Weekly Highlights

PGA TOUR:

Lanto Griffin secured his first career PGA TOUR title with an emotional one shot win over fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Mark Hubbard (Pro V1, TS2/9.5* driver, 915Fd/15.0* fairway metal, 816H2/19.0* hybrid, 716 T-MB 4-iron, 716 MB/5-9 irons, Vokey Design SM6 pitching/46*, gap/50*, SM7 sand/56* and prototype lob/60* wedges) and Scott Harrington (Pro V1x) at the Houston Open.

All three players competed on the Korn Ferry Tour last year and all three were seeking their first PGA TOUR win.

Griffin took the lead in Houston with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and then won with a 6-footer for par on the final hole. He closed with a 3-under 69 en route to a 14-under 274 victory total. He moved to the top of the FedExCup Rankings with the victory having finished among the Top 20 in all five events he has played this season.

Griffin topped a leaderboard on which 12 of the 13 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success. His win marked the fourth for Titleist golf ball players through the first five events in the new 2019-20 season.

In addition to golf balls, where Titleist players accounted for 74 percent of the field (106 of 144), Titleist was also the top tee-to-green choice in drivers (42), fairway metals (51), hybrids (29), utility irons (36), irons (45) and wedges (215). 

EUROPE:

Titleist Brand Ambassador Bernd Wiesberger ( Pro V1, TS3 driver and fairway metal, 818H2 hybrid, U500 3-utility iron, 620 CB/718 MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching, sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron T5W putter) secured his second Rolex Series title and third European Tour title of the season with a one shot win at the Italian Open.

Wiesberger began the final day three shots behind the overnight leader, but closed with a 6-under par 65 en route to a 16-under 268 victory total. Matthew Fitzpatrick (Pro V1x) birdied three of his final six holes to finish solo 2nd.

Wiesberger, who captured the Made in Denmark in May and the Scottish Open in July, now leads the European Tour’s Race to Dubai with six events remaining. He had been out with a wrist injury for seven months in 2018.

Fitzpatrick finished runner up for the fourth time this season, having previously finished 2nd at the Hong Kong Open, BMW International and Scandinavian Invitation.

Titleist topped the field in five major equipment categories, including: golf balls (91), drivers (41), utility irons (34), irons (38) and wedges (186).

Wiesberger’s win was the 18th for Titleist players on the 2018-19 European Tour, 10 more than the nearest competitor with 8.

JAPAN: 

Shugo Imahira (Pro V1x) shot an 11-under par 131 victory total to win Bridgestone Open, claiming the 3rd victory of his 5-year JGTO career.

Imahira finished one shot clear of four players, all of whom played Titleist golf balls for their success: Seung Su Han (Pro V1x), Akio Sadakata (Pro V1x), Hiroyuki Fujita (Pro V1 Yellow) and Tomoharu Otsuki (Pro V1).

Due to the serious typhoon which hit the country over the weekend, the 3rd and 4th rounds were cancelled.

Following completion of the event, 10 players earned their way into the PGA TOUR’s ZOZO Championship in Japan next week, including Titleist golf ball players: Imahaira (Pro V1x), Seung Su Han (Pro V1x), Tomoharu Otsuki (Pro V1), Jazz Janewattananond (Pro V1), Yosuke Asaji (Pro V1), Sang Hyun Park (Pro V1), Chan Kim (Pro V1x) and Shaun Norris (Pro V1x).

KOREA: 

Reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year SungJae Im (Pro V1x, TS3 driver [9.5°], TS3 fairway metal [15°], 818H1 hybrid [19.0°], T100 [3-PW] irons, Vokey Design SM7 gap [52.08 F Grind], sand [56.08 M Grind] and lob [60.04 L Grind] wedges, Scotty Cameron T5W putter)

captured the Genesis Championship by two shots to claim his first career KPGA Tour victory.

Im fired a final round 5-under par 65 en route to a 6-under par 282 victory total.

Overnight leader KyongJun Moon (Pro V1x, Vokey Design SM7 pitching/46.10F, gap/52.08F and lob/58.10K wedges, Scotty Cameron Phantom X12 putter) shared 2nd place with fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador SungYeol Kwon (Pro V1x, TS3/10.5 driver, TS2/15 and 18 fairways, U510 3-iron, T100/4-9 irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching/46.10F, gap/52.08F, and lob/58.06K wedges, two shots behind Im.

JongHak Kim (Pro V1, TS2 driver, TS3 fairway, 818H1 hybrid, 718 CB/MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 gap and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Circa 62 No. 6 putter) shared fourth place with SangPil Yoon (Pro V1x), as each of the top finishers relied upon Titleist for their success.

In fact, nine of the 11 players who finished among the Top 10 and ties relied played Titleist golf balls.

In addition to golf balls, Titleist was also the top choice in drivers (53), irons (56) and wedges (213) at the event.

AUSTRALASIA: 

Darren Beck (Pro V1) won The Western Australian PGA Championship following a final nine of 6-under par 30 that included just eight putts. His 16-under 272 victory total was two shots clear of Titleist Brand Ambassador Jarryd Felton (Pro V1x, TS4 driver, TS3 fairway, 620CB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport putter). The win was Beck’s first in over 11 years.

Beck topped a leaderboard that included all of the top 10 finishers trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x for their success.

In addition to golf balls, Titleist was also the choice of more players in drivers with 45, 18 more than the nearest competitor (27).

CHINA:

It was a Titleist 1-2-3 finish at the season-ending Macau Championship, where Titleist Brand Ambassador Justin Shin fired four consecutive rounds in the 60’s en route to a 25-under 259 victory total. The win was the second for Shin on the PGA TOUR China series. Shin finished three shots clear of Zecheng Dou (Pro V1x), PGA TOUR China’s 2016 Order of Merit winner and current Korn Ferry Tour member.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Richard Jung (Pro V1 ball, TS2 driver, 718 CB irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron T6 putter) finished solo 3rd, as nine of the 11 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

SOUTH AFRICA: 

Titleist Brand Ambassador Jean Hugo (Pro V1x) earned his 19th career Sunshine Tour title, finishing at 11-under par, four shots clear of his nearest competitor at the Sun Wild Coast Sun Challenge. The win was his first since 2015.

#1 Ball

What's in Lanto Griffin's Winning Titleist Bag?

Pro V1, 917D2 (10.5) driver, TS2 (16.5) fairway metal, U510 utility iron (2), T100 (4-9) irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching (46*), gap (50*), sand (54*) and lob (60*) wedges.

A Closer Look

Griffin has been playing the 2019 Pro V1 golf ball since the beginning of last season . “I have always moved into the newest ball when it comes out and have never had an issue over all the years,” Griffin said.

Griffin is one of four players gaming the T100 irons in a Black finish. He put them in play last July, the first event they became available on the Korn Ferry Tour. He is also playing a new U510 2-iron because, according to Titleist Tour representative J.J. VanWezenbeeck, Lanto is a lower launch player and both products help him attack holes.