FAIRHAVEN, Mass. (Jan. 16, 2013) -- There is still dew on the fairways of 2013, but Titleist golf ball loyalist Louis Oosthuizen is in mid-season form. Oosthuizen relied on his new 2013 Pro V1x prototype for a come-from-behind victory at the Volvo Golf Champions in his native South Africa on Sunday. Louis began his final round five shots back, but closed with a joint best of the day 6-under 66, to edge the overnight leader by one stroke.
In the land where palm trees sway, Titleist Brand Ambassador Tim Clark trusted his new 2013 Pro V1 prototype to a final round 9-under 63 and second place finish at the Sony Open in Oahu, Hawaii.
EUROPEAN: Playing in just his second official event with the new 2013 Pro V1x prototype, Titleist golf ball loyalist Louis Oosthuizen captured the Volvo Golf Champions. He posted a 16-under par 272 victory total which included six birdies in the first 11 holes Sunday.
“After being five down, to make it up after 12 holes, I was really chuffed about that. I just played really well all day.”
The win marked Oosthuizen’s sixth career European Tour title and elevates him to the fourth spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Oosthuizen has had seven top-ten finishes in his last eight starts.
He becomes the fifth player to win with a new 2013 Pro V1 or Pro V1x prototype golf ball since the seeding process began last fall, joining Luke Donald (Pro V1x/Dunlop Phoenix), Adam Scott (Pro V1/Australian Masters), Hiroyuki Fujita (Pro V1/Japan Series JT Cup) and Angel Cabrera (Pro V1x/107 Visa Open de Argentina) in the new prototype victory circle.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the winners-only event, with 17 of the 33 players relying upon a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than twice the nearest competitor with seven. Oosthuizen’s win is the first for Titleist on the 2013 worldwide professional tours.
PGA: The 2013 PGA TOUR’s first full-field event is in the books from Honolulu where 144 players teed it up at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Titleist was the overwhelming top choice in golf balls with 103 players relying upon a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than six times the nearest competitor with 15.
A total of 62 Titleist golf ball loyalists relied upon a new 2013 Pro V1 (12) or Pro V1x (50) prototypes, including runner-up and Titleist Brand Ambassador Tim Clark (New Pro V1, 913D3 driver, 913F fairway metal, CB irons, 712U 4-iron, Vokey Design SM4 pitching, sand and lob wedges) and third place finisher Scott Langley (New Pro V1x), who was playing in his first event as a PGA TOUR rookie.
Langley tied for third with fellow Pro V1x loyalist Charles Howell III, as three of the top four finishers relied upon Titleist for their success. Titleist was also the field favorite in sand, lob and approach wedges with 135 and putters with 57.
In addition to the new golf ball, Clark put a new Titleist 913F fairway metal (15.0) and 712U prototype 4-iron in play this week for the first time. The last time TT saw Tim Clark was in Las Vegas in November, where he first put his New Pro V1 in play.
