Anyone that witnessed the final round of this weekend’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will have had the pleasure of watching two of Titleist’s Brand Ambassadors do battle as Northern Irish pair Michael Hoey (Pro V1x) and Rory McIlroy (Pro V1x) duelled for the title. The spoils ultimately went to Michael Hoey following a stunning finish which saw him birdie three of the closing four holes to edge out his fellow Titleist Ambassador by two strokes.
Despite narrowly missing out on the title, there is no doubt that the form of Rory McIlroy was worthy of note. A final round of 65 (-7) on the Old Course, which included a simply stunning outward half of 30, was evidence that the reigning U.S. Open Champion is poised for a strong end to the season as he looks to topple fellow Pro V1x loyalist Luke Donald at the top of the 2011 Race to Dubai Rankings.
Click image to launch slideshow
This form was particularly rewarding to see from a Titleist perspective as Rory decided the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was the perfect time to put the new 712 MB irons and Vokey Design SM4 wedges into play for the first time. This decision followed a successful testing session during practice under the watchful eye of Titleist Tour Technician Mattias Jelver.
As Rory began his testing of the new 712 MB iron, the latest iteration of Titleist’s tour-proven muscle back design, Mattias suggested that the world number three test a stronger version of his current Project X iron shaft in light of his physical development. Rory has worked tirelessly on his fitness and is able to swing it harder and faster than ever thanks to his physical conditioning. Rory really liked the look and feel of the new 712 MB head and coupled with the stronger Project X 7.0 shaft, the set provided a stronger flight with slightly reduced spin. The move from a Project X 6.5 into a Project X 7.0 helped improve Rory’s ball speed by 2-3 mph which ultimately delivered the young Ulsterman an extra 5 yards of distance with each iron.
Rory was clearly delighted with his new set of 712 MB and headed to the course during Tuesday practice to put them through their paces alongside his new Vokey Design SM4 wedges. It clearly didn’t take Rory long to adjust to his change in specification and the decision and the new equipment went straight in the bag for the event itself. Four sublime rounds of golf later and it would seem that player and equipment have quickly found a perfect harmony.
After a successful fit with our Tour Team, Rory’s new specifications are listed below:
Model: MB (712)
Composition: #3-9
Shaft: Project X 7.0
Length: Standard (#6 iron @ 37.5”)
Loft: 1° Strong (#6 iron @ 30°)
Lie: Standard (#6 iron @ 62.5°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Yellow .580 (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D2
Model: Vokey Design SM4 (Raw Finish)
Loft / Bounce: 46.07, 54.08, 54.11, 60.04
Shaft: Project X 6.5
Length: Standard
Lie: Standard
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Yellow .580 (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D5 (46.07 @ D3)
Equipped with the new 712 MB and Vokey Design SM4 Wedges, we will watch with great interest as Rory heads into the home straight of the European Tour season with realistic designs on both the Race to Dubai title and the coveted number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Michael Hoey wrote another wonderful chapter in the remarkable story of Northern Irish Golf as the Ulsterman finished spectacularly at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to record a two shot winning margin from fellow countryman and Titleist Ambassador Rory McIlroy.
Hoey, who began the week in 271st in the Official World Golf Rankings carded a stellar final round of 68 at St Andrews, which included three birdies in his final four holes, for a winning total of 22-under par (266). What a way to close out a tournament and claim the Championship!!! This was Michael’s second European Tour Title of the season after an earlier season success at the Madeira Islands Open in May. The win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship came with a first prize of €588,148 and propelled Michael into the world’s top 100; into 15th spot on the Race to Dubai standings; and ensures his place at the season-ending Dubai World Championship later in the year.
“It’s just amazing what winning a big tournament can do for you,” said Hoey. “Winning the Dunhill Links will open a lot of doors for me and getting into huge tournaments like the Dubai World Championship is one of the biggest benefits. I’m ecstatic.”
