LPGA TOUR | CME Group Tour Championship
Lydia Ko (Pro V1x) won for the second time in her last three starts, capturing the tour’s 2022 season finale while leading a 1-through-6 finish for Titleist golf ball players.
- Ko, 25, closed in 2-under 70 to finish at 17 under, making birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to pull away from the pack Sunday in Naples on her way to a two-shot victory over Leona Maguire (Pro V1).
- It marked the third victory of the year (and 19th-career LPGA title) for Ko, who also clinched both Rolex Player of the Year honors and the season-long Race to the CME Globe points title.
TOP-6 SWEEP FOR TITLEIST GOLF BALL PLAYERS
1. Lydia Ko (Pro V1x)
2. Leona Maguire (Pro V1)
3. 2021 Women’s Open Champion (Pro V1)
T4. Georgia Hall (Pro V1x)
T4. Jeongeun Lee6 (Pro V1x)
6. Pajaree Anannarukarn (Pro V1)
LYDIA KO’S SUPER 2022 SEASON
- Ko's 2022 was a year to remember as she collected wins at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Raton, the BMW Ladies Championship and this week’s CME Group Tour Championship as well as 14 top-10 finishes.
- For the year, she ranked 1st in both Strokes Gained: Total (+2.440 per round) and Top 10 Percentage (64%).
- She also led in Rounds Under Par (65), Sand Saves (66.25%), and Putts Per GIR (1.72) while ranking 2nd in putting average (28.61) and 3rd in Birdies (383).
- Along with winning her second Rolex Player of the Year award, Ko also claimed the Vare trophy for the second consecutive year for lowest scoring average.
- Her season-long average of 69.988 is the second-lowest scoring average in LPGA history.
- With Sunday’s results, Ko now has 25 of the 27 points needed for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
- “This year has been an incredible year,” said Ko on her 2022 play. “I really could never ask for more to win so early in the season and then to have won in Korea and then win the last event of the year. I couldn't have drawn it up any better.”
KO ON HER PRO V1x
- “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.”
- “I’ve used the Titleist ball for a really long time and I can speak from my experience that every time I’ve tried something new I’ve been able to see a difference, and I just love how it is the #1 golf ball. It’s not just an advertisement. It is something that I believe and something that I really trust. The golf ball is such a crucial part of the equipment standpoint and in the game.”
SECOND STRAIGHT WIN FOR TSR DRIVERS ON LPGA TOUR
- The winner of the CME Group Tour Championship gamed a NEW TSR3 9.0° driver, marking the second straight victory for TSR drivers on the LPGA TOUR and win No. 26 for TSR across the worldwide professional tours.
- The CME champ put on a stellar performance off the tee all week, hitting 53 of 56 fairways (94.6%) over the four rounds while averaging 270 yards.
- 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 10 starts with the new TSR3, she has recorded two wins and seven finishes of T5 or better.
- In addition to her driver, she also plays a NEW TSR2+ 13.0° fairway metal.
- Last week, Titleist Brand Ambassador Nelly Korda won the Pelican Women’s Championship in just her third start playing a NEW TSR1 driver.
- Korda also had a NEW TSR2 21.0° fairway in the bag.
What's in the CME Group Tour Championship Winner's Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: NEW TSR3 9.0° | Mitsubishi Kurokage XD50 S
Fairway Metal: NEW TSR2+ 13.0° | Mitsubishi Kurokage XD60 S
Irons: T200 5 | AeroTech SteelFiber FC 70
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 48.10F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58.04L | AeroTech SteelFiber FC 80
Putter: Scotty Cameron P5 GSS tour prototype (center shaft)
VOKEY WEDGE PLAYERS FINISH 1-2-3 AT CME
- The winner of the CME Group Tour Championship played four Vokey Design SM9 wedges, while each of the top-3 finishers gamed at least two Vokey wedges:
- 1st Place Finisher: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 48.10F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58.04L
- 2nd Place Finisher: Vokey Design SM9 54.08M, 60.08M
- 3rd Place Finisher: Vokey Design SM8 50.12F, 54.10S, 58.08M
PGA TOUR | The RSM Classic | Momentum builds for NEW Pro V1 & Pro V1x
The PGA TOUR concluded its 2022 schedule this week at Sea Island Golf Club, with a group of 30 players teeing up NEW 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls, led by FedEx Cup points leader Seamus Power, who is a cumulative 52 under par over his last 12 rounds playing ’23 Pro V1x:
- Titleist was the overwhelming most played golf ball at the RSM Classic with 75% of the field teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball model;
- The NEW Pro V1x was the most played golf ball model at Sea Island with 20 players, more than the nearest competitor’s total number of golf balls (15). In addition, 10 players gamed a NEW Pro V1.
