Lydia Ko Birdies Three of Four Final Holes to Win the BMW Ladies Championship

By Zack R., Team Titleist Staff On 24 October 2022 Balls Tour Clubs

LPGA TOUR | BMW Ladies Championship

Lydia Ko (Pro V1x) birdied three of her final four holes to post a back-nine 31 and complete a four-shot victory in Korea.

  • Ko closed out the tournament with a 7-under 65, her fourth-consecutive round of 68 or better (68-68-66-65) to reach 21 under for the week at Oak Valley Country Club.
  • The win, Ko’s second of 2022, marks her 18th-career LPGA title at only 25 years of age.
  • Ko has finished in the top five in eight of her last 11 starts and leads the Race to the CME Globe with just three events remaining.
  • “I think this is probably the best I’ve played, the most consistently I’ve played,” Ko said. “I think when I was No. 1, I had just more wins in that season. I don’t think I’ve had as many top-10s and top-10 percentage of the probability of how many times I play.”

LYDIA KO ON HER PRO V1x

  • Ko moved from Pro V1x Left Dash to Pro V1x late last season at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, following a trip to the Titleist Performance Institute to dial in her golf ball performance with Jeff Beyers of Titleist Golf Ball R&D.
  • “Pro V1x was giving Lydia exactly what she wanted in terms of flight and spin throughout the bag and gave her the added spin she felt she needed in her mid-irons and various wedge shots,” Beyers said. “As well as she had been playing with Left Dash, it looked like ’21 Pro V1x was going to be an easy transition and give her that extra control she wanted.”
  • Said Ko: “Consistency is super important. That’s a big goal of mine, personally, to be more consistent. And if you’re unsure, and sometimes [your golf ball] takes a little bit more wind, sometimes it doesn’t take enough wind, then you’re questioning yourself. And I’d say it’s pretty hard out there without having to deal with all of that.”
  • “I changed to the Pro V1x, and I think it’s a really good balance for me around the green with short game and being able to spin it. Also in the long game, it puts me at a right range within 2,000 to 2,500 RPM for my driver spin, and then works out good for my irons as well.
  • “So, I think it’s a good balance for me to have a ball that I can believe in, and I know that it’s going to react pretty similar on similar conditions. I think it’s a huge bonus as a player.”

CHAMPION WINS WITH NEW TSR DRIVER & FAIRWAYS, VOKEY WEDGES, SCOTTY CAMERON PUTTER

  • The winner of the BMW Ladies Championship, the fifth-ranked player in the Rolex World Rankings, gamed a NEW TSR3 9.0° driver in capturing her 18th-career LPGA victory.
  • It also marked win No. 18 for TSR drivers across the worldwide professional tours.
  • She switched to the new driver from her prior generation TSi3 model at the Amundi Evian Championship in July, following a fitting with J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s Director of Player Promotion, having seen increased ball speed with more consistent spin.
  • In her first eight starts with the new driver, she has recorded six finishes of T5 or better. 
  • Three of the top 5 players in the Rolex World Rankings are currently playing a TSR driver, including the World No. 1 (TSR3 10.0°) and fourth-ranked Nelly Korda (TSR1 9.0°).
  • In addition to her TSR driver, the winner also gamed NEW TSR2+ 13.0° and TSR2 18.0° fairways, as well as four Vokey Design SM9 wedges (46.10F, 48.10F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58.04L) and a Scotty Cameron ButtonBack Flowback 5.5 tour prototype (center shaft) putter.

PGA TOUR | The CJ Cup in South Carolina | 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x Validation Continues at Congaree

The seeding and validation process for the NEW 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls continued this week at Congaree, with Brendon Todd posting his eighth-consecutive round in the 60’s since making the immediate switch to 2023 Pro V1x at the Shriners Children’s Open.

