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New Champion, New Ball: Thai Star Aphibarnrat Secures First Asian Tour Win Using The New Pro V1x

Posted: March 29, 2011

Titleist Full Line Ambassador, Kiradech Aphibarnrat birdied the par 5 18th at Dehli Golf Club on Friday to win the second Asian Tour event of the season, The Sail Open. The win marks the Thai stars first on the Asian Tour and elevates him to 3rd on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

 The 21-year-old Aphibarnrat (nicknamed Arm on Tour) shot a final round 4-under 68 to finish at 16-under par 272, overcoming a 2-shot deficit from Titleist Pro V1x Loyalist Siddikur of Bangladesh, who was the overnight leader.
Siddikur, the first ever Bangladeshi to win on the Asian Tour, finished 2nd, although could have forced a playoff had he made birdie at 18, but a wayward tee shot into the rough meant he had to settle for a Par and second place.
Aphibarnrat had to sink a 3-foot birdie putt on the final green for victory and dropped to his knee’s when the putt fell. "The putt on the last was very near but my hand was shaking! I’m just happy I won. I’ve waited two years for this and I’m very proud of myself," said Aphibarnrat.   
 Aphibarnrat came in with a 35 before making birdies on 10, 12 and 14. A bogey on 16 however, saw him draw level with Siddikur again, meaning that the pair were level going down 18.   
"I learned a lot from my last two years on the Asian Tour. I felt nervous but I told myself to stick to my game plan and concentrate on my game. That worked for me," smiled the Thai, who’s final hole birdie ultimately proved the difference.
Titleist golf ball players have now won both of the 2011 Asian Tour events that have been played - and 30 total events across the worldwide professional tours, five times the nearest competitor with six and more than all competitors combined.. 4 of the top 5 players at the Sail Open relied on a Titleist golf ball including Siddikur (Pro V1x, 2nd), Ajeetesh Sandhu (Pro V1x, 3rd) and Manav Jaini (Pro V1x, 4th).
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at The Sail Open, with 112 players playing a Titleist Golf Ball, 7 times the nearest competitor, with 16. Titleist was also first in iron sets (34) and wedges (154).
 Here’s a closer look at Aphibarnrat’s equipment:
 BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
DRIVER: Titleist 910D3 9.5 (UST Mamiya Attas)  
IRONS: Titleist AP2 (Project X 6.0)
WEDGES: Vokey Design Spin Milled 52 and 60

 

ONE ASIA TOUR:  Titleist Brand Ambassador Andre Stolz (Pro V1x, Vokey Design 52, 56 and 60 degree wedges) of Australia, who came out of retirement just two years ago after recovering from a wrist injury, recorded an emotional triumph at the Indonesian PGA Champioship.

Stolz birdied the final two holes to fire a final round 4-under 68 en route to 14-under 274 victory total, edging 22 year old Titleist golf ball loyalist Rory Hie (Pro V1x) by 1 shot.
Titleist Brand Ambassadors Gareth Paddison (Pro V1) and Park Eun-shin (Pro V1) finished joint 3rd, 1 shot back, meaning that all of the top 4 relied on Titleist Golf Balls.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Indonesia PGA Championship with 124 players trusting Titleist golf balls, more than 11 times the nearest competitor with 11. Titleist was also the top choice of players in fairway woods (55), hybrids (64), irons (62) and wedges (163).  
 
USPGA TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Martin Laird's fight to the finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was both trying and triumphant, a formula that only resulted in great fulfillment for the 28-year-old Scot.

"It was a battle out there, but you know, it makes it even sweeter at the end when I got this trophy," said Laird, who rallied from a three-shot deficit with four holes play Sunday at Bay Hill to capture his second PGA Tour title, one of six wins on the week for Pro V1x golf ball players.

 

 
Titleist golf ball players have now won 12 out of the first 14 PGA Tour events to begin 2011 – and 30 total events across the worldwide professional tours, five times the nearest competitor with six and more than all competitors combined.
Laird birdied two of his final four holes and two-putted from 90 feet on Bay Hill's perilous 18th green, rolling in his Pro V1x golf ball from 3 1/2 feet for par to capture the one-shot victory over fellow Pro V1x loyalist Steve Marino.
Laird closed with a 3-over 75, but then again no one in the final three groups Sunday broke par on the treacherous Bay Hill layout.
"Obviously very, very happy," said Laird, who made back-to-back birdie on Nos. 15-16, including a tricky left-to-right 15-footer on the 16th. "That was a tough fight out there."
Laird finished at 8-under 280, becoming the first European to win at Bay Hill in the event's 33-year history.
He was also one of 75 players at the Arnold Palmer Championship that trusted a Titleist golf ball, more than five times the nearest competitor with 13 and more than all competitors combined.
Six of the top seven players on the leaderboard trusted Titleist golf balls – including Titleist Brand Ambassador Marc Leishman who tied for third at 6-under 282.
Titleist also was first in Iron Sets (30): Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (94); and Putters (42).
 
EUROPEAN TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Paul Lawrie won the Open de Andalucía for his sixth European Tour title, closing with an even-par 70 at Parador de Malaga Golf for a one-shot victory.
 
Like fellow Scot and Pro V1x loyalist Martin Laird, Lawrie recovered from a sluggish start to take hold of the tournament down the stretch. He made four birdies in the first five holes of his back nine, needing only a bogey in No. 18 to secure the victory.

