Titleist Brand Ambassador Erik Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient currently in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, has partnered with Donate Life America (DLA) on a new educational campaign, “Play Through with Erik Compton,” to raise public awareness of organ donation and urge Americans to consider becoming organ donors.

Erik, 32, announced the news this week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

“I've always been an open book sharing my story, and the impact of what has happened to me off of the golf course, which is always going to be a bigger story than me playing golf and hitting golf shots,” Erik said.

"Nowadays there are so many people that are waiting for transplants. On the list there's over 100,000 people waiting for any kind of transplant, and every 10 minutes somebody is added to that list. ...," he said. "For every great story of somebody succeeding and going through a transplant there is also a story of somebody who doesn't get a heart or lung or kidney in time. That's why it's hard, because you realize how lucky it is to be given a second chance." 

At the age of nine, Erik was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, an enlarging of the heart that hinders its ability to pump blood. Three years later, in 1992, he received his first heart transplant. Several years after that, Compton was the no. 1-ranked junior golfer in the country. He attended the University of Georgia where he was an All-American and a member of the 2001 Walker Cup team.

In 2007, while playing a Nationwide Tour event, Erik suffered a major heart attack on the golf course. In mid-2008, he underwent a 14-hour surgery to implant a second new heart. Doctors doubted whether he would be able to play golf again.

Just five and a half months after his surgery, Erik participated in the Disney Children’s Miracle Network Classic and made the cut. In 2011, he won the Nationwide Tour’s Mexican Open and recorded two other top-5 finishes to earn his first promotion to the PGA Tour.

“I hope that by sharing my experience with others, Americans can see for themselves how important it is to learn the facts about organ donation and consider taking the next step of registering to become an organ donor,” he said.

The “Play Through” campaign, supported by the biotechnology company Genentech, will travel to five cities across the United States in 2012, highlighting the importance of organ donation and educating the public on how to register to become a donor.

“Last year, Donate Life America achieved a significant milestone when the 100 millionth American registered to become an organ donor,” said David Fleming, president and CEO of Donate Life America. “One of our goals in 2012 is to build on that success and register an additional 20 million donors. In his rookie year on the PGA Tour, Erik’s incredible story will reach golf fans, sports enthusiasts and beyond, and we hope inspire them to sign up today to save lives.”

For more information on organ donation, transplantation and to learn how to become an organ donor, please visit Donate Life America’s website at www.donatelife.net.

To learn more about Erik's journey, visit the Titleist "Inspiration" page by clicking here. We have also posted below links to some of Erik's recent media coverage – including his appearance with inspirational 12-year-old Anna King on Fox News.

   

   

Confidence and precision resulted in near-perfection for Titleist Brand Ambassador Ricardo Santos last weekend at the Madeira Islands Open in Portugal.

Trusting a Pro V1x golf ball and a bag full of Titleist equipment, Santos closed out a fairytale week on home soil Sunday with a bogey-free 9-under 63 for his first win on the European Tour.

“It was a sensational round – definitely the best of my career,” said Santos, 29.

“It was amazing to have the crowds here supporting me. It would be difficult to imagine a better win than this.”

Santos’ performance highlighted a three-win week for Titleist Pro V1x players around the world, including victories by Toru Taniguchi (Japan Tour) and Ryan Cairns (Sunshine Tour).

Titleist golf ball players have now combined for 57 wins across the worldwide professional tours in 2012, more than eight times the nearest competitor with seven and more than all competitors combined.

In Portugal, Santos led a 1-2-3 finish for Titleist Pro V1x players while posting a tournament-record 22-under 266 total. He was the only player to shoot four rounds in the 60s (68-67-68-63), and his final-round 63 was the best round of the day by three shots.

A graduate of the 2011 Challenge Tour, Santos made just three bogeys the entire week, and none since the front nine Saturday. He played his final 31 holes in 13 under, including four birdies over his last five.

For the week, Santos, who plays a mixed set of Titleist AP2 and MB irons, hit 80.6 percent of his greens in regulation.

“It is very emotional and I haven’t got the words to describe how I feel,” said Santos, the first Portuguese player to win a European Tour event in his home country.

“To win my first European Tour event in my own country is very special…. “I didn’t have many bad moments in the round, but the supporters were always there to pick me up and keep me going. This is a huge moment in my career."

Santos topped a leader board that featured nine Titleist golf ball players in the top 10, including runner-up Magnus Carlsson (Pro V1x), who finished at 18-under 270. Andres Harto (Pro V1x) was third, another shot back.

A total of 118 players teed up Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls in the event, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 16 and more than all other golf balls combined.

Titleist was also first in iron sets (45); and sand, lob and approach wedges (197).

