This weekend two players stepped into the winners circle for the first time, each relying on the unbeatable performance of a Titleist golf ball.

On the European Tour, it was a top-10 sweep for Titleist golf ball players at the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open, where Pro V1x loyalist Simon Thornton defeated Pro V1 loyalist Tjaart Van der Walt on the first hole of a playoff to capture his first career victory. And at the Air Capital Classic, Pro V1x loyalist Scott Parel charged home with a final round 7-under-par 64, breaking through for his first Web.com Tour title in 161 starts.

With two more wins, Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf ball loyalists have now won 69 tournaments on the worldwide professional tours in 2013, more than three times the nearest competitor with 22 and more than all other competitors combined.

This is Team Titleist, let’s wrap-up the week…

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EUROPEAN: Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open
Winner: Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Simon Thornton

The 36-year-old Thornton holed several clutch putts in his final round, none more demanding than the testy 10-footer he faced on the final hole of regulation. Thornton converted the putt to tie Van der Walt at 5-under 279 and force a playoff. On the first extra hole, with Van der Walt bunkered short right, Thornton calmly lagged a 25-footer from the fringe that burned the left side of the cup. When Van der Walt was unable to get up and down for par, Thornton tapped in for his first European Tour title.

It was an emotional Father's Day win, one that Thornton would dedicate to his late father.

“It’s so big for me,” Thornton said. “On father’s day too, he passed away three years ago and it still hurts, but they are happy tears today. This is dedicated to him."

Thornton rose steadily through the Irish professional ranks, and then through the European Challenge Tour en route to his first victory.

“Hopefully this is a stepping stone for me,” Thornton said. “I’ll go home this week now and celebrate, take a week off, and then play in the Irish Open.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Seve Benson turned in the best performance of his European Tour career, finishing alone in 3rd after a 1-under-par 70 on Sunday left him one shot out of the playoff. Fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Robert Dinwiddie (Pro V1) finished at 2-under 282, good for solo 4th.

Of the remaining players who secured top-10 positions on the leaderboard, every one trusted a Titleist golf ball for their success. They included: Titleist Brand Ambassador Chris Lloyd (Pro V1x) and Pro V1x loyalsit Pellie Edberg (T-5/ 1-under 283), Pro V1x loyalists Augustin Domingo, Jeppe Huldahl and Victor Riu (T-7/ Even 284) and Jamie Elson (Pro V1x), Daniel Gaunt (Pro V1x), Max Glauert (Pro V1), Brooks Koepka (Pro V1x), who all tied for 10th at 1-over 285.

Of the 156 players who competed at the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open, 122 trusted a Titleist golf ball, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 17, and more than all other competitors combined.

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WEB.COM: Air Capital Classic
Winner: Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Scott Parel

In Wichita, Kansas, Parel's sizzling final round 64 was highlighted by a birdie-eagle-bidie stretch on holes 13-15. His 18-under 266 total at Crestview CC gave him a 3-stroke margin of victory over nearest rival Alex Aragon (Pro V1x), who closed with a 6-under 65. Pro V1x loyalist Alex Prugh finished two shots further back, good for 3rd place.

Parel, who worked as a computer programmer for ten years before pursuing his dream in professional golf, now has his sights set on the Web.com Tour's top-25. At the conclusion of the Cox Classic event in late August, the top 25 players on the Web.com Tour money list will earn PGA Tour cards. With the win, Parel now moves from 153rd to number 14.

“Obviously I’m playing well now,” he said. “My goal now is to climb up there as high as I can and a win is a good start toward it.”

At 48 years, 1 month, and 2 days, Parel becomes the oldest winner of the event well as the fourth oldest winner of a Web.com Tour event.

At the Air Capital Classic, Titleist was the most played golf ball with 107 players in the field of 156, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 15 and more than all other competitors combined.

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PGA: United States Open Championship

For the 65th consecutive year, Titleist was the golf ball of choice at the U.S. Open. Of the 156-player field, 64% (97) relied upon Titleist golf balls, over four times the nearest competitor with 23.

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ASIAN: Queen's Cup

At the 2013 Queen's Cup, Titleist was the most played golf ball with 82 players in the field of 142, more than all other competitors combined.

