Romero Leads Five-Win Week with First Career PGA TOUR Title at Zurich Classic
Fairhaven, MA (March 31, 2008) – The unmatched golf ball performance story of Titleist continues around the world, highlighted by the first career PGA TOUR victory for Andres Romero at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. On the PGA European Tour, Pro V1 loyalist Thomas Levet captured the Open de Andalucia in a playoff, while Bernhard Langer posted an impressive eight shot victory on the Champions Tour for his second win in the last three starts. Additional wins on the Nationwide and South African tours increase Titleist’s 2008 worldwide win count to 36, more than all other balls combined.
TITLEIST TOUR HIGHLIGHTS FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 30, 2008
PGA TOUR: Andres Romero played the Pro V1x golf ball to win the Zurich Classic in just his 12th career start on the PGA TOUR, closing with a four-under par 68 for a 13-under 275 total, one-stroke clear of the runner-up.
– Titleist golf ball players occupied five of the top six positions on the leaderboard, including Tim Wilkinson (Pro V1), who shot a final round 67 to finish solo third at 11-under. He was one shot ahead of three Pro V1x players, including Titleist ambassador Nicholas Thompson, British Open champion Padraig Harrington and Woody Austin, all of whom tied for fourth.
– Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Zurich Classic with 100 players, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19. In addition, Titleist was the most played wedge (137 vs. 48) and putter (52 vs. 35) and a close second in drivers (34) and irons (36).
– Romero is the eighth player to win on the 2008 PGA TOUR with a Titleist golf ball, more than all other competitors combined.
– Wilkinson (ZB Forged) and Thompson (AP2), who finished 3rd and T4, respectively, each put new Titleist irons in their bags last week at the Puerto Rico Open, with Wilkinson finishing 6th and Thompson T21 the first time they played the clubs in competition.
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR: Pro V1 player Thomas Levet claimed the MAPFRE Open de Andalucia by Valle Romano with a par on the first playoff hole. Levet finished regulation at 16-under par 272, following a final round five-under 67. It marked the fourth career European Tour title for the 39-year old Levet and his first since the 2004 Barclays Scottish Open.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the event with 100 players, compared to 19 for the nearest competitor. The win is the eighth by a Titleist player on the 2008 PGA European Tour, nearly three times the nearest competitor with 3.
LPGA TOUR: Playing a Pro V1 golf ball, Angela Stanford broke the course record with a career-best 10-under 62 in the opening round of the Safeway International. She finished in a tie for fourth at 12-under. Titleist was the most played golf ball at the event with 104 players, compared to 31 for the nearest competitor.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Pro V1 player Bernhard Langer earned his second victory in three starts, this time by a decisive 8-stroke margin at the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort. His closing one-under 71 was one of only three under-par rounds on the cold and extremely windy day. Langer finished at 12-under 204 for his third victory in 11 career starts on the senior circuit.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Ginn Championship with 50 players, compared to 13 for the nearest competitor. The victory was sixth by Titleist golf ball players through the first seven events on the 2008 Champions Tour.
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Gavin Coles relied upon the Titleist Pro V1 golf ball to capture his fourth career Nationwide Tour title with a one-shot win at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Industries. Coles carded a final round 1-under 70 to finish at 12-under 272, winning by one stroke at the Tour’s first domestic event of the season.
Michael Letzig (Pro V1x, 905S driver, 670 irons, Vokey Design pitching, sand and lob wedges), Brendon de Jonge (Pro V1x, 905R driver, 906F4 fairway metal, ZM/ZB irons, Vokey Design pitching, sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Futura Phantom putter) and Greg Owen (Pro V1x, Vokey Design Spin Milled approach and lob wedges) tied for third two shots back. In fact, nine of the top 10 finishers at the event trusted Titleist golf balls for their success. Titleist golf ball players have won each of the first five events on the 2008 Nationwide Tour.
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open with 103 players, more than six times the nearest competitor with 15. In addition, Titleist was the most played iron set (41 vs. 33), wedge (129 vs. 49) and putter (59 vs. 29).
SOUTH AFRICA TOUR: Tyrone Ferreira earned his first professional victory, posting a wire-to-wire triumph at the Chainama Hills Zambia Open. The Sunshine Tour rookie carded a winning total of eight-under 280, two shots clear of fellow Pro V1x players Charl Coetzee and Divan van den Heever. Ferreira, a 19-year old from Alberton, turned pro at the Sunshine Tour’s Qualifying School in December.
DIRECT FROM THE TOUR: To view exclusive round-by-round interviews with Titleist players from every PGA TOUR event, please visit our Direct from the Tour feature online at: http://titleist.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1
TITLEIST TOUR BLOG: Find out what’s going on inside the ropes at every PGA TOUR event and on tours across the world, and ask questions of our Titleist Tour Leadership staff by visiting the Titleist Tour Blog at: http://www.titleisttourblog.com/
TITLEIST GOLF CLUB LEADERBOARD: To learn about Titleist’s golf club success on the PGA Tour, the PGA Professional National Championship and at major amateur events throughout the year, visit the Titleist Golf Club leaderboard at: http://titleist.com/leaderboard/default.asp
Contact:
Joe Gomes, Director of Communications, Acushnet Company (508.979.3211).