Victory for Hoey comes hot on the heels of last week’s win by fellow Titleist Ambassador Kenneth Ferrie who claimed the title at the Austrian GolfOpen and continues the momentum for the new 712 series irons on the European Tour. 712 series irons have found their way into the winner’s circle on numerous occasions on the PGA Tour with the likes of Nick Watney (712 AP2), Chris Kirk (712 CB) and Scott Stallings (712 AP2) all claiming victory with the new irons. Kenneth Ferrie’s win in Austria marked the maiden victory for 712 series irons on the European Tour with the likeable Geordie trusting 712 CB for his success and this momentum has continued with Michael Hoey trusting 712 AP2 on his way to victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. There has been an overwhelming acceptance for the new 712 series irons across the worldwide professional tours and this new iron line, available in AP1, AP2, CB and MB models, will begin shipping to golf shops across Europe from mid-November. Stay tuned to Team Titleist for more information on this exciting new iron line over the weeks to come.
Huge congratulations to Michael Hoey, who will be looking to continue his fantastic form for the remainder of the season and is no doubt already looking forward to the Dubai World Championship where he will have the opportunity to play for one of the richest prizes in all of golf.
As well as being the choice of the champion, Michael Hoey, Titleist also topped the golf ball count at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with the iconic Pro V1 franchise accounting for 100 players compared to 22 for the nearest competitor. In addition, Titleist also topped the counts for irons, hybrids and wedges at the event.
This week, the European Tour returns to Scotland for the unique format of The Dunhill Links Championship. Played over three different courses – Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and The Old Course at St Andrews – it is a special week on Tour. Usually typified by testing weather conditons, players have been greeted by blue skies and high temperatures! These conditions have already seen some very low scoring from Full Line Titleist Ambassadors including Michael Hoey, Tano Goya, Gregory Bourdy and Martin Wiegele, as well as Titleist ball loyalists such as Louis Oosthuizen, Gregory Havret and Markus Brier – let’s hope they are in the mix come Sunday!
Our Titleist ambassadors were also introduced for the first time to our new SM4 Vokeys. The tour feedback on the new prouct has been extremely positive and many have decided to put them into play straight away. This is testament to how good these SM4s really are!! Bob Vokey and his team have clearly worked their magic again to produce this discernible performance wedge. This also includes the world number three, Rory McIlroy, who has also decided to switch into our new 712 MB Irons for the first time this week. Go Rors!! Rory will want to continue his pursuit this week of Pro V1x loyalist Luke Donald at the top of the official world rankings with a bag now full of new product.
As always, members of the Titleist Tour Team were on hand to greet the players and snap some pictures from inside the ropes at the event. Here are just some of the pictures from our week in Scotland.
Click here to launch the slideshow
One final point for this week’s Tour Blog edition…Team Titleist is now live in the UK and Ireland!! Please visit www.titleist.co.uk/teamtitleist, register and complete your profile and you could win a place at a short game clinic with the legend that is Mark Roe!!
From Bill Haas’ Tour Championship-FedEx Cup double to Kenneth Ferrie’s playoff success at the Austrian Open, Titleist Pro V1x players dominated golf headlines over the weekend, combining for six wins around the world.
Titleist golf ball players have now won 129 times across the worldwide pro tours in 2011, 108 more than the nearest competitor with 21 and more than all competitors combined.
Like Haas’ heroics Sunday on the PGA Tour, Ferrie’s victory came down to the wire. He won the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, sticking his approach to 6 feet and rolling his Pro V1x in the bottom of the cup to capture his third European Tour title.
“I feel amazing right now…,” said Ferrie, who trusted a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball and a bag full of Titleist equipment – including new Prototype CB (712 Series) irons, which he used to hit 79.2 percent of his greens in regulation.
“It means the world to me. I have been working very hard and doing all the right things but I just haven’t had the results to back it up. So to win here, under the pressure of a play-off, is amazing and it makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Ferrie topped a leader board that included eight Titleist golf ball players in the top 10.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the event with 94 players, more than five times the nearest competitor with 18 and more than all competitors combined.
• NATIONWIDE TOUR: In an all-Titleist playoff at the Soboba Golf Classic, Pro V1x loyalist Ted Potter Jr. birdied the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to outlast Pro V1 loyalist Andres Gonzales and Pro V1x loyalist Miguel Angel Carballo for his second victory of the season.
The victory moved Potter to No. 3 on the Nationwide Tour money list with only five events remaining in 2011, guaranteeing him a PGA Tour card for the 2012 season.
Potter fired a final-round 5-under 66, including a birdie on the 72nd hole to equal Gonzales and Carballo at 14-under 270. He then birdied both playoff holes, topping Carballo on the first and Gonzales on the second.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice with 110 players, more than six times the nearest competitor with 16. Of the ten player
s who finished in the Top 10, eight relied on a Titleist golf ball for their success. Titleist also was first in iron sets (43); sand, lob and approach wedges (138); and putters (60).
