With history on the line, Lydia Ko stuck her Pro V1x golf ball to six feet on the Old Course’s 18th green, setting up the birdie that would clinch her first AIG Women’s Open, third major championship and 21st career LPGA title.
Ko, who started the day three shots back of the lead, posted a back-nine 34 Sunday for a closing 3-under 69, hitting 15 of 18 greens in regulation. She finished the week at 7 under to complete the comeback victory, the fifth straightwin for Titleist golf ball players on the LPGA Tour.
Over four days at a cold, wet and windy Old Couse, Ko hit 75 percent of fairways (48/64) and 81 percent greens in regulation (58/72). She finished T1 in bogey avoidance, surrendering just six over the four rounds and only one on Sunday.
Perhaps the shot of the week came on the 17th hole. The 27-year-old was tied for the lead at 6 under playing the famous Road Hole in some of the worst weather of the day. Faced with an intimidating approach from the fairway, Ko hit her approach low, running her Pro V1x up around the Road Hole bunker and onto the green. The shot set up a stress-free par, preserving Ko’s momentum as she headed to the 18th tee.
“For both Alexa [Pano] and I to have parred that hole in those conditions, that was probably one of the best shots I've hit...honestly it was so windy and rainy, I saw that the ball was heading towards the pin, but I had no idea that it was on that second tier,” said Ko. “The back was completely out of play because I couldn't reach it. So it's nice to just be able to make an aggressive swing at it, but yeah, that's probably one of the best, you know, punch shots or shots I've hit coming down the stretch.”
Two weeks ago in Paris, Ko also made a 72nd-hole birdie to make history, earning the final point she needed for qualification into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
– “I’ve used the Titleist ball for a really long time and I can speak from my experience that every time I’ve tried something new I’ve been able to see a difference, and I just love how it is the #1 golf ball. It’s not just an advertisement. It is something that I believe and something that I really trust. The golf ball is such a crucial part of the equipment standpoint and in the game.”
The champion this week at St Andrews won with four Vokey wedges (Vokey Design SM10 46.10F (@44), 48.10F (@49), 54.10S, 58.08M wedges) and a Scotty Cameron P5 GSS tour prototype putter (center shaft), which she used to drain her birdie putt on the 72nd hole to cap off her victory. The champion also finished T5 in total putts (124).
The champion of this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur shot rounds of 72-70-72-73 to earn low amateur honors at the Old Course. She capped off her week with a birdie on the 72nd hole to finish inside the top 10 at 1 under.
WITB | Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion: Titleist Pro V1 golf ball; TSR3 9.0 driver; TRS2 15.0 fairway; TSR2 19.0, 21.0 hybrids; T150 5-P irons; Vokey Design SM10 50.08F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58.06K wedges
Frederick Lacroix (Pro V1) turned a four-shot deficit to begin Sunday’s final round into a four-shot win by day’s end, earning his first DP World Tour title. Nobody went lower over the weekend than Lacroix, who followed up a Saturday 67 with a bogey-free 65 to reach his 14-under total. The 29-year-old graduated from the Challenge Tour last season, and he now moves to No. 11 in the Race to Dubai rankings.
For the week, Lacroix ranked second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+10.16). Over three of those shots came from around the green (+3.24, 6th) and four came from approach play (+4.00, 11th).
Stewart Cink (Pro V1x) posted a flawless 6-under 66 to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR Champions. Cink had total control over his ballstriking, hitting 49 of 54 greens in regulation (91%) to lead the field. On the five occasions he missed the green, he got his Pro V1x up and down four times (80%, T8). His 17-under total was good for a four-shot margin of victory.
Thriston Lawrence (Pro V1) began the week with a 10-under 62 opening round and ended the week with a five-shot victory. Lawrence, who shot matching 67’s over the weekend, posted 20 under over three rounds at Wingate Park Country Club.
Jiyoung Park (Pro V1) picked up her third KLPGA title of the season, posting 13 under for the week to win by three. Park began Sunday two shots off the pace, but her closing 4-under 68 sealed the victory. She now moves to No. 2 in the KLPGA Money List and Player of the Year standings.
Titleist Brand Ambassador John Keefer shot a final round 5-under 67 to earn his first career PGA Tour Americas title. Keefer (Pro V1x) is projected to move to No. 1 in the season-long Fortinet Cup standings, having recorded four runner-up finishes in seven events coming into the week. His worst finish this year is T9, finishing inside the top 10 in every other of his starts.
This week in Manitoba, Keefer made 27 birdies and an eagle, eventually finishing the tournament at 26 under, good for a one-shot win.
WITB | John Keefer: Titleist Pro V1x golf ball; TSR2 11.0 driver; T200 3-iron, T100 4-9 irons; Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 50.12F, 54.10S wedges
The U.S. Senior Amateur kicked off on Saturday at The Honors Course, with 136 players – 87 percent of the field – playing a Titleist golf ball. That includes the two stroke-play medalists (Pro V1, Pro V1x), who finished the opening 36 holes at 2 under. Titleist is also the most played driver (35%), hybrid (31%), utility iron (49%), iron (24%) and wedge (60%) this week in Tennessee.
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- Eric Soderstrom
- Director, Tour Communications
- eric_soderstrom@acushnetgolf.com
- 508-979-3028