Harrington charges to one-stroke victory at Portugal Masters

It was a dramatic finish at the Portugal Masters where Titleist golf ball loyalist Padraig Harrington (Pro V1x) held off the challenge of defending champion and fellow Titleist golf ball loyalist Andy Sullivan (Pro V1x).

Harrington, whose last official European Tour triumph was the 2008 U.S. PGA Championship, closed with a 6-under-par 65 to finish at 23-under-par 261, one shot clear of Sullivan, who also fired a final round 65.

“I tried to be really aggressive,” Harrington said after the victory. “The golf course suited me and I just tried to go after every pin I could and make as many birdies. I have a pretty good short game that was on form this week. No matter where I hit it, I felt like I could get it up-and-down.”

Titleist golf ball loyalists Anders Hansen (Pro V1x) and Mikko Korhonen (Pro V1x) tied for 3rd place, another shot back, after each carded Sunday 68’s.

Harrington topped a leaderboard that featured eight Titleist golf ball loyalists among the 11 players who finished in the Top 10 and ties.

Harrington’s victory marked the 15th of his European Tour career.

“It's a big win. Portugal Masters is a big tournament,” said Harrington. “I’ve always liked coming down to Portugal. And with the Irish crowds, there's so many Irish people here. It always felt like a home away from home, so really nice to win the tournament. 2016 now is a winning year.”

TITLEIST BY THE NUMBERS

 Titleist was the field favorite in golf balls at the Portugal Masters with 87 players trusting a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball for their success, more than five times the nearest competitor with 16 and more than all competitors combined.

The win was the 23rd for Titleist golf ball loyalists on this season’s European Tour, nearly four times the nearest competitor with six.

#TeamTitleist