- Eight more players made the switch to NEW Pro V1 and Pro V1x this week, including Hayden Buckley (Pro V1), Chris Stroud (Pro V1) and Scott Stallings (Pro V1x).
POWER’S STRONG PLAY CONTINUES WITH NEW PRO V1x
- Seamus Power tested NEW Pro V1x for a week at home before putting the new model in play for the first time last month at the CJ Cup at Congaree.
- In his three successive starts, Power:
- Won the Bermuda Championship for his second PGA TOUR victory;
- Finished T3 at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba;
- Closed in 4-under 66 Sunday to finish T5 at Sea Island.
- This week in Georgia, Power finished fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach (+5.575) while gaining more than six strokes total (+6.104) tee to green (5th).
- Over his last 12 rounds, Power has shot 68 or better 11 times, while playing those 216 holes in 52 under par.
- “It’s been excellent,” said Power, who had previously been playing a Pro V1 model. “I was delighted trying it, tested all week [the week before CJ Cup], loved it. Played lots of golf with it and very, very happy with it.
- “For me, it’s very visual,” he 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.”
STROUD MAKES SWITCH TO NEW PRO V1, EARNS BEST TOUR FINISH SINCE 2019
- This week at the RSM Classic, Titleist’s golf ball fitting teams from around the U.S. gathered at Sea Island to assist amateur pro-am participants as they tested NEW 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls for the first time.
- On Monday afternoon, Connor Mangelson, one of Titleist’s Golf Ball Fitting Specialists, was working with the amateurs playing in Chris Stroud’s pro-am group when Stroud approached him with questions about 2023 Pro V1.
- Mangelson and Stroud discussed the product as they walked down the 10th fairway of Sea Island’s Plantation Course.
- After finishing the hole, Stroud’s caddie ran over to Mangelson asking for a dozen.
- Stroud didn’t miss a green the rest of the round, later sending a text to Titleist Tour Rep Todd Harris asking for “23 Pro V1 this week please!”
- Stroud put the new ball in play Thursday on his way to rounds of 70-66-66-65, finishing the week tied for fifth at 15 under – his best finish on the PGA TOUR since 2019.
- His 8.351 total strokes gained marked his best performance in that statistic since the 2015 John Deere Classic.
TAYLOR OFF AND RUNNING WITH NEW PRO V1
- Ben Taylor put the NEW 2023 Pro V1 golf ball in play for the first time last week in Houston, recording the best finish (solo 3rd) of his PGA TOUR career, while finishing the week 4th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+10.683).
- It was a similar story this week at Sea Island, as Taylor finished 3rd in SG: Tee to Green (+6.764) and 4th in SG: Approach (+4.263) on his way to a T21 finish.
- He had previously been playing Pro V1 Left Dot.
- “I saw a lot more consistency with the ‘23 Pro V1,” he said. “It performed fantastic in the wind. It never climbed on me into the wind. It was always a nice, low forward flight, which I love to see. And I think that’s for sure got to be the most consistent ball I’ve hit.
- “I had a lot of tee shots [in Houston] where the wind was pumping into the wind or was crosswinds, and it was cold. So not only are you trying to swing it out your shoes to get it far enough down the fairway, but the wind wasn’t dictating the outcome of the ball. So I had a few where we just knew if I put a good swing on it, have a good strike, and that ball’s going to go as far as I want it to go. So off the tee was a big difference. I think I gained some strokes on the field with performance off the tee because I just had trust the ball was going to go far enough in those conditions.
- “I could also feel a difference with the ball when I was chipping and putting. It felt almost a smidge softer in terms of having more feel. I feel like I was feeling more of the cover of the ball when I was hitting a pitch or a chip. So everything was all great. I mean it performed as optimal as it could with the long stuff and then I just had more feel with the short game and I think it was a good change for me.”
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA | QLD PGA Championship
Titleist Brand Ambassador Aaron Wilkin claimed his first career PGA Tour of Australasia title after making par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
What’s in Aaron Wilkin’s Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0°
Fairway Metal: NEW TSR3 15.0°
Utility Iron: T200 3
Irons: T100 (4) & 620 MB (5-9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46°, 52°, 56°, 60°
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