European Tour Update from the Abu Dhabi Championship
January 22nd, 2010
The desert oasis that is the Abu Dhabi Golf Club welcomes the European Tour for the fifth playing of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. This event marks the start of the European Tour’s “Desert Swing” – a series of events which also sees the Tour visit Doha and Dubai over the coming weeks. This three-tournament swing has become more and more popular with the players over the years thanks to a combination of perfect weather, excellent golf courses and generous prize funds. For many, Abu Dhabi marks the start of the 2010 season and many of the world’s top players, including Titleist Golf Ball loyalists Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson and Titleist Brand Ambassadors Rory McIlroy and Geoff Ogilvy, are in the field. McIlroy is now undoubtedly one of golf’s hottest properties following a sensational 2009 season while Ogilvy comes to Abu Dhabi having already claimed victory at the PGA Tour’s season-opening SBS Championship.
Here is a full list of Titleist Ambassadors in the field this week:
Geoff Ogilvy
Rory McIlroy
Robert Karlsson
Soren Hansen
Gregory Bourdy
Tano Goya
Rick Kulacz
Michael Hoey
Martin Erlandsson
Seve Benson
Pablo Larrazabal
Mikko Ilonen
Paul Waring
Brett Rumford
Kenneth Ferrie
The aforementioned Rory McIlroy will be seen far less on the European Tour this season having committed to play more golf on the PGA Tour. That said, however, he is in the field in Abu Dhabi this week as he gears up for the defense of his title at the Dubai Desert Classic in two weeks. Rory is fast becoming one of the most consistent performers in world golf, a point emphasized by a remarkable 14 top-ten finishes in 2009, and he is once again in contention after two rounds in Abu Dhabi. Rounds of 66 and 69 have Rory well inside the top-ten at 9-under-par just two strokes off the halfway lead at the time of writing. Rory comes into the event having made an equipment change with the new Titleist MB irons going into play. The MB irons are proving very popular on Tour and Rory joins the likes of Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Karlsson in making the switch to the new irons.
Rory McIlroy
Model: Titleist MB
Composition: 3-9
Shafts: True Temper Project X Rifle 6.5
Length: Standard (#6 iron @ 37.50”)
Lie: 1° Upright (#6 iron @ 63.5°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compund Black/Yellow (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D2
Two other Titleist Brand Ambassadors looking to kick-start their seasons this week are Englishman Seve Benson and Argentine Tano Goya. Both players are teeing it up for their first event of 2010 and both go into the tournament with a new flatstick following off-season visits to the Scotty Cameron Putter Studio in California. There are pictures of both putters in this week’s slideshow and the specifications are detailed below. As well as making high performance putters, Scotty certainly knows how to make them look good – these two are bordering on works of art!
Seve Benson
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport – Tour Issue
Length: 35″
Loft: 4°
Lie: 71°
Grip: Red Cameron Cord
Weighting: 10g (Heel & Toe)
Stamping: Seve (Heel), Benson (Toe), S.B. (Face), Circle T (Face)
Paintfill: Studio Select Red
Tano Goya
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport – Tour Issue Black
Length: 35″
Loft: 4°
Lie: 71°
Grip: Black Baby-T
Stamping: Tano (Heel), Goya (Toe)
Paintfill: Blue & White (Argentina’s Colors)
Final word in this week’s Blog goes to a name that will be new to many of you – Rick Kulacz. Rick joins the European Tour as a full-line Titleist Brand Ambassador and is embarking on his first full season after securing his card at European Tour Q-School back in November. A native of Perth, Western Australia, Rick has been playing on the Asian Tour since turning professional back in 2007 and, following success on the Asian Tour including a victory at the 2008 Brunei Open, Rick is now eager to test himself against the best that the European Tour has to offer. He has certainly made a more than competent start to his rookie season with a top-5 finish at the Africa Open in just his second event of the season. At the time of writing, Rick’s form is getting better and better! Following an opening round of 69 (-3), Rick has produced arguably the round of his life to post a stunning 63 (-9) and lead the event by a single stroke. The round included eleven birdies, seven of which came in the final nine holes of the round. The Titleist team would like to wish Rick all the very best for his debut season but judging from the start he’s made, it doesn’t appear that he will need it! Way to go Rick!
Entry Filed under: Tour
Social tagging: 909 > Geoff Ogilvy > Henrik Stenson > Lee Westwood > MB > players > Rick Kulacz > Rory McIlroy > Scotty Cameron > Seve Benson > Tano Goya > Vokey Design
I was wondering if your AP1 irons have gd feel???…..i am not asking for excellent feel…jus gd feel coz i iam keen on buying them as i need a forgiving club like the AP1 but not a lack in feel
Khan-
We think the AP1 tagline says it all: “Improved Feel with More Forgiveness.” For more on the technology behind the new AP1 irons, be sure to visit the AP1 product page on Titleist.com.
Thank you for answering my question. One more quickly. I play my current SW at .5″ over and at D4. I noticed the standard SW is 35.25″ and it will come in at D5. Can I custom order a wedge at .25″ over standard and at D4?
Jared-
You can request a targeted swingweight when placing an order through Titleist Custom and we will do our best to accommodate. As you probably know, though, over length clubs typically swingweight higher than standard length clubs.
Which new Titleist iron is the most like the old 735.CM??? Thanks Peter
Peter-
The 735.CM irons were a blended set featuring cavity back long and mid irons and muscle back short irons. The new CB and MB irons would come closest to matching the traditional characteristics of the 735.CM irons, and the new irons may be custom ordered in any desired combination of models.
Hello,
I noticed Rory has his irons a degree strong does that mean, that the bounce through his iron set is 1 less than the standard? I was thinking of strengthening my Titleist 690MB irons to tour lofts but bothered it would result in not enough bounce?
Thanks
Sam
Sam-
We recommend working with an authorized Titleist clubfitter to determine the proper specifications for your irons. You are correct, though, that strengthening lofts by 1° will reduce the bounce angle by 1° as well.
It seems like the most popular wedge on tour hands down is the vokey 54.10. So much so that I have not seen any pros go to the 54.11 2010 model even Ross Fisher’s that is stamped 54.11 says 10 degrees on the back. Is there any reason for this immense popularity?
Jared-
We have several 54.10 as well as 54.11 wedges in play on the Tours. The two wedges are similar in nature with medium sole widths and enhanced camber for versatility from both the sand and grass. The 54° loft is a popular choice for players wanting only one additional wedge between their pitching and lob wedges.