  • Todd, who closed in 2-under 69 Sunday to earn his best finish (T7) since May, gained more than seven strokes (+7.026) on the field on approach shots over the four days in South Carolina, ranking second-best of the 78-player field.
  • He also finished fifth in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+3.786).
  • Said Todd: “I like to go put it back in my stance and flight it a little bit. And so if it stands up against the wind too much, it’s probably got too much spin on it. And if I’m able to kind of control that flight, that’s the key for me. (With ’23 Pro V1x) I’m seeing a little more height but not too much spin, and it feels great around the greens.”
  • “The X fits me great because I need a little bit more launch off the tee and then I love the spin around the green, so it’s kind of a perfect combo for me.”
  • Also putting 2023 in play for the first time this week: Keith Mitchell and Seamus Power.
  • Power tested 2023 Pro V1x for a week at home before putting the new model in play for the first time this week at Congaree. Power had previously been playing Pro V1.
  • “For me, it’s very visual,” Power said. “When I swing and it comes off the face, if it comes out in the trajectory I feel it should, that’s a big positive for me, and that’s what I saw immediately.
  • “It felt great off the tee with a little bit extra heat. If anything, I under spin my irons, so I’ve got that little bit extra spin (moving to Pro V1x). I didn't give up anything around the green. I didn’t feel any noticeable difference with the noise off the putter face, so it was an easy change for me. Very excited about it.”

DP WORLD TOUR | Mallorca Golf Open

Titleist Brand Ambassador Yannik Paul – gaming a Pro V1 golf ball and full bag of Titleist equipment – birdied the 18th hole at Son Muntaner Golf Club to win by one shot and claim his first-career DP World Tour victory.

  • The DP World Tour rookie finished the week at 15 under, highlighted by a Saturday 9-under 62 that featured three eagles and three birdies, to lead a 1-2-3 finish for Titleist golf ball players in Spain.
  • Nine of the top 10 finishers played a Pro V1 and Pro V1x.

PAUL WINS WITH NEW TSR DRIVER

  • Playing a NEW TSR2 8.0° driver, Paul finished the week first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, gaining an average of 1.54 strokes on the field while averaging 306.8 yards off the tee.
  • It was Paul’s second week playing the TSR2 model, making the switch after having initially put TSR3 in play.
  • According to Titleist European Tour Rep Liam McDougall, Paul had continued to experiment with both heads and favored the forgiveness he was seeing on mishits with TSR2.

What’s in Yannik Paul’s Titleist Golf Bag?

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW TSR2 8.0
Fairway Metal: NEW TSR3 13.5°
Hybrid: 818 H2 19.0
Irons: T100 4-9
Wedges: Vokey Design SM8 46.10F & SM9 50.08F, 56.08M, 60.04L

CHAMPIONS TOUR | Dominion Energy Charity Classic

Steven Alker (Pro V1) captured his fifth-career PGA TOUR Champions title, making clutch birdies on Nos. 15, 16, and 17 to close in 4-under 68 and win by one shot.

  • It was the fourth win this season for the New Zealand-native, who finished second in Greens in Regulation for the week (85.2%) and got his Pro V1 up-and-down 75% of the time.

JAPAN GOLF TOUR | Japan Open Golf Championship

The world’s top-ranked amateur trusted his Pro V1x golf ball to win the Japan Open Golf Championship, claiming his second-consecutive victory on the Japan Golf Tour and third straight win in a pro event.

  • The first amateur winner of the Japan Open in 95 years, he finished the week at 10 under, completing a wire-to-wire two-shot victory highlighted by an opening 64 and third-round 63.
  • Four weeks ago at the Panasonic Open, he became just the sixth amateur in history to win on the Japan Tour, rising to the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings shortly thereafter. Earlier this year, he won the Japan Create Challenge in FukuokaRaizan on the AbemaTV Tour. 

SUNSHINE TOUR | Sunbet Challenge Hosted by Sun Sibaya

Dylan Naidoo (Pro V1) earned his breakthrough win on the Sunshine Tour with a two-shot victory in South Africa.

  • The 24-year-old made key birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 en route to a final round 4-under 67. 

PGA TOUR AUSTRALASIA | WA Open Golf Championship

Deyen Lawson (Pro V1) captured his first professional title with a wire-to-wire victory at the Western Australian Golf Club.

  • Lawson posted rounds of 62-63-64-71 to finish at 20 under and win by two shots, topping a leader board that featured Titleist golf ball players in 10 of the top 11 places.

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