Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Howell, Hadley Lead Titleist to Five-Win Week

David Howell Tops Titleist Peter Uihlein in All-Pro V1x Playoff; Chesson Hadley Wins Web.com Tour Championship, Earns 2014 PGA TOUR Card

(Fairhaven, MA) - The PGA Tour had the weekend off after last week's dramatic conclusion at the season-ending TOUR Championship, but more great golf action with life-changing ramifications was still being played across the other major worldwide professional tours.  Five victories, ranging from the Old Course at St. Andrews (European), to Ponte Vedra (Web.com) and Pebble Beach (Champions), to the Far East (Japan and China), had Titleist players enjoying success around the globe.

Following Henrik Stenson’s historic performance last week that marked the 2,013th win with a Pro V1 model since its tour introduction in October of 2000, Titleist golf ball loyalists have now earned 124 victories across the worldwide professional tours this year, more than three times the nearest competitor with 33.  In total, 18,373 players have teed up Titleist golf balls in competition on the 2013 worldwide professional tours, more than six times the nearest competitor with 2,733.  Please see the Titleist Week in Review below:

EUROPEAN TOUR: At the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Titleist golf ball loyalist David Howell relied upon the Pro V1x to claim his first European Tour title in seven years … Howell topped Titleist Brand Ambassador Peter Uihlein with a birdie on the second hole of an all-Pro V1x sudden-death playoff … Howell carded a final round of 67, while Uihlein, the overnight leader playing in the final pairing, closed with a 3-under 69 to match Howell's 23-under par 265 total and force a playoff … Both players narrowly missed long birdie attempts on the first extra hole but Howell, who had come up short in all four of his previous playoff opportunities, converted an eight-foot putt for birdie on the famed 18th hole at St. Andrews to secure the emotional victory … Earlier in the week, Uihlein threatened to become the first player ever to shoot a 59 on the European Tour … An eagle putt on his last hole at Kingsbarns on Friday settled inches away, which he tapped in for a course record-tying 12-under par 60 … His scorecard consisted of eight birdies and two eagles … Uihlein’s runner-up performance vaulted him to 10th in the Race to Dubai standings and 69th in the Official World Golf Rankings … Howell moved into 12th in the Race to Dubai and broke into the Top 100 in the OWGR at No. 94 … Of the 168-player field, 110 relied upon Titleist golf balls, nearly five times the nearest competitor (23) … Titleist players have accounted for 20 victories on the 2013 European Tour, five times the nearest competitor (4) … What’s in Peter Uihlein’s Bag?: Pro V1x, 913D3 driver, 913Fd fairway metal, 712U 2-iron, 680 irons (3-9), Vokey Design SM4 pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport putter.

WEB.COM/Web.com Tour Championship: Rookie Chesson Hadley closed with a 1-under 69 and won the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship by two strokes over four others … The Titleist Brand Ambassador posted a 10-under 270 total to collect his second win of the year … The field jockeyed to earn the final 25 available PGA TOUR cards for the 2013-14 season … Hadley had finished No. 3 on the Regular Season money list and moved up from No. 14 to No. 3 on the Finals Priority Ranking with his win … The ranking determined a pecking order for the 2013-14 PGA TOUR season, which begins in two weeks with the Frys.com Open … Brendon Todd’s 5-under 65 was the low round of the day and it gave him a share of second place with fellow Pro V1x loyalist Scott Gardiner and Titleist Brand Ambassadors Brad Fritsch and John Peterson, all of whom earned full exempt status on the 2013-14 PGA TOUR … Peterson capped off a furious late-season surge that saw him finish in the top-5 in all four of the Finals events and earned the No. 1 spot on the Finals money list … The top spot also earned Peterson a berth in THE PLAYERS Championship next May … Of the 50 players who earned PGA TOUR cards for the 2013-14 season, 30 rely on Titleist golf balls for their success … In addition, 13 players trust Titleist throughout the bag, including Hadley and Peterson … Here’s what they play: Chesson Hadley: Pro V1x, 913D3 (9.5), 910F fairway metal (13.5), 712U 3-iron, MB irons (4-PW), Vokey Design SM4 TVD gap (52), sand (56) and lob (60) wedges … John Peterson:  Pro V1x, 913D3 (8.5), 913F fairway metal (13.5), 712U 3-iron, CB 4-iron, MB irons (5-PW), Vokey Design SM4 gap (52) and sand (56) wedges and TVD K-grind lob (60) wedge … Of the 125-players in the Web.com Tour Championship field, 88 (70%) relied upon Titleist golf balls, six times the nearest competitor with 13 … Titleist was also the top choice in irons (35), wedges (119) and putters (49).

CHAMPIONS/Nature Valley First Tee Open: Kirk Triplett successfully defended his Nature Valley First Tee Open title Sunday at Pebble Beach, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over fellow Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalists Doug Garwood and Dan Forsman … Three strokes behind the overnight leader entering the final round, Triplett finished at 11-under 205 for his second career Champions Tour title … Last year he overcame a four-shot deficit for the win … Garwood was a Monday qualifier making his fourth career Champions Tour start … He and Forsman each closed with a 69 … Titleist was the most played ball in the field of 81 with 59 players (73%), more than eight times the nearest competitor with 10.

JAPAN/Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open: At the 132-player event, 62 (47%) of them relied upon Titleist golf balls, nearly three times the nearest competitor with 27 … Titleist Brand Ambassador Masahiro Kawamura fired a final round 4-under par 67, en route to a 9-under par 275 victory total at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open … The event was co-sanctioned by the JGTO and Asian Tours … It marked Kawamura’s first career victory since turning professional two years ago … Fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador and overnight leader S.J. Park of Korea finished solo 2nd, one shot behind Kawamura, as five of the six players who finished among the top 5 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success … What’s in Masahiro Kawamura’s bag?: Pro V1, 913D2 driver (7.5), 913F fairway metal (13.5), 913Hd hybrids (18.0, 20.0), CB irons (4-5), MB irons (6-PW), Vokey Design Spin Milled sand wedge (54) and SM4 lob (60) wedge, Scotty Cameron Newport putter … Titleist also led the field in irons (29) and wedges (115).

CHINA/PGA Tour Qingdao Championship: At the 129-player event, 92 (71%) relied upon Titleist golf balls, over four times the nearest competitor with 21 … Titleist Pro V1x loyalist Ronald Jacob Ellison, who entered the final round with a four shot lead, closed with a 1-over par 73 en route to a 14-under par 274 victory total … He was two shots clear of his nearest competitor … Six of the Top 10 finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

Check out American Golfer's review of the 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x HERE.

Contact: NEOhioGolf@yahoo.com

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