Monday, June 18, 2012

Titleist Brand Ambassador Webb Simpson Wins U.S. Open


(Fairhaven, MA) - Nothing tests a player’s mettle more than Sunday afternoon at a major championship.  Titleist Brand Ambassador Webb Simpson rose to the occasion with a defining performance at the U.S. Open, elevating his game to the next level on golf’s biggest stage.  Trusting the Pro V1x golf ball and a bag full of Titleist equipment, Simpson earned his place in golf history, capturing his first major title at the demanding Olympic Club.

Simpson, who was six strokes behind the leader and tied for 29th heading into the weekend, closed with consecutive two-under par 68s on the weekend to post a one-over par 281 victory total.  His dramatic one-shot win is the third of Simpson's career, and vaults him to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

What's in Webb Simpson's Bag:  Pro V1x, 909D3 driver (10.5), 910F fairway metals (13.5, 17), 910H hybrid (21), 680 MB irons (4-P), Vokey Design TVD sand (54) and lob (58) wedges.

Simpson finished one shot clear of two players, including Pro V1 loyalist Michael Thompson, who shot a Sunday-best three-under par 67.  Thompson also fired the lowest round of the tournament with a four-under par 66 on Thursday.

Five players tied for 4th place another shot back, including Titleist Brand Ambassadors Jason Dufner (Pro V1, 910D2 driver, 910F fairway metal, 906F2 fairway metal, 910H hybrid, AP2 irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges, Scotty Cameron prototype putter) and John Peterson (Pro V1x, 910D2 driver, 910F fairway metal, 910H hybrid, MB/5-P and CB/4 irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2.6 putter), and golf ball loyalists Padraig Harrington (Pro V1x) and David Toms (Pro V1).  Six of the eight players who finished among the top four and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

Simpson's U.S. Open Championship victory makes it 2-of-2 for Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalists at the 2012 majors, as he follows Bubba Watson's winning performance at the Masters.  Simpson's win also marks the 17th for Titleist golf ball loyalists on the 2012 PGA TOUR, more than five times the nearest competitor with 3.

Simpson also becomes the eighth Titleist Brand Ambassador to win on the 2012 PGA TOUR for a total of nine full product line victories this year.  The tee-through-green success of Titleist players translates into the more wins across every major product category year-to-date, including: Golf Balls (17, Nearest Competitor 3), Drivers (9, Nearest Competitor 5), Fairway Metals (10, Nearest Competitor 8), Hybrids (7, Nearest Competitor 4), Irons (10, Nearest Competitor 5), Wedges (13, Nearest Competitor 5), and Putters (9, Nearest Competitor 6).

Simpson joins fellow full product line Titleist Brand Ambassadors Steve Stricker (Hyundai Tournament of Champions), Kyle Stanley (Waste Management Phoenix Open), Bill Haas (Northern Trust Open), Rory McIlroy (Honda Classic), Ben Curtis (Valero Texas Open), Jason Dufner (Zurich Classic, Byron Nelson Championship) and Zach Johnson (Crowne Plaza Invitational) in the 2012 Titleist Winners' Circle.

There were many top shots at the U.S. Open, but none more exciting than those by Titleist Brand Ambassadors Nick Watney and John Peterson.  Watney, playing a Pro V1x golf ball and an AP2 5-iron from 190 yards, converted the third double eagle in U.S. Open history with a 2 on the par-5 17th hole on Friday.  On Saturday, playing in the final group, Peterson aced the par 3, 180-yard 13th relying upon a Pro V1x and Titleist MB 7-iron.  It was the only hole-in-one of the tournament and the first of his career.

Titleist was the top choice of more players in U.S. Open field of 156 in the golf ball (103 vs. Nearest Competitor 17), iron (45 vs. 31), wedge (147 vs. 51) and putter (54 vs. 49) categories.

In addition to Simpson’s heroics at the U.S. Open, Titleist golf ball loyalists also swept three other events this week, advancing Titleist’s 2012 golf ball victory count across the worldwide professional tours to 79, nearly eight times more than the nearest competitor with 10.

EUROPEAN: Darren Fichardt withstood high winds at the Saint-Omer Open to claim his third career European Tour title.  Fichardt started the final round with a five-shot lead, and his 5-under 279 victory total was three shots clear of runner-up Gary Lockerbie (Pro V1x), and four better than Simon Wakefield (Pro V1x).  The three Pro V1x golf ball loyalists were the only players to finish under par for the tournament.  Fichardt's previous two victories came at the 2001 Sao Paulo Brazil Open and the 2003 Qatar Masters.

What's in Darren Fichardt's Bag:  Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, 910D3 driver (7.5), 910Fd fairway metal (14.5), CB (3-7) and MB (8-P) irons, Vokey Design sand (54) and lob (60) wedges.

Titleist golf ball players accounted for 80 percent (125) of the field of 156, more than 10 times the nearest competitor with 12 (8%) players.  Titleist also led the field in iron sets (45) and wedges (206).  Fichardt's win is the 14th for Titleist golf ball loyalists on the 2012 European Tour, more than three times the nearest competitor with 4.

SOUTH AFRICAN:  Titleist Brand Ambassador Justin Harding (Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, 910F fairway metal, CB irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron GoLo putter) carded a final round 5-under 68 to capture the Indo Zambia Bank Zambia Open.  Harding's victory total of 12-under, 280 was two shots clear of Titleist golf ball loyalist Divan van der Heever (Pro V1x).  Two players tied for 3rd, a further shot back, including Des Terblanche (Pro V1x), as three of the top four finishers relied on the #1 ball in golf for their success.

Titleist was the golf ball choice of 100 of the 144 players (69%) in the field, nearly three times the nearest competitor with 34.

ASIAN:  Thaworn Wiratchant (Pro V1x) of Thailand captured the Queen's Cup in his home country to secure his record tying 13th career crown on the Asian Tour.  The 45-year-old Wiratchant won the event in style with an eagle on the par-5 final hole to close with a 3-under par 68.  His 7-under par 277 victory total was three shots better than 2011 Order of Merit winner Juvic Pagunsan (Pro V1x) and Rahman Siddikur (Pro V1x).

Titleist golf ball loyalists accounted for 90 players (63%) in the field of 144, more than three times the nearest competitor with 26.  Each of the top five finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.  Titleist was also the top choice of more players in iron sets (36) and wedges (109).

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