Tyrrell Hatton (Pro V1x) went undefeated in Rome as Team Europe captured the 44th Ryder Cup, 16 ½-11 ½. Hatton, 31, was the only player on Europe to win three matches without a loss, finishing the weekend at 3-0-1 after his Sunday singles victory to contribute 3 ½ points to Europe’s winning tally.
Viktor Hovland (Pro V1) also earned 3 ½ points for Europe, displaying the tee-to-green consistency and control that earned him the 2023 FedExCup, while leading the event in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+10.24), according to DataGolf.
In total, Titleist was the #1 ball at the Ryder Cup with 12 players across both teams teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x.
Tyrrell Hatton started the year on the PGA TOUR by making the move to the 2023 Pro V1x, playing his way to the TOUR Championship and No. 11 in the World Ranking, while finishing the FedExCup season 12th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+1.081).
“I have switched into the [2023 Pro V1x],” Hatton said in February at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, “and I'm very comfortable.”
The 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x models are engineered with high gradient core designs that deliver lower long game spin for increased distance and a more consistent flight, while maintaining the Drop-and-Stop greenside control that Titleist players rely on to play their best.
Said Hatton: “Consistency is the big thing. So making sure that certain strikes, the spin is kind of where it needs to be, so it always travels the same distance. That's such a big part of what we do. And you need that trust.”
Hatton's elite ball-striking is complemented by a deft touch around the greens (he’s second in Scrambling from 20-30 yards and 6th from less than 10 yards).
“(With Pro V1x), it’s more of a feel thing for me. I like the fact that it feels a little harder. It’s got a bit more of a click off the face. And for me, especially around the greens, that’s a big plus. I just feel like I have a bit more control.”
Viktor Hovland brought with him to Rome the same ball-striking accuracy and short-game precision that he used to end the FedExCup season with back-to-back victories and move to No. 4 in the World Ranking.
Said Hovland: “First of all, it gives me a lot of consistency around the greens. I like how it feels off the face. I like how I’m able to spin the ball around the greens. But at the same time, I don’t sacrifice anything to the full shots. When I hit a drive on a par-5 and I’m trying to get after it, I don’t have to worry about the spin creeping up too high. I can still hit a high launch with low spin and then if I missed the green in two, I can still hit a short-sided shot with a lot of spin. So I think just the versatility is the key with the Pro V1 ball for me – and especially in the wind because we do play in a lot of wind. And I think that’s kind of the biggest challenge. If you don’t have a good ball in the wind, it really plays a big difference. The consistency in the wind, knowing how much it’s going to curve in certain wind directions and stuff like that – it just plays really well for me.”
The winner of the 2013 U.S. Open put a TSR3 driver in play for the first time on Friday at the Ryder Cup, making the switch from a competitive driver to the PGA TOUR’s most popular model after testing sessions early in the week.
The six-time European Ryder Cupper gamed a TSR3 9.0 model with a HZRDUS Black 4G 60 TX shaft, one of the four featured shafts in the TSR matrix. His SureFit hosel was set at B•2 (standard loft, +.75 degrees upright), with the SureFit CG at H•1 (draw, best for heel strike pattern).
The 2013 U.S. Open champion was one of 10 players across both the European (4) and U.S. (6) squads to game a Titleist driver, at least four more than any other brand.
He also played a Pro V1 golf ball and four Vokey wedges (Vokey Design SM9 48.10F, 52.12F, 56.08M, WedgeWorks 60T or 60V).
On the U.S. side, Titleist Brand Ambassador Max Homa led the Americans with 3 ½ points, punctuated by a clutch up-and-down for birdie on Marco Simone’s par-5 18th to win his singles match.
Homa played in all five sessions, earning a 3-1-1 record to move to 7-1-1 all-time in Ryder and Presidents Cups.
Playing a Pro V1 golf ball and full bag of Titleist equipment, including a NEW T150 3-iron (KBS Tour 105g Prototype Graphite Hybrid X) he added to attack Marco Simone’s demanding tee shots, Homa led all 24 players with +4.56 strokes gained on approach shots (according to DataGolf).
Depending on course setup, Homa switches between a long iron option and his TSR2 21.0 fairway. He also has a T200 3-iron in that rotation.
The longstanding most played irons on the PGA TOUR, Titleist was also the top choice at Marco Simone with seven players gaming full sets.
More than half of the wedges in play at the 44th Ryder Cup were Vokey Design models, with 15 players across both teams gaming at least one Vokey wedge. In total, there were 39 Vokeys in play (57%), more than all other competitors combined.
That list included Max Homa, who relied on stellar wedge play all week long in becoming the American’s leading points-getter. Playing alongside Brian Harman in Saturday morning’s foursomes matches, Homa chipped in for eagle on the par-4 16th with his SM9 60.04L lob wedge to give Team U.S.A. their first match victory. Later that day, Homa and Harman were 3-up on their opponents on the back nine of their four-ball match, looking to close out another crucial point. Faced with a difficult, short-sided pitch to save par on the par-4 15th, Homa pulled his lob wedge and holed out again, tying the hole. The duo went on to win, 2 & 1.
Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 50.12F, 56.14F, 60.04L wedges | KBS TOUR $-Taper 130 X (46), KBS Hi Rev 2.0 125 S (50, 56, 60)
Yuta Kinoshita (Pro V1x) earned his second career Japan Tour victory, posting 15 under to win by one. Kinoshita made key birdies down the stretch on Nos. 15 and 17 to pull ahead from the chasing pack on his way to shooting a bogey-free 4-under 67.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Sungjae Im led his home country of South Korea to a gold medal in the team portion of the 19th Asia Games. Im, playing a Pro V1x golf ball and full bag of Titleist equipment, went lower than anyone on Sunday with a final-round 65 that earned him the individual silver medal, leading a South Korean team that finished the competition at 76 under, 25 shots clear of second place.
Aditi Ashok (Pro V1x) posted 17 under to earn a silver medal in the women’s individual competition, becoming the first Indian woman to medal at the Asian Games.
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- Eric Soderstrom
- Director, Tour Communications
- eric_soderstrom@acushnetgolf.com
- 508-979-3028