Having made the move to the NEW 2025 Pro V1x golf ball, Nico Echavarria delivered in Japan, winning his second career PGA TOUR title with immense precision and shotmaking. The 30-year-old birdied two of his final three holes to close in 67, posting 20 under to win by one.
Echavarria was in total control of his golf ball over four rounds at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, gaining over 10 shots on the field from tee to green for the week (10.276, 2nd). Over seven of those shots came from his approach play (7.992, 2nd). He also ranked second in birdies (24).
On Sunday, Echavarria stood on the 196-yard par-3 16th tee at 18 under, one shot back of the lead. He pulled 6-iron and stuck his Pro V1x 12 feet below the hole, setting up a clutch birdie. Two holes later, he hit the 559-yard 18th green in two and two-putted for the victory.
Titleist was the overwhelming #1 ball this week at ZOZO, with 48 players teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than five times the nearest competitor (9).
A total of 28 players have already made the move to 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x, including this week’s champion, Nico Echavarria, and last week’s runner-up, Doug Ghim.
While the new models officially launched on TOUR at last week’s Shriners Children’s Open – marking the start to year No. 25 for the game’s most trusted and best-selling golf ball models– a few PGA TOUR players were able to test the 2025 models at Titleist’s fitting and testing facilities as they dialed in their setups prior to the start of their fall seasons.
That list included Hayden Springer (Pro V1) and Zac Blair (Pro V1x), who after testing the new models at the Titleist Performance Institute in California asked to put them in play to begin the PGA TOUR’s fall season at the Procore Championship.
When Tyson Alexander heard about the new models in Napa, he asked Titleist reps for some 2025 Pro V1x to test at home during the following off week.
“I was actually playing 18 holes with Tyson in Jacksonville back home,” said Echavarria at the Shriners. “It was in between Napa and Sanderson Farms, and I was actually low on balls. I didn't grab balls from my house, and he had some extra and they were the new ones, and I just tried it out.”
“[‘25 Pro V1x was] maybe just the hair faster and something a touch spinner around the greens is what I felt. It worked very well last week [at the Black Desert Championship] with altitude. I've struggled hitting my numbers in altitude and this was very good how the numbers were.”
“One of the only things we have in control is the ball, as golfers, and for me it's more playing and seeing it while I'm playing than on the range because when I'm hitting balls, I don't go to where it landed. I prefer trying them out in the golf course, seeing if the numbers that I felt were the right ones, where it landed on the green, how it reacted on the green, how it flew with the wind, what I thought, maybe it pitched short of what I thought, maybe it pitched long and then you adjust and see if you like it or not.”
Echavarria on his go-to shot: "It's relying on that fade, especially on those off days where we're not feeling a hundred percent with our game, and I have to rely on that shot because I don't have the draw that day. I just hit fades out there and luckily, I have a ball that does what I feel like it should do.”
Titleist Brand Ambassador Byeong Hun An prevailed in a playoff, making birdie on the par-5 18th both in regulation and in extra holes to win on home soil. An turned in rounds 67-66-71-67 to post 17 under, a total matched by fellow Brand Ambassador Tom Kim. The two headed back to the 18th tee for an all-Pro V1x playoff, which ended after An got up-and-down from in front of the green for a birdie 4 and his second career DP World Tour win.
Perhaps the shot of the day for An came on the 577-yard par-5 15th. Faced with 290 yards to the pin, which was cut at the back of an elevated, water-guarded green, An pulled driver. He picked his Pro V1x clean and flew it onto the green surface, his ball settling within 20 feet. A two-putt birdie brought him closer to the lead, and two more birdies over his final three holes helped him force extra holes.
“I think I was two shots back. I hit a great driver off the deck on the front nine on the par 5, so I’m like, ‘you know what, this is the one to do it,’” said An of the shot. “The layup is not that easy hitting close to the flag, and the driver was exactly how I planned it... I think that was the shot I needed in that moment... It’s a little aggressive, but I knew I could pull it off.”
An ranked third for the week in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+1.13 per round). He hit 72% of his greens in regulation and got his Pro V1x up-and-down 70% of the time.
Vokey Design SM10 48.10F, 52.08F, 56.08M, SM9 WedgeWorks 60T wedges | Project X 6.5 (48-52), Project X 6.0 (56), True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 (60)
TSR3 21.0 hybrid | Graphite Design Tour AD DI-105 Hybrid X
T200 4-iron | Project X 6.0
T100 5-9 irons | Project X 6.0
Vokey Design SM10 46.10F, 50.12F, 54.14F, WedgeWorks 58L wedges | Project X 6.0 (46-50), Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Onyx X100 (54-58)
It was a sweep of the top-4 positions on the final leaderboard at the Genesis Championship for Titleist golf ball, driver, iron and Vokey wedge players:
1. Byeong Hun An: Pro V1x golf ball; TSR4 9.0 driver; T150 4-5 irons, 620 MB 6-9 irons, Vokey Design SM10 48.10F, 52.08F, 56.08M, SM9 WedgeWorks 60T wedges
2. Tom Kim: Pro V1x golf ball; NEW GT3 9.0 driver; T200 4-iron, T100 5-9 irons; Vokey Design SM10 46.10F, 50.12F, 54.14F, WedgeWorks 58L wedges
3. Ricardo Gouveia: Pro V1x golf ball; NEW GT3 10.0 driver; T100 4-9 irons; Vokey Design SM10 46.10F, 52.12F, WedgeWorks 58.06K wedges
4. Antoine Rozner: Pro V1x golf ball; NEW GT3 10.0 driver; T100 4-5 irons, 620 MB 6-9 irons; Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.08F, 58.08M wedges
Padraig Harrington (Pro V1) made birdie on his final hole Sunday to cap off his ninth Champions Tour title in style. Harrington carded rounds of 67-65-67 around Pleasant Valley Country Club to post 17 under, two shots clear of second place. The victory marked his third of the season, and it moves him to No. 4 in the season-long Schwab Cup standings.
Harrington was in control all tournament long, leading the field in driving distance and greens in regulation (87%, 47/54). He made 17 birdies and two eagles over the three rounds.
The winner of the Simmons Bank Championship brought his TSR3 9.0 driver to the winner’s circle once again. He led the field this week in driving distance while hitting over 64% of his fairways (T13).
Liz Young (Pro V1) finished on top in India, posting 2 under for the week around the difficult DLF Golf and Country Club. Young was one of just five players to finish under par after four rounds. Young's round of the week came on Saturday, when she made eight birdies en route to a 67, vaulting her up the leaderboard before Sunday’s final round.
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- James Savage
- PR and Communications Manager at Acushnet Europe Ltd
- james_savage@acushnetgolf.com