Tony Finau, Nelly Korda Lead Titleist to 8-Win-Week

PGA TOUR | Cadence Bank Houston Open

Tony Finau (Pro V1 Left Dot) became just the third PGA TOUR winner in the past 10 years to lead the field in both Greens In Regulation (77.8%) and Driving Accuracy (75%) on his way to a wire-to-wire, four-shot victory in Houston.

  • Finau, who also led the field with 22 birdies, made four birdies on his front nine Sunday at Memorial Park to pull away from the field, eventually posting 16 under for the tournament after four rounds in the 60’s (65-62-68-69).
  • It marked the fifth-career PGA TOUR title for Finau and third victory in his last seven starts, following his back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July.
  • It was a 1-2-3 sweep for Titleist golf ball players in Houston, with Titleist Brand Ambassadors Tyson Alexander (2nd, Pro V1) and Ben Taylor (3rd, NEW Pro V1) each rounding out the Top 3 with career-best PGA TOUR finishes.
  • Thirteen of the 15 players who finished in the top 10 and ties played a Pro V1 or Pro V1x model.

TONY FINAU ON HIS PRO V1 LEFT DOT

  • “I think equipment starts with the golf ball, not with the clubs, not with the woods, not with any other piece of equipment,” Finuau said. “It starts with the golf ball. I’ve always been a believer in that.”
  • “The Left Dot golf ball is right for me because I’ve always put a lot of spin on the golf ball, so it’s the lowest spinning Titleist Pro V1 that is out on the market, and right away, it caught my eye because of the ball flight. I think if you can control your ball flight, you can control the distance. And it’s been such a reliable ball flight for me from the first time that I hit it. I think the best word I can use is just reliable. I can count on the golf ball in crosswinds, into the wind, downwind. I know how far the golf ball is going to go. And that’s a great feeling to have as a professional golfer. Distance control is up there probably with the most important things when it comes to striking a golf ball and playing golf.”

HOW TONY FINAU MARKS HIS PRO V1 LEFT DOT

  • “I actually mark my Pro V1 golf ball with my kids’ initials. I have five kids. I’ll throw my wife in there sometimes as well. So the determining factor for me is if they make a couple bogeys, power lip out, whatever the case, they’re out, and I’m ready for the next kid to come into play and see if they’ll perform. And that’s pretty much it. I’m not crazy superstitious, but there does come a time where, if my kids are a little scared of the dark that day, they want to go swimming, they want to play in the beach, I’ve got to let them go and bring somebody else in that’s ready to score for me.”

PGA TOUR, LPGA, DP WORLD TOUR WINNERS TRUST VOKEY T GRIND

  • This week’s winners on the PGA TOUR, LPGA and DP World Tour each had one piece of equipment in common: A Vokey Design SM9 WedgeWorks T Grind lob wedge.
  • The winner of the Cadence Bank Houston Open played a Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks 60T while leading the field with 77.8% GIRs.
  • “He has told me many times that max versatility is important to him,” said Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill. “He has the ability to be steep or shallow when he wants and, one thing’s for sure, he makes great contact with lots of spin on most of his wedge shots. Since his first T grind he has been loyal to this club, occasionally testing some other higher bounce options but always returning to the T.”
  • Titleist Brand Ambassador Nelly Korda gamed a Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks 58T in successfully defending her title at the Pelican Women’s Championship to move back to No. 1 in the world ranking.
  • Korda, who had solely been using a 58.10 S grind as her lob wedge, added the 58T to her setup following a trip to the Titleist Performance Institute to work with Dill.
  • “Nelly has a 58.10S and 58T that she’ll flop in and out depending on conditions or course setup. The T is a very versatile sole. So it’s low bounce and it just frees you up to get under the ball easily when things feel like they’re firm. Or maybe you’re short sided at times, maybe the greens are pitched up. Whenever you’re in those scenarios, the last thing you want to deal with is a wedge with too much bounce where you feel like you just can’t pull off those shots. And the T Grind definitely frees you up mentally and physically to hit those more difficult shots that require that loft.”
  • The winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour used a Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks 60T, finishing the week second in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+1.10 per round).
  • Inspired by Master Craftsman Bob Vokey’s work with one of the game’s all-time best wedge players, the T Grind was designed for great hands and a vivid short-game imagination.
  • Available in 58- and 60-degree lofts, it is ideal for a shallow angle of attack in firm conditions, with low bounce and a narrow crescent surface.
  • Compared to Vokey’s L grind, it has a wider back flange which allows for lower measured bounce.
  • Titleist Brand Ambassador Cameron Smith played a 60T in winning The Open at St Andrews, where the Vokey T grind was such a popular choice that Dill ran out of heads on the Titleist Tour Van.
  • The T is also a favorite of Titleist Brand Ambassadors Jordan SpiethJustin Thomas and Will Zalatoris.
  • “I’ve had players say they feel like they can hit any shot with the T,” said Will Harvey, Vokey’s European Tour Rep. “The combination of the forward bounce for low pitch shots and the grind for the soft control shots is something needed with the vast amount of shots required on links or firmer course set ups.”