Here's a closer look at Ricardo Santos' Titleist equipment:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D3 8.5º (Aldila NV RIP 85)
Hybrid: Titleist 910H 17º (Speeder 904HB)
Irons: Titleist AP2 (712 Series) 3-5 (Project X Rifle 6.5)
Irons: Titleist MB (712 Series) 6-P (Project X Rifle 6.5)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM4 52•08º, 56•11º, 60•07º (Dynamic Gold S400)

• JAPAN TOUR:  Pro V1x loyalist Toru Taniguchi closed out a wire-to-wire victory Saunday at the JPGA Championship Nissin Cupnoodles Cup in extremely difficult scoring conditions at Karasuyamajo Country Club.

Taniguchi, also a winner of this event in 2010, finished the major championship with a 4-under 284 victory total for a one-shot victory. He was one of only two players to finish under par.

Over the last 36 holes, only one player was able to break par.

The win is the 18th for Taniguchi in his 19-year JGTO career, and the third win for Titleist golf ball loyalists through the first four events of the 2012 season.

A total of 67 players in the event relied on Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls for their success, more than twice the nearest competitor with 23.

Titleist was also No. 1 in hybrids (23); and sand, lob and approach wedges (106).

• SUNSHINE TOUR: Ryan Cairns chipped his Pro V1x in for eagle on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Simola Golf and Country Estate.

Cairns, who closed with a course-record-tying 10-under 62, finished regulation tied with Pro V1 loyalist Vaughn Groenewald at 15-under 62.

On the playoff hole, Cairns knew he had to get up and down for birdie to extend the playoff.

“I had to hit that shot properly,” Cairns said. “It was actually a tight lie and I was going to putt it because I didn’t want to duff it in front of all of those people.”

Instead, he chipped it in for eagle and first South African Sunshine Tour trophy.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Louis de Jager (Pro V1x) and Jake Redman (Pro V1) finished two shots back in a third place, as each of the top four finishers relied upon the #1 ball in golf for their success. 
In total, 51 players teed up Titleist golf balls in the event, more than three times the nearest competitor and more than all competitors combined.

• PGA TOUR: Titleist golf ball players finished in eight of the top 11 spots at The Players, including runners-up Zach Johnson (Pro V1x), Ben Curtis (Pro V1x), Rickie Fowler (Pro V1x) and Martin Laird (Pro V1x). Luke Donald (Pro V1x), who shot 30 on the back nine Sunday, finished sixth.  

Fowler (77.78%) and Johnson (75%) ended the tournament 1-2 in Greens in Regulation, while Curtis topped the Strokes Gained - Putting statistic (2.418). Curtis, who games a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter, currently leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained - Putting at 1.242.

In total, 93 players in the field trusted Titleist golf balls for their success, more than five times the nearest competitor with 17 and more than all other golf balls combined. Titleist was also first in iron sets (38); sand, lob and approach wedges (140); and putters (56).

• KOREA/ONE ASIA TOUR: 
At the the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, eight of the top 11 players on the final leader board relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

A total of 110 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x players were in the field, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist also led in hybrids (87); iron sets (67); and sand, lob and approach wedges (188).

• CHINA: 
Seven of the top 11 players at the China PGA Champions Tour Lianyungang event were Titleist golf ball players, including Wang Jeung Hun (Pro V1x), who tied for second.

Hun was one of 107 Titleist golf ball players at the event, more than five times the nearest competitor with 21 and more than all other golf balls combined.

What would Players Championship week be without a Team Titleist Trivia contest?

Exactly. So let's get right to it. We have three Grand Prizes up for grabs this week, including:

• Zach Johnson-signed Team Titleist hat and Limited Edition Team Titleist Vintage Indigo T-Shirt;

• Lee Westwood-signed Pro V1x and TT Vintage Indigo T-Shirt; and

• K.J. Choi-signed Pro V1 and TT Vintage Indigo T-Shirt.

(Three runner-ups will also receive TT Vintage Indigo T-Shirts.)

See below for this week's question.

QUESTION: Which Titleist golf ball model did K.J. Choi play in winning the 2011 Players Championship?

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 correct answer to the above question by Sunday, May 13, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.*

Note: You must be a Team Titleist member to enter. Only one entry per person. We will randomly draw the winners from all approved entries. (The grand prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third approved entries randomly drawn, in this order: Johnson hat, Westwood ball, Choi ball.)

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

**UPDATE: K.J. used a Titleist Pro V1 golf ball in winning last year's Players Championship.

Congrats to our grand prize winners:

• Jimbo64 (Johnson Cap)
• Scott G (Westwood Pro V1x)
• Joseph R (Choi Pro V1)

And three runner-ups:

• Robert J
• Spongy72
• Tony W

To the winners: Please make sure the address in your Team Titleist profile is up to date, as we will be mailing your prize to that address.

