed soon after as the Titleist Ambassadors claimed their maiden titles at the Madeira Islands Open and Estoril Open de Portugal respectively. Next up was one of the stories of the season as Irishman Shane Lowry (Pro V1x), playing as an amateur, captured his own national title at the Irish Open, a win which catapulted him into the professional ranks. Celtic Manor was the next venue to see a maiden victory for a Titleist ball loyalist as Dane Jeppe Huldahl (Pro V1x) took the Wales Open then, at the Austrian Golf Open, a final round 60 (-11) delivered Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello his first European Tour win. The most recent player to breakthrough with Titleist in his corner was Ross McGowan (Pro V1x) who claimed a three stroke victory at the Madrid Masters. Winning on the European Tour is no mean feat but claiming a maiden victory is undoubtedly the hardest task of all. We’d like to congratulate all of the Titleist ball loyalists that overcame this most difficult of hurdles in 2009. With each of these players currently under the age of thirty it is clear that the next generation of Tour stars are placing their trust in a Titleist golf ball.
Alongside the plethora of maiden victors on the European Tour there were also wins for more some established names. The most notable success of the season for the Titleist Pro V1 came at Augusta National Golf Club where Angel Cabrera claimed his second major title and his first green jacket with a Pro V1x. The big-hitting Argentinean overcame a strong challenge from both Kenny Perry (Pro V1x) and Chad Campbell (Pro V1x) to deliver yet another major success for a Titleist golf ball. Alongside major championship success came two World Golf Championship triumphs as Geoff Ogilvy (Pro V1) and Ross Fisher (Pro V1x) took the Accenture Match Play and Volvo World Match Play titles respectively. In addition, European Tour victories in 2009 for the likes of Ian Poulter (Pro V1x), Gregory Bourdy (Pro V1), Scott Strange (Pro V1), Soren Kjeldsen (Pro V1) and Thomas Levet (Pro V1) also put a mark in the Titleist golf ball win column.
When casting our eye over the final standings for the inaugural Race to Dubai there are three names that stand out as being worthy of special mention. The first of those is young Englishman Chris Wood whose debut season on the European Tour has seen him place 44th in the Race to Dubai and claim the coveted Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. Chris burst onto the golfing scene back in 2008 at the Open Championship where he finished in fifth place whilst still an amateur. Now a professional, Chris’ first season on the European Tour saw him record seven top-20 finishes including another stunning Open Championship performance where he narrowly missed out on a place in the playoff to tie for third. Wood’s performances in 2009 have seen him rise to 71st position in the Official World Golf Rankings and, with his playing privileges firmly secured for 2010, he will undoubtedly be looking to make a move towards the world’s top 50. As was the case with the 2008 Rookie of the Year, Titleist Ambassador Pablo Larrazabal, Chris also placed his trust in the Titleist Pro V1x to capture the Sir Henry Cotton award.
The next name to mention has to be Rory McIlroy (Pro V1x). In a season of tremendous consistency the Titleist Ambassador has recorded a remarkable 12 top-5 finishes which included the aforementioned victory at the Dubai Desert Classic. This level of performance has seen McIlroy move into tenth place in the Official World Golf Rankings and earn a staggering €3.6 million in prize money across the 2009 season. Rory is being widely touted as a future major winner and is fast becoming one of the most popular players in world golf due to his supreme talent and likeable demeanour. It is easy to forget that this was only McIlroy’s second full season on Tour and that he has achieved this feat at just 20 years of age!!! The golfing world will undoubtedly have its eyes firmly fixed on Rory as he takes his game to the PGA Tour in 2010.
Final word for this season recap can only go to one man; Lee Westwood. Anyone that saw Westwood’s dominant display at the Dubai World Championship last weekend will have been left in no doubt that he is Europe’s #1 golfer. Victory at the Earth Course last week brought Westwood the honour of the inaugural Race to Dubai and the prestigious Harry Vardon trophy which is presented to the #1 player on the European Tour. Like Rory McIlroy, Westwood’s season was one of great consistency and was punctuated by two late season victories as the Portugal Masters and of course more recently at the Dubai World Championship. Westwood has been a long-time loyalist to the Titleist golf ball and has trusted the Titleist Pro V1x for every stroke of his finest season to date. Now fourth in the Official World Golf Rankings Westwood will surely have major titles on his mind in 2010? Congratulations to Lee on a magnificent performance this year, we wish him continued success in 2010.
With the inaugural Race to Dubai now confined to the history books attention is already turning to the start of the 2010 season which will begin at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa on December 10th. As has been the case at every European Tour event this season, Titleist will be on hand to work with our players and ensure that they are fully equipped for another season of intense European Tour competition.
