-- Team Titleist
FAIRHAVEN, Mass. (June 13, 2011) -- A dream week for Titleist Brand Ambassador Harrison Frazar set the tone Sunday for Titleist players competing around the globe.
Frazar's breakthrough victory at the PGA Tour's FedEx St. Jude Classic made it a perfect 7-for-7 sweep for Titleist golf ball loyalists in the week's biggest events, including Pro V1x loyalist Robert Rock's first European Tour title and Pro V1x loyalist Yani Tseng's second LPGA victory of the season.
Seventy-three players have trusted Titleist golf balls to victory across the worldwide professional tours so far in 2011, more than six times the nearest competitor with 11 and more than all competitors combined.
In total, 8,959 players have played Titleist golf balls in competition this season, more than six times the nearest competitor with 1,395 and more than all other golf balls combined.
And at this week's U.S. Open at Congressional, Titleist is the #1 ball for the 63rd-consecutive year.
Frazar started off the week by teeing up his Titleist Pro V1x golf ball at a 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying at Dallas Athletic Club, where he shot 72-64 in 100-plus degree heat and eventually won a playoff to earn a spot at the season's second major championship.
Six days later, Frazar found himself in another playoff at TPC Southwind with fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Robert Karlsson at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
And again, Frazar was the last man standing. He tapped his Pro V1x in for par on the third playoff hole, officially earning the opportunity to wrap his arms around his first PGA Tour trophy.
Wrapping his mind around the week's successes was another story.
"I accomplished three goals today that I've had for 15 years, you know, which is to win a tournament, play in Maui (Hyundai Tournament of Champions), play in Augusta (The Masters)," said Frazar, 39, who was playing this season on a major medical exemption after having hip and shoulder surgeries year.
"That's pretty cool…" he said. "I never thought that all three would come at once. But they have to. So this is pretty neat."
Frazar (71-65-64-67) tied Karlsson (66-65-68-68) in regulation at 13-under 267, five shots clear of five players including Titleist Brand Ambassador Ryuji Imada, Pro V1x loyalist Tim Herron and Pro V1 loyalist Charles Howell III.
For the week, Frazar and Karlsson tied for first in birdies with 19. Frazar also ranked first in driving distance (316.9 yards) and putts per green in regulation (1.64).
And to think: Frazar began the week by playing his first four holes in 3 over par.
"On this golf course that can happen, but it could not have happened if I was trying to win a golf tournament," Frazar said. "It happened because I relaxed and I started playing golf and seeing the shots and just hitting it and just playing the game."
Frazar and Karlsson were two of 103 players at TPC Southwind that played Titleist golf balls, more than six times the nearest competitor with 17 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist also was first in iron sets (42); sand, lob and approach wedges (135); and putters (60).
Frazar tees off at 7 a.m. Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Open; Karlsson gets going at 8:28.
• EUROPEAN TOUR: It was a similar story at the BMW Italian Open, where Pro V1x loyalist Robert Rock closed with a 5-under 67 at the Royal Park I Roveri course to complete a wire-to-wire victory to earn his first European Tour win.
“Once I got started today I felt quite comfortable," said Rock, who finished at 21-under 267 (64-68-68-67) for a one-shot victory. "I figured that this was as good a chance (to win) as I was ever going to have."
Rock got it done on the greens, rolling his Pro V1x golf ball in for six birdies Sunday in a seven-hole stretch from Nos. 5-11. (He totaled 16 birdies and no bogeys over those same holes for the four rounds.)
On 17, Rock made a 12-footer for par to hold on tot he one-shot cushion that would eventually bring him to the winner's circle.
"It feels great," said Rock, 34. “I thought I would eventually do it. It’s taken longer than planned but it’s incredibly hard to win on this tour."
Rock finished first for the week in putts per green in regulation (1.555)
He was one 108 players in the field that played a Titleist golf ball, more than six times the nearest competitor with 16 and more than all competitors combined.
• LPGA: Pro V1x loyalist Yani Tseng earned her second victory of the LPGA season, winning the LPGA State Farm Classic with a near-flawless performance.
Tseng, also a winner at the LPGA's season-opening Honda LPGA Thailand, made 12 birdies and no bogeys over her final 39 holes, closing with weekend rounds of 66-68 for a three-shot victory at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.
Tseng made just three bogeys for the entire week, including one on her first hole of Round 1.
"I feel very excited. I had lots of energy to going on this morning, and I know I can do it," said Tseng, the No. 1 player in the Rolex World Rankings. "I just kept telling myself, 'focus, focus.' So all my energy, all my patience, focus on every hole."
Tseng finished at 21-under 267 (67-66-66-68), three ahead of Pro V1 loyalist Cristie Kerr (70-67-66-67).
It was Tseng's seventh LPGA title in the last four years, including three major championships.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 115 players, more than nine times the nearest competitor with 12 and more than all competitors combined.
• NATIONWIDE TOUR: Titleist Brand Ambassador Kyle Thompson won the The Rex Hospital Open for the second time, rolling his Pro V1x golf ball in from 7 feet for birdie on the 72nd hole Sunday to win by one shot.
"I knew it was going to come down to the wire," Thompson, who closed with a 3-under 68 for a 14-under 270 total, told PGATour.com.
That final putt broke up a six-way tie heading into the final hole, earning Thompson a dramatic one-shot victory.
"It was every golfer's dream putt – seven feet with a little right-to-left break," he said.
The win marked the third career Nationwide Tour title for Thompson, including his win at the 2007 Rex Hospital Open.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 113 players, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 15. Titleist also was first in iron sets (43); sand, lob and approach wedges (145); and putters (66).
• CHAMPIONS TOUR: Pro V1 loyalist Mark Wiebe won the Greater Hickory Classic with a par on the third-hole of a sudden death playoff to capture his third Champions Tour title.
Wiebe, a two-time PGA Tour winner, closed with a bogey-free 7-under 65 at Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, N.C, to post a tournament-record 19-under 197 total.
He ended regulation tied with Pro V1x loyalist James Mason, who was playing in his first event of the season.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 53 players, more than four times the nearest competitor with 12. Titleist also was first in iron sets (19).
• CANADIAN TOUR: With his father on the bag and a large group of family and friends in the gallery, Pro V1x loyalist Roger Sloan carded a final-round 6-under 66 to win the inaugural Western Championship by three strokes.
Sloan finished with a total of 23-under-par 265 (64-70-65-66) at Rivershore Golf Links for his first Canadian Tour victory, making just one bogey over the four rounds.
"I was extremely proud of myself for being able to win this tournament," Sloan said. "Having my Dad (Curtis) on the bag and my friends and family watching was a big bonus for me and I can say it helped me win."
With the win, Sloan moved to No. 2 on the Canadian Tour's Order of Merit.
• SUNSHINE TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Chris Swanepoel earned his second-career victory on the South African Sunshine Tour, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Titleist golf ball players at the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Arabella Golf Club.
Swanepoel closed with a 4-under par 68 for a 11-under 205 victory total, three shots ahead of Titleist Brand Ambassador Christiaan Basson. Pro V1x loyalist Andrew Curlewis finished alone in third, another shot back.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 50 players, more than twice the nearest competitor with 18.