• SOUTH AFRICA: Titleist Brand Ambassador Jean Hugo claimed his third title of the year by winning the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Legend Golf & Safari Estate.
Hugo fired a final round 6-under 66 en route to an 8-under par 208 victory total, two clear of two players, including fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Louis de Jager (Pro V1x).
It’s the second consecutive year Hugo has won three times on the South African Sunshine Tour.
I want to do better this year than I did last year,” Hugo said. “And it’s nice for me that I have won three of the Vodacom Origins series – the courses they are played on just seem to suit me.
�
• CHINA TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Hsu Mong captured the China PGA Champions Tour Xiamen event, marking his first-ever win on the China Tour.
Hsu posted a 2-under par 286 victory total, five clear of Titleist Brand Ambassador Wu Wei Huang (Pro V1x) and Pro V1x loyalist Tsai Chi Huang.
In fact, nine of the top 10 finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.
Titleist was the top choice in golf balls at the event with 103 players, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 13 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist also was first in fairway metals (51), hybrids (56), iron sets (40), sand, lob and approach wedges (146), and putters (44).
• KOREAN TOUR: Titleist Brand Ambassador Soon Sang Hong (Pro V1x) relied on solid iron shots and formidable putting to top Titleist Brand Ambassador DoGyu Park (Pro V1xr), 4 and 3, in the final of the Munsingwear Championship.
With the victory, his first match-play title, Hong climbs from No. 3 to No. 1 in the KPGA money Ranking.
Titleist golf ball loyalists accounted for 20 of the 32 players in the event, five times more than the nearest competitor with four and more than all other golf balls combined.
• LPGA: Europe regained control of The Solheim Cup for the first time since 2003 with 15-13 victory over USA at Killeen Castle in Ireland.
Fourteen of the 24 players who competed for this year’s United States and European Solheim Cup teams are Titleist golf ball players, nearly five times the nearest competitor with three.
The winning European side features six Titleist golf ball players: Christel Boeljon, Caroline Hedwall, Maria Hjorth and Azahara Muñoz play Pro V1, while Catriona Matthew and Karen Stupples play Pro V1x. For the United States, eight of the 12 team members rely on Titleist golf balls, including Pro V1 loyalists Cristie Kerr, Angela Stanford, Juli Inkster and Ryann O’Toole. Christina Kim, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lincicome play Pro V1x.
• JAPAN TOUR: Titleist was the golf ball of choice at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open with 70 players, more than three times the nearest competitor with 23. Titleist also was first in hybrids (40); irons sets (32); and wedges (111).
With one foot in a lake, two hands on his Vokey Design Spin Milled wedge and the game’s richest prize on the line, Titleist Brand Ambassador Bill Haas stood over his Titleist Pro V1x golf ball and hit one of the PGA Tour’s all-time clutch shots Sunday afternoon at East Lake, propelling him to victories in both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup Playoffs.
On the second hole of an all-Titleist playoff with Pro V1x loyalist Hunter Mahan, Haas’ approach shot hit the left side of the 17th green and dribbled to the edge of the lake, leaving about one-third of his ball sitting below the water line.
Haas never hesitated, trusting his Titleist golf ball and equipment would reward him for a great swing.
“We get up there and that’s when I see the ball, and I say in my head, ‘I have a shot,’ ” said Haas, who immediately pulled his Vokey Design Spin Milled 60•E (bent to 59º) wedge from his bag, hopped down the four-foot embankment, stuck one foot in the water and waggled his wedge over his Pro V1x.
“You play it like a bunker shot, for those of you that want to know, if there’s a little bit of water, if you don’t mind getting your feet dirty, and then blast it out of there,” he said. “It came out perfect.”
Haas’ Pro V1x golf ball floated out of the lake, landed 3 feet past the hole, spun and stopped. (You can watch a replay in the video below.) He tapped in for par to halve the hole and extend the playoff.
“I won’t forget it,” said Haas, who also made a remarkable up-and-down from the right side of the 18th green to have the first playoff hole, sinking a downhill, bending 12-footer for par. “That’s for sure.”
