The inaugural Humana Challenge is under way and the score board is lighting up as many of the world's best golfers take it low at PGA West.

Considering the opening-round scores, fans should expect another birdie bonanza in the desert, with the majority of players picking Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls out of the cups.

A total of 99 players in this week's field are playing Titleist golf balls, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 14 and more than all competitors combined.

Titleist is also No. 1 in iron sets (41); sand, lob and approach wedges (123); and putters (57).

Pro V1x loyalist Johnson Wagner had been telling friends and family that he'd win a PGA Tour event early in 2012. It took him just 15 days to make good on that promise.

With renewed confidence (not to mention a new mustache), Wagner rolled his Pro V1x golf ball in for four birdies over the final 12 holes Sunday to capture the Sony Open in Hawaii for his third-career PGA Tour victory.

"Yeah, I was definitely telling people to expect something early this year, which is a nice feeling," said Wagner, who shot rounds of 68-66-66-67 at Waialae Country Club for a 13-under 267 total and two-shot triumph.

Wagner, 31, credited the success to plain old hard work during the off-season, both on the course and in the gym.

"I'm just going to try to get better every day," said Wagner, who will be soon receiving an invitation to compete in this year's Master Tournament.

"It's a terrible cliché but I'm just going to try to get better and keep working out and keep doing the things I'm doing."

It marked the second consecutive win and a sweep of the "Aloha Swing" for Titleist golf ball players to start the 2012 PGA Tour season, following Titleist Brand Ambassador Steve Stricker's (Pro V1x) three-shot victory last weekend at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. (Wagner finished T-9 at Kapalua.)

Last season, Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x players won 33 of the PGA Tour's 44 events, including Wagner's victory at the Mayakoba Classic.

This week, 99 players at the Sony Open relied on Titleist golf ball for their success, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 13 and more than all competitors combined.

Titleist was also No. 1 in iron sets (37); sand, lob and approach wedges (120); and putters (56).

• CHINA: Zhang Xin Jun (Pro V1x) earned his first career win at the China PGA Tour's Hainan event, topping a leader board the featured eight Titleist golf ball players in the top 10.

Zhang closed in 3-under 69 for a 17-under 271 total, two shots ahead of Lee Joung Wook (Pro V1x). Li Hao Tong (Pro V1x) and Su Dong (Pro V1x) tied for third place, another two shots back.

A total of 88 players trusted Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls in the event, nearly nine times the nearest competitor with 10 and more than all other golf ball combined. Titleist was also first in sand, lob and approach wedges (120).

• EUROPEAN TOUR: At the Joburg Open, 148 players teed up Titleist golf balls, 120 more than the nearest competitor with 28 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist was also first in iron sets (61); and wedges (206).

It's pretty easy to sum up Sony Open week at Waialae Country Club: Great golf, and even better views.

(Or is it the other way around?)

For Team Titleist, it's definitely about giving a first "Aloha!" of 2012 to many of our Titleist Brand Ambassadors and golf ball loyalists, including several of the rookies making their debuts as full-time PGA Tour members (i.e., Bud Cauley and Erik Compton).

A total of 99 players in the field this week are playing Titleist golf balls, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 13 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist is also No. 1 in iron sets (37); sand, lob and approach wedges (120); and putters (56).

In the slideshow below, we're taking a closer look at some of the Titleist equipment in this week's field, including more pics of the new Scotty Cameron Select line due out this spring.

(Also be sure to check out this week's Scotty Cameron Tour Slideshow on ScottyCameron.com.)

Enjoy!

When Steve Stricker reaches into the ball pocket on his golf bag, he knows exactly what he's getting: A Titleist Pro V1x golf ball. Every time.

For Adam Scott, it's always a Titleist Pro V1. Same for K.J. Choi. 

Top amateur golfers subscribe to the same philosophy, choosing to play the same brand and model golf ball every time they play or practice, whether it's on the course, a practice green or in a short-game area.

