FAIRHAVEN, Mass. (July 17, 2012) -- Titleist Brand Ambassador Zach Johnson won the John Deere Classic with one of the best shots of his career Sunday, trusting a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, AP2 (712 Series) irons and a bag of Titleist equipment to victory in an event so often referred to as Johnson's "fifth major."
Johnson, an Iowa native who also serves on the John Deere Classic's board of directors, triumphed in an all-Titleist golf ball playoff with Pro V1 loyalist Troy Matteson to earn his second PGA Tour victory of the season.
It was one of four wins by Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x players last weekend around the world, including Pro V1 loyalist Roger Chapman's history-making win at the U.S. Senior Open. Doug LaBelle II (Pro V1x) also found the winner's circle on the Web.com Tour and Chris Killmer (Pro V1x) broke through with his first Canadian Tour victory.
Titleist golf ball players have won 96 times across the worldwide professional tours so far this season, eight times the nearest competitor with 12 and more than all other golf balls combined. A total of 11,858 players have teed up Titleist golf balls in those same events, as compared to 1,885 for the nearest competitor.
Sunday at the John Deere Classic, Johnson birdied three of his final six holes at TPC Deere Run to post a bogey-free 6-under 65 and finish regulation tied with Matteson at 20-under 264.
On the second and deciding playoff hole, Johnson used a Titleist AP2 (712 Series) 6-iron to hit the game-winning shot from a fairway bunker on the left side of the fairway, 193 yards from the hole. Johnson's Titleist Pro V1x launched toward the right side of the green with a slight draw, disappearing from his view. He heard the crowd crescendo as it hit the green and ran toward the pin, stopping less than a foot from the cup.
"Well, it's one of the best results of my career. When it comes to execution, it's up there," said Johnson, who tapped in for the birdie, and the win. "It's probably way up there."
Johnson, also a winner at the Crowne Plaza Colonial in May, topped a leader board that featured 106 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x players, nearly six times the nearest competitor with 18 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist also led the field in iron sets (38); sand, lob and approach wedges (136); and putters (64).
Titleist Brand Ambassador Scott Piercy (Pro V1x) finished alone in third at 18-under 266, with John Senden (Pro V1) another shot back in fourth place. Titleist Brand Ambassador Steve Stricker (Pro V1x) tied for fifth place, as each of the top six finishers all trusted Titleist golf balls for their success.
Here's a closer look at Zach Johnson's Titleist equipment:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D2 9.5º (Diamana Blue 73)
3-wood: Titleist 910F 15º (Motore Speeder VC 7.0)
5-wood: Titleist 909F2 18.5º (ZCOM Pro 95)
Hybrid: Titleist 909H 21º (Speeder 904HB)
Irons: Titleist AP1 (4) and AP2 (5-9) 712 Series (Dynamic Gold)
Wedges: Vokey Design Spin Milled 48º, 54º, 60º (Dynamic Gold)
• CHAMPIONS TOUR: Roger Chapman (Pro V1) completed a historic double with his victory at the U.S. Senior Open in Michigan. Chapman, also a winner of the Senior PGA Championship in May, is only the fourth player to win both events in the same year.
He etched his name into the history books Sunday with a final-round 4-under 66 at Indianwood Golf & Country Club that included what he called the best shot of his career.
Leading by one shot on the tee at the 195-yard par-3 17th, Chapman hit his Pro V1 golf ball to tap-in range.
"I hit my career shot," he said.
Chapman finished the event at 10-under 270, two clear of four players, including Bernhard Langer (Pro V1), Tom Lehman (Pro V1,) and Corey Pavin (Pro V1), as four of the top five finishers relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.
Titleist golf ball loyalists accounted for 113 of the 156-player field, more than eight times the nearest competitor with 14 and more than all other golf balls combined.
Titleist was also the choice of more players in the iron sets (41) and sand, lob and approach wedge (128) categories.
• WEB.COM TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Doug LaBelle II rallied to win his second Web.com Tour title at the Utah Championship, rolling his Pro V1x in for par from 5 feet on the 18th hole to win by one shot.
LaBelle, who trailed by five shots at the beginning of the day, closed with a 3-under 68 for a 15-under 269 total, one shot clear of four players, including James Hahn (Pro V1x).
Labelle was one of 108 players in the field that trusted a Titleist golf ball, more than than five times the nearest competitor with 20 and more than all other golf ball combined. Titleist was also the choice of more players in the iron (47), wedge (165) and putter (64) categories.
The Utah Championship also marked the first week of seeding for new prototype Titleist 913 drivers on the Web.com Tour. Of the 39 Titleist drivers in play, 24 were new 913 prototypes, with 17 913D3 models and seven 913D2 models.
• CANADIAN TOUR: Chris Killmer (Pro V1x) won The Players Cup in a playoff to earn his first Canadian Tour title.
Killmer, who closed in 2-under 69 for a 15-under 269 total, made par on the fourth playoff hole to earn the victory.
"I'm on top of the world right now," Killmer said. "A lot of guys played really good golf, and to call yourself the best of that field is a great feeling."
• EUROPEAN TOUR: A total of 94 players relied on Titleist golf balls for their success at The Scottish Open, more than four times the nearest competitor with 21 and more than all competitors combined.
It also marked the second week of the new prototype Titleist 913 driver seeding process on the European Tour, with 20 players putting the club in play.
• U.S. PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP: Titleist was the top equipment choice among the 156 players at the 87th U.S. Public Links Championship field, and the only choice of the winner. Titleist players accounted for 121 golf balls, more than six times the nearest competitor with 19. Titleist was also tops in the iron (55), wedge (202) and putter (54) categories.
The champion posted a 12-and-10 win in the scheduled 36-hole final, which included 10 birdies through 26 holes en route to the largest winning margin in the final match since 1985.
In addition to relying upon the Pro V1x, the winner trusted Titleist from tee-to-green, including a 910D2 9.5 driver, 910F fairway metals (15, 19), MB irons (4-P), Vokey Design Spin Milled TVD gap (52) and sand (56) wedges and SM4 lob (60) wedge, and Scotty Cameron prototype putter.