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SOUTH AFRICAN: Polokwane Classic

At the 2013 Polokwane Classic, Titleist was the most played golf ball with 88 players in the field of 142, more three times the nearest competitor with 25 and morethan all other competitors combined.

It's been 32 years since the U.S. Open was last contested at Merion Golf Club's famed East Course. Designed by Hugh Wilson, Merion sits on a modest 120 acres outside of Philadelphia. The East Course will play a shade under 7,000 yards this week, diminutive by modern U.S. Open standards.

Merion will present a very difficult, but an infinitely fair test of golfing skill. And with precision at a premium, it's no surprise that 97 players are trusting their chances for a U.S. Open title to a Titleist golf ball, more than four times the nearest competitor with 23 and more than all other golf balls combined.

In fact, 2013 marks the 65th consecutive year that Titleist has been the #1 golf ball of choice at the U.S Open Championship.

Titleist also tied for first in iron sets this week (37), and was an overwhelming favorite in the sand, lob and approach wedges category (159).

For a look at some of the Titleist players and equipment in this week’s championship field, take a look at Team Titleist’s video from the practice rounds by clicking the video at the top of the post.

Here at Team Titleist, we always like to have some fun during the majors. So we’re coming to you with a little Team Titleist Trivia contest to help us celebrate being the #1 Ball at the U.S. Open for 65 years and counting.

We have two great prizes to giveaway. First up, an autographed pin flag from last year’s U.S. Open at the Olympic Club signed by Titleist Brand Ambassador and the winner of the event, Webb Simpson.

The second prize, a collection of autographed Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls signed by various Titleist Brand Ambassadors and golf ball loyalists.

Who signed the golf balls you ask? Well that’s this week’s trivia question.QUESTION: Correctly identify all of the Titleist Brand Ambassadors and Golf Ball loyalists that autographed the golf balls pictured above.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: To enter the contest, log in to your Team Titleist account and then add a comment (see below) to this blog post with the names of the Titleist Brand Ambassadors and Golf Ball Loyalists that autographed the golf balls pictured above by Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.*

PLEASE NOTE: You must be a Team Titleist member to enter. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to U.S. residents. Sweepstakes offered from June 13, 2013 to June 16, 2013. Complete official rules available at Sweepstakes Rules and Community Policy.

A few more important details... Only one entry per a person. If you send in multiple replies, you'll be disqualified from the contest. Don't forget to include all of the details outlined above or your entry will not be considered eligible.

Keep in mind, all comments are moderated and it may take some time for your reply to appear. We'll do our best to approve comments quickly but if you enter more than one reply, we have to disqualify you from the drawing (sorry to repeat this but we want to make sure it's clear).

(Sorry U.S. only. Here's some more info: Why are Titleist sweepstakes U.S. only?)

Good luck!

What does it take to win the U.S. Open?

Each year a new script is written and each host course typically makes it mark among the history books as the twist and turns unfold.

Last year at the Olympic Club, it came down to a clutch par save on the 72^nd hole for Titleist Brand Ambassador Webb Simpson, as he secured the victory and added the title of U.S. Open Champion to his resume.

So what was the winning recipe for Webb?

“In the U.S. Open, more importantly than anything, is the mental side of it. You’ve got to be tough. You’ve got to be patient. You’ve got to let things come to you,” said Webb.

Hear what else Webb had to say in the video above as he prepares to defend his title at Merion and see a special moment that we captured earlier in the year that features some pretty exclusive Pro V1x golf balls.

We all know there is a lot of hard work and preparation that goes into a player’s game as they get ready to tee it up at the U.S. Open.

To help provide an insider’s perspective, Team Titleist asked one of its resident experts, Dave Phillips (Co-Founder of the Titleist Performance Institute and Top 100 Instructor) to shed some light on the key shots that players will need to have in their bag this week.

And it just so happens that Merion is one of Dave’s favorite courses, so he was happy to share a few tips on how to manage tough lies out of the rough and how to find the short grass on narrow fairways.

Even though most of us won’t be teeing it up at the U.S. Open, we think these tips will translate well into our games and hopefully help save us all a few strokes the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation.

Watch the video above and make sure you stay tuned in to hear Dave’s pick for this week. Also, don’t forget to head over to the new MyTPI.com to check out their expansive library of drills and exercises to improve your game.