Sweepstakes Rules and Community Policy

Titleist Brand Ambassador Ben Curtis is off to an impressive start in 2012, having already earned four top-14 finishes including his victory a few weeks ago at the Valero Texas Open.

It was in Texas that Ben also became the first player to find a PGA Tour winner's circle with a full set of new Titleist AP1 (712 Series) irons, the most forgiving model in the Titleist irons lineup. He led the field that week in Greens in Regulation (68.1 percent) at the always-demanding TPC San Antonio.

For the season, Ben has hit 71.53 percent of his greens in regulation (206/288), which ranks right among the PGA Tour's best.

Team Titleist members Mark M. and memphisunited recently sent in questions for Ben, looking to gain more insight into why he fits best into the Titleist AP1 model. We caught up with Ben last week at the Wells Fargo Championship to get his answer, which you can watch in the above video.

To learn more about the technology and R&D that goes in to the construction of the new AP1 irons, please click here.

Standing over his Titleist Pro V1x in the 18th fairway Sunday in a sudden-death playoff at the Wells Fargo Championship, Rickie Fowler took dead aim at the flagstick and his first PGA Tour victory.

A confident swing sent his Pro V1x soaring from 133 yards toward a tricky pin position that had yielded only four birdies all day. The ball landed just below the hole, took two small hops, spun and stopped 4 feet, 3 inches from the cup.

Fowler sank the putt for birdie to emerge victorious in the all-Pro V1x playoff leading a 1-through-8 finish for Titleist golf ball players on the final leader board: Webb Simpson (Pro V1x, 4th), Lee Westwood (Pro V1x, T-5), Ben Curtis (Pro V1x, T-5), and Ryan Moore (Pro V1, T-5).

"Playing against, I know that they're going to make birdie at some point. And I don't want to sit there and try and make pars and stay in it. I had a good number, and I wanted to make birdie," said Fowler, who closed with a 3-under 69 to get into the playoff at 14-under 275.

"I had a good number, and I was aiming right of the hole with the wind coming out of the right, and if I hit a perfect shot, it comes down right on the stick … I hit a perfect shot at the right time."

Pro V1 and Pro V1x players have now combined for 54 victories across the worldwide professional tours in 2012 – including Titleist Brand Ambassador Christiaan Basson's victory this weekend on the South African Sunshine Tour – more than seven times the nearest competitor with seven and more than all other golf balls combined.

A total of 6,585 players have teed up Titleist golf balls in those same events, more than six times the nearest competitor with 1,062 and more than all competitors combined.

Fowler's keys to success at Quail Hollow? Consistency and precision. He finished T-2 in Driving Accuracy (62.5 percent) and T-5 in Greens in Regulation (79.2 percent). As a results, Fowler rolled his Pro V1x in for 22 birdies over the 72 holes – not to mention his bonus birdie on the first playoff hole.

"Today I felt really good," Fowler said. "I think a lot of that comes from how well I struck the ball this week and how well I was swinging.  So I was able to go out and trust that I was making good swings and I knew that the ball was going to kind of take off in the right direction. That made it a lot easier for me today to sit back, relax and have some fun."

In total, 106 players in the field trusted Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls for their success, more than seven times the nearest competitor with seven and more than all competitors combined. Titleist was also first in sand, lob and approach wedges (132); and putters (63).

• SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR: Five days after celebrating his 30th birthday, Titleist Brand Ambassador Christiaan Basson (Pro V1x) captured the Investec Royal Swazi Sun Open with a 50-point victory total in the Modified Stableford scoring event.

Basson edged fellow Pro V1x players Danie van Tonder and Desvonde Botes by one point at the Royal Swazi Golf Club to earn his second Sunshine Tour victory.

“This is great – I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I was so relieved when I sunk that last putt," said Basson. "My wedding is in just over a month, and I’m really looking forward to it. This does a fair amount for my stress levels."

Fifty of the 72 players in the field relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success, more than two times the nearest competitor with 19 and more than all other golf balls combined.

• EUROPEAN TOUR:  Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Reale Seguros Open de España with 92 players, more than three times the nearest competitor with 24 and more than all competitors combined.

• CHAMPIONS TOUR: Runner-up Tom Lehman (Pro V1) was one of 55 players at the Insperity Championship relied on Titleist golf balls for their success, five times the nearest competitor with 11 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist was also first in iron sets (17); and sand lob and approach wedges (59).

• NATIONWIDE TOUR: Titleist was the No. 1 golf ball of choice at the Stadion Classic at UGA with 108 players, more than six times the nearest competitor and more than all other golf balls combined. Titleist also led the field in iron sets (45); sand, lob and approach wedges (159); and putters (56).