TAYLOR EARNS BEST TOUR FINISH AFTER SWITCH TO NEW PRO V1

  • Ben Taylor put the NEW 2023 Pro V1 golf ball in play for the first time this week in Houston, recording the best finish (solo 3rd) of his PGA TOUR career (45 events).
  • Taylor, who was previously in Pro V1 Left Dot, first played the new model during Monday’s pro-am at Memorial Park.
  • On Tuesday, he worked with Titleist Golf Ball R&D rep Fordie Pitts on the range to confirm the performance on TrackMan.
  • “He liked the flight he was seeing, the consistency in his spin numbers, and was excited to tee it up,” Pitts said.
  • Taylor finished the week 4th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, gaining more than 10 strokes on the field (+10.683).
  • He was 8th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, T8 in GIR (73.61%) and 4th in Scrambling (78.95%).
  • In addition to his NEW Pro V1, Taylor played a full bag of Titleist, including NEW TSR3 driver and fairways.

What’s in Ben Taylor’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: NEW Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW TSR3 10.0° | Project X EvenFlow Riptide 70 TX
Fairway Metal: NEW TSR3 15.0°| Graphite Design Tour AD XC 8 X
Hybrid: TSi3 20.0° | USTM Recoil Prototype Hybrid 100F5
Irons: T100 4-9 | True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 50.12F, 56.10S, WedgeWorks 60V| True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (46°-56°); True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60°)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11 tour prototype

ROOKIE ALEXANDER TOPS FIELD TEE TO GREEN

  • Making just the fifth start of his rookie season on the PGA TOUR, Titleist Brand Ambassadors Tyson Alexander closed in 4-under 66 Sunday, making birdie on 18 to finish solo second and earn his best TOUR finish to date.
  • Playing a Pro V1 golf ball and 14 Titleist clubs, including a NEW TSR2 9.0° driver and NEW TSR3 13.5° and 18.0° fairways, Alexander led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+10.99).

ALEXANDER ON HIS PRO V1

  • “I like the softness around the greens, but definitely with driver I want to see a very penetrating ball flight. So Pro V1 kind of gives me a little bit of both, the softness around the greens and the speed that I want to see on the tee…”
  • “Every once in a while you’ll chip a different ball on the chipping green here and it’ll be a different company and some spin a lot, some run out a lot, and it just seems a little inconsistent. Whereas when I hit one good, I know how it’s going to react. The picture and what’s happening is the same, and for me, that’s just always been Titleist.”

ALEXANDER ON HIS NEW TSR2 DRIVER

  • “Better feel, ball flight kind of tightened up a little bit and picked up some yardage. Kind of covered all the bases for me. I was expecting just kind of a minimal progression (from TSi), but yeah, we were stepping on a few and the ball speed kind of jumped up dramatically. So it was a no-brainer.”

