Titleist Brand Ambassador Earns First Career Major in Record Breaking Fashion
(Fairhaven, MA) - Poise, perseverance and pinpoint shot making control were on display at historic Oak Hill Country Club, as Titleist Brand Ambassador Jason Dufner captured the PGA Championship in record breaking fashion. It marked the first career major crown for Dufner, who was in complete command of his game from tee through green throughout the week. He relied upon the Pro V1 golf ball and a full bag of Titleist equipment, including a set of new AP2 prototype irons, for his winning performance in the season’s final major.
After posting an opening round, 2-under par 68, Dufner fashioned a new Oak Hill competitive course single round record on Friday with a 7-under par 63 to vault into the lead heading into the weekend. His 63 also tied the record for a low round in a major championship, joining an elite group of golfers to achieve that milestone. Dufner closed with another 2-under par 68 on Sunday to secure the victory by two shots over his closest competitor. His 10-under par 270 victory total was four shots better than the lowest score at Oak Hill in five previous majors.
QUOTING JASON: “For me to be competitive on this type of golf course, I felt like I had to have a great week ball-striking and I was able to do it,” said Dufner following his win. “I hit a lot of fairways. When I did hit the fairways, I hit a ton of greens, and that was the difference for me.”
What’s in JASON DUFNER’S Bag?: Titleist Pro V1 golf ball, 910D2 driver (9.5), 913F fairway metal (13.5), 913Fd fairway metal (18.0), 913H hybrid (19.0), AP2 prototype irons (4-PW), Vokey Design SM4 sand (54) wedge and TVD K-grind lob (60) wedge, Scotty Cameron by Titleist Circa 62 No. 6 putter.
#1 BALL AT THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP … #1 BALL IN GOLF: Of the 156-player field, 87 players relied upon Titleist golf balls, more than three times the nearest competitor with 24. The win by Dufner marks the 90th victory for Titleist golf ball players across the worldwide professional tours in 2013, nearly three times the nearest competitor with 31 and more than all other competitors combined.
TITLEIST LEADERBOARD: Dufner topped a leaderboard that included five Titleist golf ball loyalists among the six players who finished in the top five and ties. Titleist players following Dufner (Pro V1) included Henrik Stenson (Pro V1x/3rd), Jonas Blixt (Pro V1x/4th), Adam Scott (Pro V1/T5) and Scott Piercy (Pro V1x/T5). Piercy fired the lowest round of the final day with a 5-under par 65.
JUST THE STATS: From tee through green, Jason Dufner was among the top 25 in every major statistical category at the PGA Championship. Off the tee he ranked T18 in Driving Accuracy (61%) and T25 in Driving Distance (283 yards). More importantly, he was 3rd in Greens in Regulation, converting on 54 of 72 approach shots for a 75 percent clip. He tied for 14th in Putts per Round (28.5).
WATCHING HISTORY: While Dufner was making history by firing a 7-under par 63 at the PGA Championship on Friday, the last player to shoot 63 in a major was playing in the same group. Dufner’s fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Steve Stricker achieved the feat at the 2011 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Dufner’s previous low round in a major was a 65 at the 2011 PGA Championship. The second round 63 matched his career low round on the PGA TOUR.
KING OF THE HILL (FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS): When Dufner broke the Oak Hill Country Club course record with a 63 in the second round, he erased the competitive course record of 64 that was held by Ben Hogan (1942 Rochester Open), Curtis Strange (1989 U.S. Open) and fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Webb Simpson. Simpson tied the record just hours earlier when he went out with the morning wave in the second round and fired a 6-under par 64.
HOT IRONS: One of the main keys to Dufner’s success was the trajectory and distance control with which he hit is irons. Dufner put the new AP2 prototype irons in the bag for first time a week earlier at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational where he finished T4. He was one of 15 players who participated in the PGA Championship who carried the new prototype irons. Titleist led the field in iron sets with 41. Titleist is also the top choice in the iron (41) and sand, lob and approach wedge (142) categories. Among the players putting the new prototypes in the bag for the first time at Oak Hill were Tim Clark (CB) and Marc Leishman (MB). Leishman put in the new MB 5 through 9 irons, while retaining his split set that includes current AP2 3 and 4 irons and a 712U 2-iron.
TITLEIST BRAND AMBASSADORS BOOKEND THE 2013 MAJORS: Dufner’s win at the PGA Championship closed the book on the 2013 major championships that was opened by his fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Adam Scott who captured the Masters in April. It marked the first career major title for both players who rely upon Titleist equipment for their success – from head-to-toe and tee-to-green.
GREAT SCOTT: Titleist Brand Ambassador Adam Scott was the only player to post three Top 5 finishes in the majors this year. He tied for 5th at the PGA Championship, tied for 3rd at the Open Championship and, of course, won the Masters for his first career major title.
ZACH ATTACK: Titleist Brand Ambassador Zach Johnson has been one of the most consistent players on tour, finishing in a tie for 8th at the PGA Championship to secure his fourth consecutive Top 10 finish. Prior to coming to Oak Hill, he tied for 4th at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, tied for 6th at the Open Championship and tied for 2nd following a three-way playoff at the John Deere Classic.
Contact: NEOhioGolf@yahoo.com
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