Leading a 1-2-3-4 finish for Titleist golf ball players, the winner of the Travelers Championship earned victory No. 6 of the season playing his Pro V1 golf ball. The champion closed in 5-under 65 Sunday, before winning on the first hole of a playoff with Titleist Brand Ambassador Tom Kim (Pro V1x).
It’s the fifth straight victory on the PGA TOUR for Titleist golf ball players, with seven of the top-eight finishers at TPC River Highlands gaming a Pro V1 or Pro V1x. In total, Titleist golf ball players have now won 21 times this season.
The champion – who leads the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, SG: Approach, Greens in Regulation and is fifth in Scrambling – hit 89 percent GIR, including his final approaches to 18 in both regulation and the playoff.
The winner also had three Vokey wedges in his winning setup (Vokey Design SM8 50.12F, 56.14F, SM9 WedgeWorks 60T wedges), going a perfect four-for-four in Scrambling on his bogey-free Sunday while playing his final six holes in 3 under.
GT DRIVER ADOPTION CONTINUES; 6 OF TOP-12 GAME GT DRIVERS AT TRAVELERS; KIM, YOUNG, HARMAN HAVE BEST DRIVING ROUNDS OF ‘24
The NEW Titleist GT drivers made their PGA TOUR debut three weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament, where 13 players made the immediate switch to the new GT2, GT3 and GT4 models at the 73-player Signature Event. The following week at the U.S. Open, 19 players had a GT driver in the bag.
The rapid adoption continued this week at the Travelers, as four more players made the move to GT drivers, including reigning Open champion Brian Harman, Lee Hodges, this season’s Mexico Open winner and the World’s 53rd-ranked player. Of the 71-player field, there were 30 Titleist drivers (42%), more than any other competitor – and 18 of them were GT2, GT3 or GT4 models:
Playing his NEW GT2 10.0 driver, Brian Harman finished the week second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, gaining more than five shots on the field (+5.086) while recording his two best driving rounds of the year – on Sunday (+1.888) and Friday (+1.610).
Tom Kim, who made the immediate move to his NEW GT3 9.0 driver at the Memorial, also had his best driving round of the year Sunday at Travelers. Facing off against the World No. 1 in the final group, Kim gained a season-best 1.903 strokes off the tee while hitting a season-best 13 fairways (92.86%), posting a back-nine 31 to make the playoff.
On Saturday, Cameron Young became the 12th player in PGA TOUR history to shoot a sub-60 round – and he did so with his best Strokes Gained: Driving round of the season (+2.552) playing his NEW GT3 9.0 driver. Since putting GT3 in play at Memorial, Young has seen an increase in ball speed with improved spin numbers, according to J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist Director of Player Promotions. Since Memorial, Young has also adjusted his SureFit settings, moving from D•1 (-.75* loft, Std lie) and T•1 (Fade) at Memorial to A•1 (Standard) and Neutral this week in Hartford. The adjustment helped stabilize his flight and dial in the right spin and launch directions, Van Wezenbeeck said.
The World’s 53rd-ranked player, who made the move to a NEW GT2 this week from a competitive model, also had his best driving round of the year Sunday, with 1.704 strokes gained off the tee.
GT drivers also launched this week on the DP World Tour at the KLM Open. Titleist was the most played driver at the event, with 60 in play (39%) compared to 43 for the nearest competitor. Twenty-eight players made the immediate move to a GT model, including Titleist Brand Ambassador Marcus Kinhult, who put a GT3 9.0 driver in the bag before finishing T2 in a sudden-death playoff.
Ten of the top-12 finishers on the final leaderboard at TPC River Highlands played at least one Vokey wedge, including each of the top four, who all gamed a full set of Vokeys:
Finishing T5 was the 2023 Mexico Open champion, who gamed his NEW SM10 60.04T lob wedge while gaining over four shots (+4.016, 2nd) on the field around the greens.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Cameron Young made history on Saturday, shooting just the 13th ever sub-60 round on the PGA TOUR. Young, playing a Pro V1 Left Dot golf ball and 14 Titleist clubs, including his NEW GT3 driver and GT2 fairway, began the day with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 1 and 2. On the par-4 3rd, he jarred a wedge from 142 yards in the fairway. He went on to make five more birdies and another eagle to close out a bogey-free 11-under third round.
