Fairhaven, MA (March 20, 2006) – Topping another Titleist golf ball 1-2-3 sweep, Rod Pampling earned his second career PGA Tour title with a dramatic one shot win at the Bay Hill Invitational. Pampling edged fellow Titleist Pro V1x players Greg Owen and Darren Clarke, who finished second and third respectively on a leaderboard that featured 6 Titleist players among the top 7 finishers. In fact, Titleist was the overwhelming favorite golf ball at Bay Hill with 82 players compared to 12 for the nearest competitor. The winning continues around the world for Titleist players, as well. In addition to Pampling’s victory, Juli Inkster came from behind to capture the Safeway International on the LPGA Tour and Johan Edfors earned his first career PGA European Tour crown, advancing Titleist’s worldwide victory total to 33, more than six times the nearest competitor.
PGA TOUR NOTES:
Titleist players following the Pampling-Owen-Clarke trio on the leaderboard included: Ted Purdy (T5/Pro V1), Lee Westwood (T5/Pro V1x), Vijay Singh (7th/Pro V1x), Tom Pernice, Jr. (T8/Pro V1x), Fred Funk (T10/Pro V1), Joey Sindelar (T10/Pro V1), Scott Verplank (T10/Pro V1) and Dean Wilson (T10/Pro V1x).
Pampling’s victory was the 7th for Titleist golf ball players on the 2006 PGA Tour, more than twice the nearest competitor with 3.
In addition to being the top choice in golf balls, Titleist was also the field favorite in the wedge (85 vs. 50) and putter (44 vs. 19) categories.
The winner relied upon a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport 2 putter, extending the Cameron winning streak on the PGA Tour to eight consecutive weeks. He finished 2nd in Putts Per Greens in Regulation, T4 in Putts Per Round and T8 in Greens in Regulation.
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR NOTES:
Titleist Pro V1x players finished 1-2 at the TCL Classic at Yalong Bay Golf Club on the Chinese island of Hainan. Johan Edfors earned his first career PGA European Tour title after a birdie on the final hole gave him a one stroke victory over Titleist ambassador Andrew Buckle. Edfors, who posted four rounds in the 60s, converted an 8-foot putt on the last for a final round of 4-under 68 to finish at 25-under 263.
The event was co-sanctioned by the PGA European Tour and the Asian Tour.
For Buckle, it was a second runner-up finish in three weeks. Another Pro V1x loyalist, Simon Dyson, earned his first career victory when he denied Buckle by two shots in Indonesia.
Titleist golf ball players accounted for over 83 percent of the field at the TCL Classic with 129, that is 120 more than the nearest competitor with 9.
Edfors’ victory was the 9th by a Titleist player on the PGA European Tour, more than four times the nearest competitor with 2.
LPGA TOUR NOTES:
Battling wind and rain, Titleist Pro V1 player Juli Inkster overcame a four-stroke deficit to win the Safeway International for her 31st career LPGA Tour title. Inkster shot a final round 5-under 67 to finish at 15-under 273, two strokes ahead of the overnight leader. Aree Song (Pro V1) finished third at 12-under 276.
Weather wreaked havoc with the final round as hail forced play to be suspended for nearly 2 hours and temperatures dipped into the mid-40s, some 40 degrees lower than normal. The final hole was played under the glare of spotlights.
Titleist golf ball players accounted for over 79 percent of the field at the event with 114, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 16.
Inkster’s victory is the third by a Titleist golf ball player through the first four events this season.
DIRECT FROM THE TOUR: To view exclusive round-by-round interviews with Bay Hill Invitational winner Rod Pampling, as well as other top Titleist players from every PGA Tour event, please visit our Direct from the Tour feature online at: http://titleist.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1
RSS FEED: Sign up now for our News site and RSS Feeds that deliver Titleist information daily and directly to the desktop of subscribers. For more information and to subscribe to the titleist.com RSS Feeds, please visit: http://titleist.com/news/news_overview.asp.
Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra comprise the major golf brands of the Acushnet Company, an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE – FO). Titleist, FootJoy, Cobra, Pro V1, Pro V1x, Scotty Cameron by Titleist, and Newport 2 are trademarks owned by Acushnet Company. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Contact:
