The winner of The Genesis Invitational brought his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Timeless GSS tour prototype putter to the winner’s circle, carding a final round 9-under 62 to win by three. The champion ranked third in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining over four shots (+4.298) on the field and averaging 1.63 putts per GIR (T6). On Sunday, he was a perfect 15-for-15 in putts inside 10 feet.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Will Zalatoris turned in rounds of 66-70-65-69 to post 14 under for the week at Riviera and earn a T2 finish, his best result since his return from injury. Zalatoris began the 2024 PGA TOUR season with several recent additions to his equipment setup, including a TSR2 driver, NEW T-Series irons and NEW Vokey Design SM10 wedges.
“Actually, I've always had a line on my ball, and then I was standing on the tee at Riviera, my first year out on Tour, and there were three guys in the group playing Titleist 3's with black lines on them. Pro V1s, exactly the same. And so, I was like, ‘Okay, I need to add something to my golf ball.’ And so, I put my initials in Sharpie on the back side of my ball. And then I just started doing 200, which was actually kind of funny. I had 200 days off, of not touching a golf club, from when I was out. And so, it's kind of a nice little reminder of where it's like, okay, if I make a couple bogies, it's like, ‘Well, it beats what you were doing for those 200 days.’ But yeah, really, I've kept adding things as the years have gone on, because there's so many guys that play Titleist. And I think it was funny, in my 11th event on Tour, there's three guys standing on a tee with three Titleist Pro V’s, black, black line, exactly the same. And I’m like, alright, I need to start adding stuff to my ball.”
On Friday at The Genesis, Zalatoris stepped to the tee on the 184-yard, par-3 14th and pulled his T150 7 iron. He struck his Pro V1x toward the pin and watched it carry the front left bunker before rolling right into the cup for an ace.
Zalatoris finished the week ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach (+5.283). He also gained more than a shot on the field Off the Tee (+1.437, 15th) and Around the Green (+1.285, 17th). His 22 birdies for the week at Riviera led the field, and he finished T3 in Greens in Regulation (68%, 49/72).
— “I switched to the T150’s right when I got them, or I guess it was earlier this year. The thing that was so fascinating with the T150’s was that you had more feel than any Titleist iron that we had ever made, but you still had the same forgiveness. And so, when I first tried them, shocker, professional golfers don't hit perfect golf shots all day long, but I would hit one barely on the heel, barely on the toe. And I'm thinking, ‘Oh, I must've lost seven, eight yards on that.’ And it was going the same distance as when I hit it solid. And so, getting that feedback was amazing for me.”
— “The two biggest things that I always check for with irons is how do they perform out of the rough. Because if I've got a little too much camber out of there, I might catch flyers all day long, which I know it's cool to hit a pitching wedge 190 yards, but it's not cool when you're trying to hit it 150. And then on top of that – I told this to J.J. [Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist Director of Player Promotions] when he first gave them to me – it looked like they were built for me. Just because how they go through the turf, they rip through the turf way faster than the T100's that I was playing before. But I had more forgiveness and more feel, which is a unicorn. And so I've loved that [T150] iron.”
— “I actually play the T350 in my 3-iron. That iron was built to be kind of a game improvement iron. And honestly, we were on the range when all of us were together in LA testing it, and we were just kind of goofing around. And I was thinking, ‘Man, this thing looks awesome.’ And so, I started hitting some balls out of the rough, started hitting them out of the fairway. I remember Max [Homa] and I spent 20 minutes with this thing, and we were like, ‘This thing is awesome.’ So the wide variety too is something that I think is really cool. Because you're seeing guys that were playing straight muscle backs going to the T100’s. You've seen guys maybe go from T100’s to T150’s, and there's a lot of kind of shuffling going around. It's like, ‘Yeah, I have a game improvement iron in my bag.’ So what. I love that thing. It's my favorite club in the bag. But a lot of the changes that they made this year, especially with the feel, was really fascinating to me.”
Titleist Brand Ambassador Patty Tavatanakit shot a final round 7-under 65 to cap off a wire-to-wire, seven-shot victory. Tavatanakit, gaming a Pro V1x golf ball, TSR2 driver, NEW T-Series irons and NEW Vokey SM10 wedges, made 20 birdies and an eagle for the week on her way to earning her fifth professional victory. The 24-year-old was a perfect 18-for-18 in greens in regulation on Sunday, and she finished in style, sticking her Pro V1x in tight on the 72nd hole for a closing birdie.
— “I need to hear a good sound from the golf ball. I need to hear it. I need to feel it. The Pro V1x just kind of gives me a little bit more feedback in terms of feel and sound. It spins really good around the green as well, and just full shots and everything just feels good. So that's why I love the Pro V1x ... Titleist has always been the number one ball in golf, so when you go out on the course, you just play and don't think about that.”
— “When I flight the ball lower, it can still spin really, really well, and when I need to hit it high, I get that max spin for the max carry.”
— “Off the tee, it does spin a touch more than the Pro V1, which I like because that way I could get maximum carry out of it. It would fly a touch higher, which would make the ball carry a little bit further. And then when I do bring it down, it would still go down. So, it's really manageable, this ball.”
Tavatanakit began her 2024 LPGA season in January at the Drive On Championship after adding three NEW Vokey SM10 wedges (50.12F, 56.08M, 60.04T) to her bag. Having previously gamed prior generation Vokey wedges, Tavatanakit worked with Vokey Tour Rep Shane Dyel to determine her setup with the new models.
Said Dyel: “What's so special about Patty is her attention to detail and her perception of feel. When I worked with Patty on her SM10’s she could see and feel the difference between her previous generation Vokey wedges and the new SM10 wedges.
“With her wedge setup we talked about how she can be more versatile with every wedge in the bag, and it all starts at the top with her 50.12F. This grind gives her unlocked versatility from full shots in the fairway to low, high-spin runners around the greens. Our change in CG location has allowed Patty to be aggressive on shots when she needs to be.
“Going into her SM10 56.08M, the new model gave her more help with the lower flight and higher spin she always looks for. She has found it to be easier to flight down her shots without sacrificing speed, which was a huge difference from her previous generation Vokey 56.08M.
“Lastly, her 60.04T is the most versatile and the most feel-sensitive wedge Patty has in the bag. Without a doubt, Patty saw not only an increase in feel, but also complete sole control compared to her previous generation 60 T grind. Her overall feedback with SM10 has been overwhelmingly positive.”
About Titleist Media Center
Titleist, Golf’s Symbol of Excellence, is the game's leading performance equipment brand, having earned the overwhelming trust of tour professionals, club professionals, competitive amateurs and dedicated golfers worldwide. The Titleist golf ball embodies superior performance, innovative design and technology, precision manufacturing and unmatched quality. It is the unequivocal #1 ball in golf, and has been for 70 years and still counting. Titleist also sets the standard for golf clubs through an unwavering commitment to performance, meticulous attention to detail, and as the game’s preeminent golf club fitter. Titleist golf gear, comprising golf bags, headwear, travel gear, accessories and golf gloves, also delivers the performance and quality excellence promised in every product that bears the Titleist Script.
Contact details
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- James Savage
- PR and Communications Manager at Acushnet Europe Ltd
- james_savage@acushnetgolf.com