What’s in Tyson Alexander’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW TSR2 9.0° | Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX 75 TX
Fairway Metal: NEW TSR3 13.5° | Fujikura Ventus 8 Red X and NEW TSR3 18.0° | Mitsubishi Tensei CK 80 TX
Irons: 620 CB (4-6) & 620 MB (7-9) | True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.12F, 56.10S, 60.10S
Putter: Scotty Cameron Flowback 5 tour prototype putter

LPGA TOUR | Pelican Women’s Championship

Titleist Brand Ambassador Nelly Korda – playing a Pro V1 golf ball, NEW TSR1 driver and NEW TSR2 21.0° fairway among her Titleist setup – reascended to No. 1 in the Rolex World Golf Ranking, closing in 6-under 66 Sunday for a one-shot victory and her eighth-career LPGA title.

  • Korda, who started the day two shots back of the lead, made seven birdies over her final 18 holes, including birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, to successfully defend her Pelican title.
  • “Last year I got to World No. 1 ranking after winning a major for the first time and that was really special, and then obviously going through what I’ve been through this year and regaining that World No. 1 ranking is really special as well. I’ve heard somewhere that it’s a really tight race; everyone has had an amazing year. I think for me, I just appreciate it a lot more.”

What’s in Nelly Korda’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW TSR1 9.0° | Mitsubishi Diamana GT 60 S
Fairway Metals: TSR2 16.5° | Fujikura Ventus Red 70 S and NEW TSR2 21.0° | Mitsubishi Tensei AV 75 S
Irons: T100 5-PW | Aerotech SteelFiber i80cw F4
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 50.08F, 54.14F, WedgeWorks 58T | Aerotech SteelFiber i95cw S
Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 tour prototype

KORDA EARNS FIRST WIN FOR NEW TSR1 DRIVER

  • Korda's victory marked win No. 1 for the NEW TSR1 driver in just her third start with the new model.
  • Korda’s performance off the tee was stellar all week, as she missed only one fairway over the three rounds in Florida while averaging 274 yards (282 in Round 3).
  • Korda first put the TSR1 9.0° model in play at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, following her initial testing session with J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s Director of Player Promotions, on the range at Pinnacle Country Club.
  • “It feels really nice and it’s been a good, smooth transition,” Korda said. “I really like the trajectory, the rise and the consistency in the ball flight. And obviously when you can pick up a little bit more distance and also carry, it’s always really nice. … I am carrying it maybe a few yards further and I’m seeing five to 10 yards roll out, which will help a lot on par fives and being more aggressive on the golf course.”
  • With TSR1’s first tour victory, combined with wins this week on the PGA TOUR Champions, Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, players using NEW TSR driver models have now won 25 times worldwide since their debut this summer.

KORDA ON PRO V1 CONSISTENCY

  • Over three windy rounds at Pelican Golf Club (the tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to Tropical Storm Nicole), Korda's ballstriking was dialed in, hitting 41 of 42 fairways and 45 of 54 greens with her Pro V1 golf ball.
  • “Yeah, I feel like the Pro V1 is really consistent when it’s really windy out,” said Korda in July at the AIG Women’s Open. “I feel like when you play in these types of conditions, you need a trusted golf ball that you can work with around the golf course, shape it, hit it low, hit it high when you need to, hit it soft, and I feel like the Pro V1 does that the best for me.”

CHAMPIONS TOUR | Charles Schwab Cup Championship

Padraig Harrington (Pro V1) claimed the fourth victory of his rookie season on PGA TOUR Champions, setting the PGA TOUR Champions 72-hole scoring record with a total of 27-under 257 for an eight-shot triumph.

  • Harrington’s final round 6-under 65 capped off a week that featured 27 birdies, one eagle, just two bogeys and four rounds of 66 or better (66-64-62-65).
  • For the week, Harrington finished first in Scrambling, getting his Pro V1 up-and-down 94.7% of the time, and T4 in Greens in Regulation (73.6%).