Young gained 2.55 strokes off the tee (1st) and another 2.57 from his approach play (2nd) for the day, while going a perfect 3-for-3 in scrambling. He also ranked eighth in putting (+2.23) and needed just 1.4 putts per GIR (1st) with his NEW Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 tour prototype putter.
NEW Vokey Design SM10 48.10F, 52.12F, WedgeWorks 58.06K, WedgeWorks 60.06K (@62) wedges | True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Playing a Pro V1x golf ball, Amy Yang earned her place in major championship history with a three-shot victory at Sahalee Country Club. Yang shot rounds of 70-68-71-72 around the demanding and exacting setup, posting a four-round total of 7 under to win by three shots. Major champions Lilia Vu (Pro V1x) and Jin Young Ko (Pro V1) were among those tied for second at 4 under. The win marks Yang’s sixth LPGA victory, including the CME Group Tour Championship to end last season.
Amy Yang has played Pro V1x for several generations, preferring the higher spin and peak height she gets with X versus Pro V1. According to Jeff Beyers of Titleist Golf Ball R&D, Pro V1x helps optimize her numbers throughout the bag, affording her the confidence to execute on firm, difficult setups, like this week at Sahalee.
The 7th-ranked player in the Rolex Rankings (entering the week) made the move to the NEW GT3 10.0 driver from a competitive brand on her way to a T2 finish, her best result of 2024 to date. The two-time major champion was one of four players to switch to a GT driver the week of the KPMG, which presented a daunting test off the tee this year with Sahalee Country Club’s narrow fairways and corridor.
Jacob Skov Olesen sealed victory at The Amateur Championship with a 4-and-3 win in the 36-hole, all-Pro V1 championship match. With the victory, he earned a spot in the field at next month’s Open Championship as well as an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Open and a likely invitation to the 2025 Masters. The champion, who played a Pro V1 golf ball, TSR2 driver, T100 irons and four Vokey wedges, made history by becoming the first Danish Golfer to win The Amateur since its inception in 1885. It was also the winner’s first start at The Amateur in his career.
“You can definitely say that the driver was a huge help this week especially late on in the closing matches I drove it well and the performance of the Titleist clubs have always been good for me and I drove it so well this week honestly. I’ve played Titleist since I was like 13 and always been happy with it.”
“I’ve actually always played the V1, never been in the X. The V1 has always been my choice as I think it’s by far the best ball from feel to sound and performance. The spin that I can create with the ball but also with being able to control it has always been a strong preference of mine which the V1 always provides.”
WITB | Jacob Skov Olesen : Titleist Pro V1 golf ball; TSR2 9.0 driver; TSR2+ 13.0 fairway; T200 3-iron, T100 4-9 irons; NEW Vokey Design SM10 46.10F, 50.12F, SM9 56.08M, 60.04L wedges
Titleist was the overwhelming #1 ball at The Amateur, with 247 players out of the 288-player field (86%) choosing the performance of a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball.
Titleist also swept the equipment counts, leading in every major equipment category: drivers (137, 47%), fairways (97, 38%), hybrids (12, 35%), utilities (116, 51%), irons 125 (43%), wedges (584, 51%), putters (100, 35%).
Padraig Harrington (Pro V1) closed in 4-under 68 to earn his eighth career PGA TOUR Champions title and third win in as many years at the DICK’s Open. Harrington made four birdies and an eagle on Sunday, finishing 54 holes at 15 under, which was good for a one-shot win. For the week, Harrington hit 47 of 54 (87%) of his greens in regulation, ranking him second in the field.
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.
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- James Savage
- PR and Communications Manager at Acushnet Europe Ltd
- james_savage@acushnetgolf.com