One week after Titleist introduced the new 2019 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls on The PGA TOUR, the new models went global, debuting across all other professional golf tours around the world.
And this kickoff week proved to be a winning one for Tatsunori Nukaga, who became the first player across the worldwide professional tours to win with the new 2019 Pro V1x golf ball.
In fact, it was a 1-2 finish for 2019 Pro V1 and Pro V1x players, as Nukaga secured the first victory of his career by edging Seung-Hyuk Kim (new 2019 Pro V1) by two shots to capture the Mitsui VISA Taiheiyo Masters.
Nukaga topped a leaderboard that included eight Titleist golf ball players among the 11 who finished in the top 10 and ties.
Nukaga's victory highlighted a five-win week for Titleist golf ball players. The Titleist grand total has now eclipsed the 200 mark, as players trusting their games to a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball have now accumulated 203 wins across the worldwide professional tours during the 2018 season. That's six times more wins than the nearest competing brand with just 33 and more than all competing brands combined.
Trailing the overnight leader by three shots, longtime Titleist golf ball loyalist Lee Westwood relied on a Pro V1x golf ball to capture the 3,000th worldwide tour victory by a Titleist golf ball player since the model's inception in the fall of 2000.
Westwood birdied five of his last eight holes to fire a closing 64 in South Africa to win the European Tour's Nedbank Golf Challenge by three shots. The win was the Englishman’s first since the 2014 Maybank Malaysian Open and advances his career win total to 24 on the European Tour and 43 worldwide – all while trusting a Titleist golf ball.
Ten of the 12 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice among players with 71% of players (51 players in the limited field of 72) trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than four times the nearest competitor with 17% (12 players) and more than all competitors combined.
It was a 1-2 Titleist Pro V1x finish at the Blue Bay LPGA Championship in China where Gaby Lopez (Pro V1x) held off her playing partners who happened to be ranked World Nos. 1 and 2.
Lopez was paired in the final round with and prevailed over top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, who has already secured LPGA player of the year honors, and Sung Hyun Park, who was World No. 2.
Lopez edged Jutanugarn by one shot after each shot final round 73’s to earn her first career crown. Her previous best finish this year was a 10th place.
Titleist golf ball players have recorded 24 wins on the 2018 LPGA Tour season, nearly five times the nearest competitor (5).
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice among players with 85% of the field (69 players in the limited field of 81) trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than thirteen times the nearest competitor with 6% (5 players) and more than all competitors combined.
JungHwan Lee (Pro V1x) birdied the final hole of regulation to capture the GolfZon DYB Education Tour Championship by one shot over third round leader SungHo Lee (Pro V1x, TS2 driver, TS2 fairway metal, 718 T-MB/CB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges) and GiHo Jung (Pro V1x, 816H1 hybrids, 716 T-MB 4-iron, Vokey Design SM7 wedges, Scotty Cameron 009M putter).
HongTaek Kim (Pro V1x, Scotty Cameron Select Newport 3 putter) fired a final round shot 6-under-par 64 to share fifth place with two other players, including DoYeob Mun (Pro V1x, Vokey Design SM7 wedges).
This was the final KPGA Tour event of the season with Titleist Brand Ambassador Hyungjoon Lee (Pro V1x, TS2 driver, TS2 fairway metal, 818H1 hybrids, 718 T-MB 4-iron, 718 MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching, gap and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron SuperRat Concept 1 Putter) securing the top position on the Order of Merit and earning a 2019 European Tour card.
Titleist golf ball players accounted for 12 wins (86%) in the 14 events on the 2018 KPGA Tour.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the GolfZon DYB Education Tour Championship with 76% of the field (45 players in the limited field of 59) trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, five times the nearest competitor with 15% (9 players).
And finally, on the Australasian Tour, Jake McLeod (Pro V1x, TS3 driver, 917F2 fairway metal, 718 T-MB/AP2 irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges) captured the New South Wales Open by two shots over fellow Brand Ambassador and Titleist young gun Cameron John (Pro V1, 917D3 driver, 917F2 fairway metal, 718 T-MB/MB irons, Vokey Design SM7 wedges). The victory was the first of McLeod’s PGA Tour of Australasia career.
McLeod set up his victory with a course record 10-under-par 62 in the third round which included a bogey on his last hole. John rallied on Sunday by posting nine birdies in his runner-up effort.
McLeod topped a leaderboard that included nine Titleist golf ball players among the 11 who finished in the top 10 and ties.
He becomes the 12th consecutive Titleist golf ball player to win a PGA Tour of Australia event this year.
Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice among players at the NSW Open with 82% of the field (128 of 156 players) relying on a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than eight times the nearest competitor with 10% (15 players).