CHAMPION GAMES NEW TSR3 DRIVER, LEADS IN DISTANCE

  • The winner of the 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship led the field in driving distance, averaging 303 yards off the tee with his NEW TSR3 9.0° driver.
  • It marked the third victory for the champion since switching to the new model at the Open Championship.
  • Heading into this week’s finale, he led the tour’s average driving distance at 309.1 yards, more than 10 yards longer than No. 2.
  • “Just there’s only a couple of holes with – a lot of holes with 300-yard carries and bunkers, so the other players have to go around and I can carry it, so I’ve got an advantage off the tee that I can use here,” he said. “I feel good and comfortable on the course.”

ALKER CLAIMS CHARLES SCWAB CUP

  • Titleist golf ball player Steven Alker (Pro V1) finished solo-third at 19 under to clinch the season-long Charles Schwab Cup in his first full season on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit.
  • His closing 3-under 68 ensured the top-five finish he needed with Harrington’s victory.
  • Alker won four times in 2022, recorded 18 top-10 finishes and 21 top 25 finishes in 23 appearances this season.
  • His scoring average of 68.39 ranked him first for the season, and he led in both the regular season money list and the playoff money list.

KORN FERRY TOUR | Qualifying School

Final Stage Q-School ended on Monday with 146 players competing for guaranteed starts on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour schedule.

  • Bo Hoag (Pro V1x) earned medalist honors after posting 14 under for the week, securing fully exempt status for the upcoming season.
  • Hoag started the day five back of the lead and went out in 6-under 30 on his way to a closing 65 and one-shot victory, guaranteeing him starts in every Korn Ferry Tour event next season.
  • Chan Kim (Pro V1) finished runner-up, earning him 12 guaranteed starts for 2023 along with the rest of the players inside the top 10 and ties.
  • Players finishing in positions 11-40 and ties are guaranteed eight starts, while the rest of the field received conditional status.
  • Twenty-five of the top 28 finishers at Final Stage teed up a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x model, including nine of the top 11:

1. Bo Hoag (Pro V1x)
2. Chan Kim (Pro V1)
T3.
Pro V1 player
5. Thomas Rosenmueller (Pro V1)
T6. Ben Kohles (Pro V1x Left Dash)
T8.
Paul Peterson (Pro V1x), Pro V1 Left Dot player
T10.
Steven Fisk (Pro V1x), Chandler Phillips (Pro V1x)

KPGA | LG Signature Players Championship

Titleist Brand Ambassador YeongSu Kim won the final event of the 2022 KPGA season after making birdie on the third hole of a playoff.

  • With his second victory of the season, both of them coming in his last three starts, Kim also finished the year atop the season-long Genesis Points Standings, earning him a five-year exemption on the KPGA Tour and a spot in next year’s Genesis Scottish Open field.

What’s in YeongSu Kim’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 9.0°
Fairway
Metals: TSi2 13.5° and 18.0°
Irons: 620 CB (3-4) & 620 MB (5-9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.12F, WedgeWorks 58.06K

PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA | Victorian PGA Championship

Titleist Brand Ambassador Andrew Martin survived a four-person playoff after making birdie on the par-5 18th five consecutive times following regulation.

  • It marked the second victory on the PGA Tour of Australasia for Martin, who needed a bogey-free 4-under 68 to force extra holes.

What’s in Andrew Martin’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW TSR2 10.0°
Irons: T100
Wesges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 50.12F, 54.12D, 58.08M

ASIAN TOUR | International Series Egypt

Titleist Brand Ambassador Andy Ogletree posted four rounds of 66 or better (66-64-65-62) to win by four shots.

  • The 2019 U.S. Amateur champion made nine birdies on Sunday to close in 62 and finish the week at Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo at 23 under.

What’s in Andy Ogletree’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW TSR2 10.0°
Fairway Metal: NEW TSR3 16.5°
Utility Iron: T200 3
Irons: 620 CB 4-9
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 50.12F, 54.10S, 60.08

CHINA TOUR | Hengidan Championship

Chengyao Ma (Pro V1x) earned his first career China Tour title after posting 12 under and prevailing in a three-person, all-Titleist golf ball playoff.

  • Ma made par on the second extra hole to claim victory at Hengdian Yushan Golf Club, as 11 of the 12 players finishing in the top 10 and ties used a Titleist golf ball.

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