The LPGA, founded in 1950, tees off its 2010 season this week in Chonburi, Thailand. This year the Tour boasts members from 29 countries who will compete in 24 events in 10 countries. And Titleist looks to once again be the most played ball. The 2009 final LPGA ball count numbers were: Titleist 2,139 Nearest Competitor 635.
With an impressive rookie class (http://www.lpga.com/entertainment_content.aspx?pid=23031) and a host of talented young players returning for 2010, the LPGA Tour stands to challenge its record of 11 Rolex First Time Winners in a single season. 2009 Rookie of the Year Jiyai Shin starts the 2010 season ranked #2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. We caught up with Jiyai and a number of her fellow Pro V1 and Pro V1x loyalists on the LPGA Tour during the LPGA Tour Championship in Houston, click here to watch the video.
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.
Much like countryman Marc Leishman, Titleist Brand Ambassador Michael Sim also spent a portion of his practice days for the Farmers Insurance Open visiting the various Titleist facilities near Torrey Pines Golf Course to help him prepare for his 2010 PGA Tour season. Michael hopes to continue the strong form that saw him capture the 2009 money title/Order of Merit on both the Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, Player of the Year honors on the Nationwide Tour, a “battlefield promotion” to the PGA Tour courtesy of three wins on the Nationwide Tour, and a spot in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Michael worked with Titleist fitters at the Acushnet Test Facility on Wednesday to help with a wedge gap fitting as well as a 2-iron replacement. He told his fitter that there was too much of a yardage gap between his AP2 9-iron (+1/4″ and 43° loft) and Spin Milled C-C 248.06 (standard length and bent to 47° loft). After testing several pitching wedge variations on the launch monitor, Michael was fit into a Spin Milled C-C 248.10 at +1/4″ and standard loft. His yardage gap between the two clubs was reduced from 18 yards to 12.
Making his return to the States from playing back home in Australia, Michael was also looking for a club to replace the 695CB 2-iron he had been gaming. Michael told his fitter that the 2-iron was a good club in Australia, but not as good on the PGA Tour due to the low trajectory and shallow landing angle. He prefers the look of irons rather than hybrids at address, though, so the team built him an older Tour Prototype 503i with a Project X 6.5 shaft that matches his irons. After a few shots on the launch monitor with the new utility iron, it went straight in the bag for this week’s event.
Michael’s final stop before heading back to Torrey Pines for the tournament was at the Scotty Cameron Putter Studio. Here’s what he had to say about the visit after his round Friday:
“I’ve been rolling the putter tremendously the last two days. I went to the Scotty Cameron studio on Wednesday afternoon and had a look at my putting stroke with Paul Vizanko, and it wasn’t as good as what it was last year when I went in there, and managed to correct that in probably 20 minutes. Yeah, just rolled the ball pure the last two days, and even with the greens a little bit bumpy with the Poa and the amount of rain they’ve had, it didn’t really affect my ball. I’ve probably got to thank him a lot for that.”
Despite a rough start on Thursday (4-over through three holes), the preparation seems to have Michael on form once again. He finished Thursday’s round on the difficult South Course strong to get back to 1-over 73, and after a sizzling 10-under 62 on the North Course on Friday, he finds himself only two shots back heading into the weekend.
What’s in Michael Sim’s bag this week at the Farmers Insurance Open: Ball:Pro V1x Driver: 905R (8.5°, Mitsubishi Diamana White 83X) Fairway:909F2 (13.5°, Mitsubishi Diamana Blue 93X) Utility: Tour Prototype 503i (19°, True Temper Project X 6.5) Irons:AP2 (3-9, True Temper Project X 6.5) Wedges:Vokey Design Spin Milled C-C 248.10, Spin Milled C-C Prototype 54.12, Spin Milled C-C 60-T (all wedges with True Temper Project X 6.5) Putter:Scotty Cameron Tour Newport Squareback
Titleist Brand Ambassador Marc Leishman visited the Acushnet Test Facility in Oceanside, California this week as he prepared to compete in the Farmers Insurance Open at nearby Torrey Pines Golf Course. Marc is entering his second full season on the PGA Tour, and he’s looking to improve upon his 2009 Rookie of the Year campaign that included eight top-25 finishes, over $1.7 million in earnings, and a trip to the season-ending TOUR Championship. Qualifying for the TOUR Championship also earned Marc a spot in this year’s Masters Tournament, and he had Augusta National in mind as he worked with the Titleist fitters at Oceanside this week.