"I played lovely and the putter behaved better. I got on a nice run at the right time," said Lawrie. "I started hitting beautiful shots on the back nine. I birdied ten, 11 and 12, and then did a great up and down on 14 for birdie just at the right moment.

“I must say that I felt under control even when I was above par at the start, and when you get into that attitude good things happen."

Lawrie finished at 12-under 268, one shot better than fellow Pro V1x loyalist Johan Edfors. Pro V1x loyalist Felibe Aguilar was another shot back in third.

A total of 86 players in the field trusted Titleist golf balls, more than four times the nearest competitor with 19. Titleist also was first in Iron Sets (35); and Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (152).

 

 

 
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Titleist Brand Ambassador Brett Wetterich teed up a New Pro V1x golf ball for the first time in competition at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open and found himself in the winner's circle on Sunday, shooting a final-round 2-under 69 for a one-shot victory.

"I love this place. This course just fits me perfectly," Wetterich, who also won this event in 2003, told PGATour.com. "This is a great feeling. I can't be any happier."

It was the third Nationwide Tour title for Wetterich, who also has one win on the PGA Tour (2006 Byron Nelson Championship).

Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open with 102 players, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 14. Titleist also was first in Iron Sets (32): Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (148); and Putters (62).

 

CANADIAN TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Adam Hadwin cruised to victory at the Pacific Colombia Tour Championship, closing in 3-under 69 to win by six shots and earn his second Canadian Tour title.

Hadwin, 23, finished the Tour de las Americas/Canadian Tour co-sanctioned event at 25-under par 263, shooting all four rounds in the 60s.

 

LPGA: Eight of the top 11 players who finished among the top 10 and ties at the KIA Classic relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 108 players, more than nine times the nearest competitor with 11. 

Video: Titleist Brand Ambassador Scott Stallings Dials in his 910 Driver at Oceanside Test Facility

Posted: March 23, 2011

Titleist Brand Ambassador Scott Stallings stopped by Titleist's Oceanside Test Facility earlier this season to get dialed in with his new Titleist 910 driver.

Scott, a PGA Tour rookie who finished third at last week's Transitions Championship, headed to the range with Senior Club Fitting Analyst Dino Antenucci and Assistant Tour Tech Rep JJ Van Wezenbeeck to figure out the 910 setup that would allow him to gain better control over his ball flight.

After a couple hours of testing various combinations, Scott left the Oceanside Test Facility "with no question" that he had the best driver for his game: 910D2 7.5º with Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana 'ahina 70X shaft and SureFit Tour (SFT) hosel set at B•1 (standard loft, -.75º flat).

For an in-depth look into Scott's fitting process, check out the above video. You can follow Scott on Twitter at @StallingsGolf.

Equipment Updates from the Titleist Tour Van: Transitions Championship

Posted: March 22, 2011

• Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Transitions Championship with 93 players teeing up Titleist golf balls, more than three times the nearest competitor with 17 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist was also first in Iron Sets (41); Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (116); and Putters (56).

• Titleist Brand Ambassador Scott Stallings swung by the Titleist Tour Van early in the week with his 910F 13.5º fairway metal with 'ahina 80X shaft (tipped 1” at 42.5”) and SFT hosel set at A•1 (standard loft, standard lie), which had been giving him an unfavorable trajectory (low launch, pronounced fade).

Several options were discussed and tested on both the range and course, including changing to a 910F 15º head with a B•2 SFT setting (standard loft, +.75 upright). Still none of them seemed to work for Scott's aggressive swing.

Next up: A 910F 15º head with an 'ahina 80X (tipped 2” at 43”) shaft and A•1 SFT setting. He liked the ball flight and was able to control the ball better, but felt the shaft was too stiff throughout the club and too long at 43''.

So they switched in a White Board 83X shaft (tipped 2” at 42.5”). Scott liked the feel of this setup right away, as it gave him the draw and penetrating ball flight he was looking for. A quick adjustment to the D•1 SFT setting (-.75 less loft, standard lie) also brought him back to a favorable spin rate.

Scott had his winner: 910F 15º with White Board 83X shaft (tipped 2” at 42.5”) and D•1 SFT setting.

• Titleist Brand Ambassador Marc Leishman stopped by the TTV with his 910F 13.5º fairway metal, which had been launching lower than he preferred and not coming down soft enough. 

Titleist Tour Rep Dino Antenucci suggested Marc switch from the B•2 setting (standard loft, +.75º upright) to C•3 (+.75º more loft, +.75º upright), which added .75º more loft. That change gave Marc a slightly higher ball flight and a softer landing, which he also found was  easier to control.

Marc had also noticed that the divots he was taking with his Titleist AP2 irons were too deep. Titleist Tour Technicians bent the irons slightly upright, which resulted in better divots and more control.

• Titleist Brand Ambassador Marc Turnesa added a Titleist AP1 3-iron with a Dynamic Gold X100 shaft to his bag  in place of a hybrid.

Marc felt this combination made it easier to hit the ball high without giving up some of the accuracy he was losing with a hybrid.

• Titleist Brand Ambassador Kevin Na switched from a 910D3 8.5º driver with a Fubuki 63X shaft to a 910D3 9.5º with a Fubuki 63S shaft. Kevin felt the new combination provided him with a better chance of improving his driving accuracy.

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