About 15 minutes later, Haas executed another perfect stroke with his Scotty Cameron Kombi Mid putter, rolling in his Pro V1x from 5 feet for a two-putt par to win the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and all the perks and prizes (including $11.4 million) that go along with them.
Titleist golf ball players have now won over 70 percent (28 of 39) of events played this season on the PGA Tour, with 13 Titleist Brand Ambassadors combining for 16 of those victories.
Haas’ victory was also one of six on the week for Titleist Pro V1x players, bringing the 2011 win total across the worldwide professional tours to 129, 108 more than the nearest competitor with 21 and more than all competitors combined.
At the Tour Championship, eight of the top 10 players on the final leader board trusted a Titleist golf ball for their success, with Haas and Mahan each finishing regulation at 8-under 272. Haas, who moved to No. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking, was the only player to shoot four rounds in the 60s (68-67-69-68), leading the field with 22 birdies and 1.58 putts per green in regulation.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Tour Championship with 20 players, five times the nearest competitor with four and more than all competitors combined.
Titleist also was first in fairway metals (11); iron sets (9); sand, lob and approach wedges (24); and putters (12).
The European Tour has made the journey back to the Diamond Country Club, in Atzenbrugg, near the capital of Vienna, for the Austrian Open. The Diamond Country Club hosted the tournament for the first time in 2010 and due to the success of last years event, the Tour has decided to come back for what promises to be another great week. The course, which opened in 2002 will be hosting the 21st edition of the Austrian Open.
Back in the world of Titleist, and 712 series irons are still very much the talk of the tour. Since their introduction back at Castle Stuart for the Barclays Scottish Open in July, the 712s have received instant acclaim from our Titleist Ambassadors and the conversion rate from previous models has been simply phenomenal. When it comes to equipment, Tour professionals won’t change if it doesn’t perform; after all it is their livelihood on the line. To date, 30 of our Ambassadors have switched across to the new 712 offerings with each of the four 712 models currently in play on the European Tour! Our AP1 712 model is currently being used by Welshman Philip Price with the former Ryder Cup player commenting on how solid the new AP1 feels. A number of Ambassadors are using the AP2 712 as their weapon of choice, including Seve Benson and young Italian ‘superstar in the making’ Matteo Manassero. The CB and MB irons from the 712 series have also found favour with the world’s best on the European Tour with the likes of Ross Fisher (MB), Pablo Larrazabal (MB) and Brett Rumford (CB) all gaming these stunning forged offerings.
As the Austrian Open begins this week, eyes will certainly be following local boy and full line Titleist Ambassador Bernd Wiesberger. Following a runners up spot at the Johnnie Walker Championship last month where he was narrowly edged out in a playoff, Bernd will be looking for a strong showing on home soil to continue his climb up the Race to Dubai standings. Finishing the season inside the top 60 places on the Race to Dubai will offer Bernd a lucrative spot at the season ending Dubai World Championship in December. Bernd is currently occupying 74th spot and in with a real chance of reaching the European Tour’s promised land with a strong close to his season. We wish Bernd and all our Ambassadors a successful week in Austria.
For now, It’s goodnight Vienna for the European Tour Blog. Be sure to check out this week’s slideshow which shows some behind the scenes pictures from the Austrian Open. Enjoy!
The Titleist Team have been in the picturesque Crans-Sur-Sierre this week for the Omega European Masters. The Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Course is located right in the heart of the Swiss Alps, providing breathtaking scenery and the fantastic weather this week has provided an even better backdrop to further accentuate one of the circuits most striking golf courses.
A strong field has gathered for this week’s event, including two of our European Heavyweights, full line Titleist Ambassador Rory McIlroy and Pro V1x loyalist Lee Westwood. Rory’s last competitive appearance came a few weeks previous at the USPGA Championship where, after a wrist injury on the 4th hole of the week, the young Ulsterman valiantly played through the pain barrier to complete all four rounds. This was a truly remarkable performance considering the clear discomfort Rory was in, a true testament to the US Open Champions resolve! Rors will certainly be looking to attack the pins this week and continue his impressive year. We wish Rory and all our Titleist ambassadors a successful week in Switzerland.
As the old adage goes ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ and, with that in mind, we thought we would let the images taken this week by the Titleist Team do the talking. Enjoy!!
