Steve Stricker
Titleist Brand Ambassador Steve Stricker, who moved to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, won his eighth PGA TOUR event and first on the West Coast of the United States at this weekend’s Northern Trust Open. Stricker takes over the lead in the FedExCup standings with 758 points, which is 226 more than fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Bill Haas. Stricker has led the FedExCup standings during the regular season only once before – for one week following the 2009 British Open.
Stricker started the final round with a six-stroke lead. This was the largest lead he has held heading into the final round of a PGA TOUR event. His previous largest lead was five strokes at the 1996 Motorola Western Open, which he also won.
Prior to his final-round 70, Stricker had recorded nine consecutive rounds in the 60s this season – the final two rounds of the SBS Championship, all four rounds of the Sony Open and the first three rounds of the Northern Trust Open.
Stricker topped the field at the Northern Trust Open with 104 total putts and was T-10 in both driving accuracy and greens in regulation.
Stricker matched the record for consecutive rounds in the 60s at the Northern Trust Open at 8, previously set in 1981-82. He shot 69 in the final round of the 2008 event, 68-66-69-67 in 2009 and began the tournament with rounds of 67-65-66.
Stricker’s win makes him the fifth player in the event’s 84-year history to win the tournament the year after finishing second or T-2. The last time on the PGA TOUR that a player finished runner-up and then won the tournament the following year was Titleist Brand Ambassador Ryuji Imada at the 2007-08 AT&T Classic.
Stricker has held or shared a 54-hole lead nine previous times in his career – including this week – and has now gone on to win four of those events. He has never been over par on Sunday when he was the 54-hole leader. Stricker has won all three times when he has been the outright leader heading into the final round.
Stricker is coming off the best season of his career, having captured three PGA TOUR events (Crowne Plaza Invitational, John Deere Classic, Deutsche Bank Championship); he is one of just nine players since 2000 to win three or more times in a season.
Stricker is one of two players with top-10 finishes in the first two events of the season: T-10 at the SBS Championship and 3rd at the Sony Open. This is the first time Stricker has started his season with three consecutive top-10 finishes.
This is the largest margin of victory on the PGA TOUR since the 2009 TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. The last eight official PGA TOUR events (four of the 2009 Fall Series and four of the 2010 season) have been decided by one shot or in a playoff.
Luke Donald Titleist Pro V1x loyalist Luke Donald moved into contention with a bogey-free 66 (-5) in Round 3. He followed with another 5-under-par 66 in his final round to finish solo second. This is Donald’s ninth consecutive start at the Northern Trust Open. He has finished in the top 10 the last three years: T-3 in 2008, T-6 in 2009 and 2nd in 2010.
J.B. Holmes Titleist Pro V1x loyalist J.B. Holmes continued his solid play at Riviera Country Club and the Northern Trust Open as the only player in the field with all four rounds in the 60s, 68-69-67-67=271 (-13). The two-time PGA TOUR winner has finished in the top 10 in each of his past three appearances at Riviera with a T-7 in 2008, a T-6 in 2009 and a T-3 in 2010.
Alex Prugh Titleist Pro V1x loyalist Alex Prugh, the leading rookie money-winner so far this season and ranked No. 13 in FedExCup points, finished T-10 this week. Prugh is the only player to post top-10 finishes in the three California PGA TOUR events this year – a fifth-place at the Bob Hope Classic, a T-5 at the Farmers Insurance Open, and a T-10 at the Northern Trust Open.
Jason Bohn
Titleist Brand Ambassador Jason Bohn posted five consecutive birdies during the final round en route to a 65 (-6). Bohn, who started Round 4 on the back nine, birdied 15, 16, 17, 18 and 1, matching the longest birdie streak of the season (set by six other players). He ended his round with a bogey on No. 9, but still vaulted up the leaderboard from a T-34 after Round 3 to a T-10. This is Bohn’s first top-10 finish since a T-2 at the 2009 Wyndham Championship in August.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs kick off tomorrow as play commences at The Barclays. Playing host for the first time is the beautiful Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ. The players are getting their first looks at this beautiful, links-style course which offers some amazing views of the New York City skyline. Many players are also getting their first look at Titleist’s new AP1, AP2, CB and MB irons, which will be available to consumers this fall. The initial feedback has been extremely positive, as evidenced by the host of players who will be trusting the new irons under the heat of playoff competition. Click on the photo gallery below to see what several Titleist Brand Ambassadors are putting in the bag.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Bill Haas enjoyed a great week at the Wyndham Championship, posting his third top-10 finish of the season and shooting a tournament-tying low round for the week – an 8-under 62 on Thursday. Bill gave a lot of the credit for his success in Greensboro to some new clubs that he put in the bag – a set of new Titleist CB forged irons and a new Scotty Cameron Kombi putter. Watch the interview below to hear what Bill had to say about his performance and the new CB’s.
Titleist.com is on-site at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan for the 51st edition of the Buick Open, a tournament that dates back to 1958. The Titleist Tour Van has been buzzing with even more activity than usual, as this is the first week that it is carrying the next generation AP1, AP2, CB and MB irons that are scheduled to be introduced to the marketplace this fall. Several players (Greg Chalmers, Derek Fathauer, Bill Haas, Stephen Leaney, Marc Leishman, Darron Stiles, Kevin Na) worked with the new irons on the range for the first time, while others, including Tom Pernice, Jr. (New AP2), Colt Knost (New CB) and Johnson Wagner (New CB) played a practice round with them and decided to put them in the bag this week.
Longtime Titleist Brand Ambassador Brad Faxon, who is also in the field this week, was actually the first to play the New AP2 irons in competition two weeks ago, when he posted his best finish of the year at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. A set of the New AP1 irons were also played in competition for the first time in Milwaukee, and will also be in that player’s bag this week in Michigan.
Improvements to the new AP2 irons have resulted in better feel as well as improved shot control and ground contact. The new AP1 irons offer better feel, more forgiveness, and an improved shape, particularly in the short irons. Look for more sets to be put into play in the coming weeks, and be sure to check back here and on Titleist.com for the latest information on all Titleist products. For now, be sure to check out the slide show for more information from the Buick Open.
Strong field, incl world #9 @RorsMcIlroy. Tough course, past 3 winners posted single digits under par. Honda Classic scores: www.pgatour.com2010/03/04
Congratulations! RT@HunterMahan: Yes! It feels good to be a winner again! Champ of '10 Waste Mngmnt Open! Thanks for support in Twitterland! 2010/03/01
@sportsguy33 is it sudden death or the whole 20? 2010/02/28
@ianjamespoulter Don't think you'll see a tartan ball; even the pink one is a very long shot! Just keep playing the white ProV1x like today. 2010/02/17
Geoff Ogilvy might be the best interview on Tour. I hope this is live on PGATour.com. 2010/02/16