First, Marc was fit for a 19° 909H hybrid to replace his Tour-only AP2 2-iron. Marc has been a 2-iron player for a number of years, and it’s a club that performs well in the firm, fast, and windy conditions of his native Australia. On the PGA Tour, however, Marc needs a higher launching and softer landing trajectory for long distance approach shots that the 2-iron was not delivering. After working with both steel and graphite shafts in the 19° 909H, Marc went with the UST Mamiya Axivcore Tour Black Hybrid 100X and put it straight into the bag this week at Torrey Pines.
Marc also spent some time working with different lob wedges. He is currently using a Vokey Design TVD 58, but feels that he catches the ball too high on the face from time-to-time. The fitters had him try a few different wedges with less bounce, and Marc left with a 60-L bent to 58°. Although that wedge isn’t in the bag this week, don’t be surprised if you see it once conditions get a bit firmer on Tour.
Finally, the fitters had Marc try a few driver/shaft options to help him turn the ball over more easily. Marc predominately plays a fade and typically likes to eliminate the left-hand side of the golf course, but mentioned that he wouldn’t mind having the option of moving the ball from right-to-left for a certain tournament in early April. Using the SureFit system, Marc was able to quickly try out a few different shaft options and determined that the Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6X (now available through Titleist Custom Clubs) performed similarly to his current gamer with the added workability he was seeking. Like the new wedge, this new driver set-up didn’t make it in the bag this week, but we’re sure Marc will be working with it in the coming weeks as he gets closer to his first round starting time in Augusta.
What’s in Marc Leishman’s bag this week at the Farmers Insurance Open: Ball:Pro V1x Driver:909D2 (8.5°, Oban Devotion 6X) Fairway:909F2 (13.5°, Oban Devotion 8X) Hybrid:909H (19°, UST Mamiya Axivcore Tour Black Hybrid 100X) Irons:AP2 (3-9, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100) Wedges:Vokey Design Spin Milled C-C 248.10 (bent to 47°), Spin Milled C-C TVD 54 (bent to 53°), Spin Milled C-C TVD 58 (all wedges with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100) Putter:Scotty Cameron Newport 2 T10 Select
Titleist Brand Ambassador Rickie Fowler capitalized on his sponsor’s exemption into last week’s Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open by finishing tied for seventh after shooting four rounds in the 60s at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. That top ten finish earned him a spot into this week’s Frys.com Open at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he is again in the hunt after rounds of 5-under 65 and 6-under 64 have given him a share of the 36-hole lead. Another top ten finish this week will allow him to continue competing on the PGA Tour at next week’s Viking Classic, and the high finishes and subsequent prize money have Rickie on a potential path straight to the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament finals.
With PGA Tour special temporary member status, if Rickie’s official earnings for the season are equal to or greater than the 150th place finisher on the Official PGA Tour Money List, he will be exempt into the final stage of qualifying from December 2-7 at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Otherwise, he’ll be competing in first stage qualifying starting next week at Lantana Golf Club in Texas.
We caught up with Rickie this week as he prepared to compete in the Frys.com Open and got a close-up look at what’s in his bag. As you can see from the images in the photo gallery, Rickie’s bleeds OSU orange in tribute to his former college golf team. That’s what we call custom paint! Here are the specifics on Rickie’s Titleist equipment:
We're happy 2 have you!RT@ianjamespoulter To keep my friends informed I'll be Cobra clubs, wearing my IJP clothing, Titleist ball & FJ shoes 11 hours ago
Not surprising, @PGATour 1&2 in scoring avg (Villegas & Stricker) are also 1&2 on Money List. More stats: http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/ 12 hours ago
I meant many players go softer in their wedges. Sorry about the bad yardage, Tweeps! 16 hours ago
@stephen_simpson Adam Scott has same KBS X flex in his @VokeyWedges as his MB irons. Many players, though, go a bit softer in their irons. 16 hours ago
John Senden's nonplussed by 15-25mph winds. He's -4 thru 5 at CA. Weather's only getting worse, Fri tee times already moved from 11 to 8 am. 17 hours ago