This week the European Tour arrives back in Scotland to the Centenary Course at Gleneagles, the home of the 2014 Ryder Cup, for the Johnnie Walker Championship. Gleneagles truly is a magnificent venue and a popular choice amongst all our Titleist brand ambassadors. It certainly has been another very busy week on the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) with more and more of the new 712 prototype irons being put into play. There are now 32 sets of 712 series irons in the bags of European Tour players, many of whom are at Gleneagles this week.
Click image to launch the slideshow
The weather this week in Scotland is looking a bit temperamental and will no doubt have a big say on the final outcome of the tournament. The player who can control his ball through all the elements will surely be in a position to challenge for this coveted title. Our Titleist Ambassadors and Pro V1 loyalists certainly have a fantastic advantage in that respect as they tee up the #1 ball in golf!!
One player who will be keen to get back into the groove after a couple of solid showings at the recent Majors is Pablo Larrazabal. Pablo, now with the prototype 712 MBs in his bag will want to continue his consistent form that has seen the young Spaniard climb to a highly respectable 13th position in the Race to Dubai standings. He is within touching distance of the top 10!! Vamos Pablo!!
It has also been another very consistent year for ProV1x loyalist Anders Hansen. Anders has finished in the top three on five occasions this season; the last came a few weeks ago at the USPGA Championship in Atlanta. Fresh off this great finish at the USPGA, Anders will be looking to go that little bit further to claim his first title of the 2011 season. A measure of Anders’ fantastic golf this year can be clearly seen as he currently occupies 6th spot in the Race to Dubai standings. Could this be Anders’ week? It would certainly come as no surprise.
Another man to watch this week is Ken Ferrie. Ken regularly drops by the TTSV and is in typically buoyant mood this week as he gets to grips with his new prototype 712 CB irons. The likeable Geordie always has time for the Titleist Team and we’d love to see a strong finish from Ken to secure his playing privileges for 2012.
Enjoy the action from this week’s event and, in the meantime, here are some shots from our week at Gleneagles. Enjoy!
Don’t forget that you can follow the Titleist Tour Team on a daily basis through the Titleist Europe Twitter page.
The Prosper Golf Resort in Celadna, Czech Republic is the latest stop on the European Tour’s global schedule following a hiatus which saw the world’s best do battle for honours at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the 93rd USPGA Championship. We can’t go any further without offering our belated congratulations to Titleist Ambassador Adam Scott on a stunning victory at the WGC. Adam’s talent has never been in doubt and it was great to see Scotty show what he can do on one of the biggest stages in golf.
This week’s Czech Open sees the players teeing it up on the ‘middle course’ at Prosper Golf which is a composite of the two 18-hole layouts at the resort. The visual backdrop is quite simply stunning with the course set in the shadows of the Beskydy mountains, however, the focus of the players will very definitely need to be on the course, a challenging 7452 yard par 72, if they are to contend this week.
As always, members of the Titleist Tour Team were on hand to greet the players and snap some pictures from inside the ropes at the event. Here are just some of the pictures from our week in the beautiful Czech Republic.
The European Tour is fortunate to have a number of stunning venues in it’s tournament shedule; Leopard Creek Golf Club in South Africa, Finca Cortesin in Spain and Castle Stuart in the Highlands of Scotland all jump immediately to mind. However, this week’s venue, the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry, Ireland is perhaps the most stunning of all. Set on the banks of Lough Learne at the foot of the mountains of the Killarney National Park, there a few other places to play golf that offer quite such a breathtaking backdrop.
But it’s the action on the Killeen course at Killarney which has got the Irish crowds buzzing as the field is packed full of Irish talent. Probably the most notable member of this elite group of Irish talent is Titleist Ambassador Rory McIlroy who plays his first professional event in Ireland since his record breaking U.S. Open triumph back in June. The 22-year old became the youngest player ever to be awarded lifetime membership of the European Tour this week at Killarney and the crowds following the Ulsterman have been nothing short of massive, even during his Wednesday Pro-Am round when he played alongside his Father and the Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
Amidst all the action surrounding Rory and his fellow Irish contingent, the Titleist Team have been working away to fine tune the equipment needs of the players. With thirty-some Titleist Ambassadors in the field there was certainly plenty of activity in and around the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle with the new prototype 712 irons still receiving plenty of attention. Here are some of the favourite images from our week in Killarney for you to enjoy.
Click image to launch slideshow
