“I've always dreamed of winning the U.S. Open. I have so much respect for the USGA and for this tournament. And to see these players -- it's amazing.”
And it was a dream come true for Titleist golf ball loyalist Brittany Lang (Pro V1x) as she prevailed in a three-hole aggregate playoff to claim her first major championship title at the U.S. Women's Open.
Lang closed with a final-round 1-under-par 71 at CordeValle to finish tied for the regulation lead at 6-under-par 282, two shots clear of four players, including Titleist golf ball players Eun Hee Ji (Pro V1) and Amy Yang (Pro V1). In the playoff, Lang parred all three extra holes, ultimately prevailing by three shots.
Lang’s victory is the greatest 36-hole comeback (she trailed by seven shots at the midway point) since 1990. She is just the second American to win on the LPGA Tour in 2016 and the third to capture the U.S. Women’s Open since 2010.
Lang’s family was on hand to witness her triumph, including her parents, husband and her brother, Luke, who also happens to serve as Lang’s caddie.
“To have my family here, all of them, my mom, dad and my husband and Luke is an absolute dream come true to win this,” said Lang. “And to have them here to celebrate, it's really special."
"But Luke is a crucial part of my success. He’s a rock. Not only does he know my game, but he knows me. He's pretty calm, and that's exactly what you want. I told him in the playoff, I was like, man, I got really nervous coming down the stretch there on 18. I've got to really just stick to what I was doing. And he always says just try to hit some targets. Hit your targets and everything is going to be fine.”
Lang, whose first LPGA Tour title came at the 2012 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, hit all her targets coming down the stretch and her performance under major pressure has energized her with some newfound confidence.
“I think this is absolutely huge, a huge momentum builder to say you won the U.S. Open,” Lang concluded. “And like I said, just putting myself in that pressure situation, learning to get better there. So I think this is a huge, a huge step in the right direction for my career."
Lang topped a leaderboard on which six of the top 10 finishers relied upon a Titleist golf ball for their success.
THE COUNTS: Titleist was the most relied upon golf ball with 111 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than 10 times the nearest competitor with 11.
Lang’s win marks the 13th for Titleist golf ball loyalists on the 2016 LPGA Tour, more than four times the nearest competitor with 3.
Congratulations, Brittany!
#TeamTitleist