November 27th, 2009
The first port of call on the Blog this week is to take a quick look back to last week’s event in Hong Kong where Titleist Ambassador Gregory Bourdy edged out fellow Titleist player Rory McIlroy to take the UBS Hong Kong Open title. Gregory plays Titleist right through the bag and his victory comes shortly after a switch to the new Titleist MB irons. The win vaulted the likeable Frenchman into 47th on the Race to Dubai standings and into this week’s Dubai World Championship. Félicitations Gregory!!!
And it is the Dubai World Championship that is the focus of this week’s Blog. Quite simply; this is the big one!! Following a long season of intense European Tour competition the top 60 players have come together at Jumeirah Golf Estate in Dubai for their shot at a €7.5 million prize fund. For a select few, the event is also the final opportunity to take their shot at the Race to Dubai title and claim the Harry Vardon trophy award to Europe’s #1 golfer. Titleist is well represented among the four players still in contention with Ambassadors Rory McIlroy and Ross Fisher occupying 1st and 4th spots respectively going into the event. Englishman Lee Westwood is another player in contention who has Titleist on his side with the Pro V1 loyalist currently occupying 2nd place in the rankings.
Click here to view the Dubai World Championship slideshow
The Earth Course is not only a brand new venue for the European Tour but an entirely new golfing venue full stop. The event marks the official opening of the course at the Jumeirah Golf Estate and early signs are that the Greg Norman designed par-72 layout will be a hit with the players. The course features large areas of bark mulch which provides an interesting contrast with the Bermuda grass fairways, whilst the bunkers and water hazards are large and plentiful. The Earth Course is by no means a push-over but the quality of field coupled with an excellent weather forecast should ensure low scoring for the event.
With so much riding on this week’s event there was very little by way of equipment chatter in Dubai. Most of the players will be taking time off in the coming weeks to recuperate after a long season and there will certainly be more to report in terms of equipment changes as we move into the 2010 season. That said, the team did spend some time with Ross Fisher in Dubai discussing a new fairway metal. Ross was keen to try a few different options to ensure he was getting the most out of his fairway metal and, having spent time testing on the range, decided on a 909F2 13.5° adjusted to 14.5°. As was the case with Rory McIlroy and Michael Hoey last week in Hong Kong, Ross’ new fairway will feature the new True Temper Project X 7A3 shaft. The new 909F2 will be delivered to Ross in South Africa in time for the Nedbank Open.
Another Titleist Ambassador in the field this week is Australian Adam Scott. Adam is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in world golf but has not had his best season on Tour in 2009. That said, in recent weeks Adam has definitely shown signs of a return to form and was looking forward to a strong week in Dubai. Adam is a long-time Titleist Ambassador and has recently added a set of the new Titleist MB irons to his bag alongside his 909D2 driver, 909F2 fairway, Vokey Design Wedges and Scotty Cameron Studio Select putter. Feedback from the players on the new MB irons has been unanimously positive and Adam is no exception – he is extremely happy with the performance. At the time of writing Adam is off to a solid start and currently sits in a tie for 20th at three under par. We wish him well for the weekend and look forward to seeing him back at his best in 2010.
The marathon that is the Race to Dubai is now approaching its sprint finish with just two rounds remaining and it’s the players in 1st and 2nd position that look to be heading for a weekend showdown. Both Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are off to fast starts in their pursuit of the Harry Vardon trophy with McIlroy currently lying in a tie for 2nd at 7 under par with Westwood leading the field by two strokes on 9 under. It promises to be a fascinating showdown over the course of the weekend and is building up to being the finish to the season that we were all hoping for. So sit back, relax and enjoy the action from Dubai; there’s going to be fireworks!!!
November 20th, 2009
In the build up to the season ending Dubai World Championship, the Titleist European Tour team had the privelege of spending some time at the Butch Harmon Golf Academy at Dubai Sport City. Butch Harmon, as most of you will know, is one of the top coaches in the game of golf and has a long-standing relationship with Titleist.
Click here to view the slideshow
The academy in Dubai is run by Claude Harmon III, son of Butch, who works with some of the leading players in world golf. The academy opened earlier this year and has already had plenty of vistors including the likes of Adam Scott, Lee Westwood and Chris Wood. The facility boasts magnificent short game areas, a pristine long game area, the latest in technological teaching aids and also a fitness and biomechanics studio. It really is a phenomenal set-up and it’s no surprise that some of the world’s best choose to practice at this facility. The academy is likely to become increasingly popular with players looking to work on their game during the off-season or during breaks from tournament play. On the day we visited the academy, Ladies European Tour player Marianne Skarpnord was taking advantage of the facilities and the glorious Dubai sunshine to work hard on her game.
The Titleist Team had the opportunity to take a tour of the facility and chat to Claude and his team about the work that they do. They have put together a world class facility where players of all abilities can come and work on their games. The set-up is state-of-the-art and, coupled with elite-level coaching, the Butch Harmon Golf Academy can rightly claim to be one of the very best facilities on the planet. For more information on the Butch Harmon Golf Academy please click here.
We would like to thank Claude and his team for making us so welcome and showing us around the academy.
November 17th, 2009
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