The reason is simple: Changing the golf ball changes every shot.

And if you want to shoot lower scores and consistently play your best golf, one of the first steps is knowing what to expect out of your golf ball on each and every swing.

What does your golf ball pocket look like?

"Consistency starts with knowing how the golf ball is going to perform," says Bill Morgan, Senior Vice President of Titleist Golf Ball R&D.

"We play with the same driver, the same irons, the same putter during the course of the round, but a lot of golfers think nothing of pulling out a different golf ball than what they started with and playing their next shot with it. .... Unless you're prepared for that and skilled enough to change your swing, you're going to get a different result."

Through extensive player and robot testing, Morgan says, the R&D team has found "dramatic differences in golf ball performance on shots into the green from brand to brand to brand."

For example, say you're hitting a short iron into a green. What's the goal? Hitting it as close to the pin as possible, if not in the hole. The closer you hit it to the pin, the better your chances of making the putt and lowering your score.

Executing that shot consistently not only requires a good swing, but knowing how your golf ball is going to react when it hits the putting surface.

"Does it hit and stop? Does it bounce a couple times before checking up? That sort of reliance and that confidence in your golf ball can really start to alter the rest of your game," says Titleist Golf Ball Fitter Michael Collins.

Accordingly, here are a couple easy New Year's resolutions you can add to your list, courtesy of Mike Gibson, Manager of Titleist Golf Ball Fitting.

"First, make sure you have been properly fit for the best golf for your game," he says. "Second, stick to that golf ball for the season. For casual rounds and tournament rounds. On the practice green before a round. Even if you're just hitting pitches in your backyard."

Titleist's green-to-tee ball fitting methodology is based on the fact that most scoring opportunities are created by shots into the target, and improving your game in those areas will have the most game-changing affects.

"As you learn how your golf ball performs in various situations, you also gain the confidence necessary to hit more greens and get the ball closer to the pin," Gibson says. "Whether you're a tour pro or a 15-handicap, you're going to make shorter putts more often. Who doesn't want to make more putts?"

Step one: Taking a look in your golf ball pocket.

To begin the Titleist Performance Golf Ball Fitting process yourself, click here.

While it wasn't part of the prize, the unseasonably warm temperatures in Iowa last week were a welcome bonus for Team Titleist members Lucus Scott and Jim Peterson.

As the winner of the 2011 Team Titleist Tour Fitting and Dream Bag Giveaway, Lucus won a trip to the Titleist Performance Institute to go through a tour-level, precision fitting for a dream bag of new Titleist equipment. He also got to bring a friend along for the same experience.

So on a sunny California morning last December, Lucus and Jim ("The Lucky Friend") pulled into the gates of the Oceanside Test Facility as if they were new Titleist Brand Ambassadors getting ready for the PGA Tour season.

Meanwhile, Titleist Senior Fitting Analysts Kurt Donahoo and Robert Bunn were on the range preparing for the Titleist Tour Fittings.

"From the moment we walked in it was as if we were a Tour player," Lucus said.

A couple weeks later, just after the calendar had turned to 2012, Lucus and Jim were walking down the first fairway at their Iowa club, their Titleist Dream Bags resting comfortable on their backs. (It was January, and Lucus was in shorts.)

For the new year: New 910 drivers and fairway metals, AP (712 irons), Vokey Design SM4 wedges and Scotty Cameron putters. Not to mention a season's supply of Pro V1 golf balls (for Lucus) and Pro V1x golf balls (for Jim).

"Everything has arrived," Jim wrote in an e-mail to Team Titleist this week. "And it is AWESOME!!!"

Check out the above video for a behind-the-scenes look at their Dream Bag Fittings. You can also view pictures from the day the slideshow below.

To learn more about the Titleist Fitting Network and Titleist Tour Fittings, or to find an authorized Titleist fitter in your area, please click here.