Acushnet Company, which manufactures the Titleist and FootJoy brands, and Rory McIlroy, jointly announced today that McIlroy's relationship with Acushnet will not extend beyond December 31, 2012. McIlroy has trusted Titleist and FootJoy equipment throughout his professional career that commenced as an 18-year old in September 2007.

"Our goal has been to provide Rory with the best equipment and service that would help him be the best player he could possibly be," said Wally Uihlein, Chief Executive Officer, Acushnet Company. "He has been a great ambassador for the Titleist and FootJoy brands, and in turn, we are proud of how our equipment has contributed to his success. We wish Rory all the best, both personally and professionally, going forward."

"I would like to thank Wally Uihlein and all of the tour staff and employees at Titleist and FootJoy for everything they have done for me since I turned professional in 2007,” said McIlroy. "I have enjoyed five very exciting and successful years with the company and I will always appreciate the contribution Titleist has made in helping me become the player I am today.”

Welcome to Lake Malaren Golf Club

This week's venue is the long and bunker strewn Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai, home of the BMW Masters.

At 7,607 yards and playing to a par of 72, long straight hitting will be at a premium, as players seek to navigate their way around the multitude of massive sand traps!

Going into the weekend, players are already demonstrating that a low four round total could be on the cards come Sunday.

Titleist brand ambassador and defending champion Rory McIlroy is lying second on -12, just two shots off the lead.

Pro V1x loyalist Robert Karlsson lies in solo third on -9, with Pro V1 loyalist Jamie Donaldson tying for fourth at -8.

There's then a gaggle of players on -7, including Titleist ambassadors George Coetzee and Michael Hoey, plus Titleist ball loyalists Luke Donald, Louis Oosthuizen and Nicolas Colsaerts.

To view this week's slideshow, simply click on the image above.

Click image above to launch slideshow.

The 2012 PGA Tour season may be winding down, but that doesn't mean the Titleist R&D team is taking a break from designing the best performing products for the world’s best players.

Meet the new prototype Titleist 712U utility iron, which has been designed to deliver consistency and control to high-ball speed players.

On the worldwide professional tours, some players prefer a utility iron over a hybrid club as an alternative to traditional long irons. The 712U delivers increased playability versus a traditional long iron, while providing enhanced spin and trajectory control versus a hybrid.

The prototype 712U is being sent to players this week for performance validation and feedback. We will also be on the range at the season ending PGA Tour Fall Series event at Disney in early November working with Titleist staff players.

The 712U is currently a Tour-only product, but the feedback we receive during this validation period will influence the final design and specifications, as well as determine the product's place in the Titleist club line-up.

Before the new prototypes headed out, we grabbed some photos of them in our Tour workshop. Be sure to check out the slideshow to get a first look at the prototype Titleist 712U utility irons.