Nordqvist Wins First Major with First Victory. Gay Gets in U.S. Open with Second Win of Season.
Fairhaven, MA (June 15, 2009) – In competitive golf, where every victory is special, there are some with added distinction. That was the story at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship where Anna Nordqvist, relying on the Titleist ProV1 golf ball, had a career breakthrough with her first win and first major in just her fifth professional tournament. On the PGA Tour, Brian Gay won for the second time this season, also trusting the Pro V1. He went wire-to-wire at the St. Jude Classic, and his trip to the winner’s circle also meant a trip to this week’s U.S. Open. The ball you play does make a difference. That’s why, for every shot and when it matters most, more players count on Titleist.
LPGA: Anna Nordqvist fired a final round 4-under par 68 to become the second straight rookie to win the McDonald’s LPGA Championship. She follows Titleist golf ball loyalist Yani Tseng who won in 2008. Nordqvist, who completed the final four holes of her suspended third round at 7:30 in the morning, played her final round in the afternoon’s last pairing. She finished at 15-under 273, four shots ahead of Lindsey Wright (Pro V1x) at Bulle Rock Golf Course. Playing in just her fifth LPGA tournament, Nordqvist celebrated her birthday Wednesday, shot a 66 on Thursday, took the lead in the second round Friday and held onto it throughout the weekend. The major win is also her first career victory.
Nordqvist topped a leaderboard that included 11 Titleist golf ball loyalists who were among 12 players who finished in the top 10 and ties at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship. Ji-yai Shin (Pro V1) finished third at 10-under 278, followed by Kyeong Bae (Pro V1x) in solo fourth. Three players tied for fifth place at 8-under, including Nicole Castrale (Pro V1) and Angela Stanford (Pro V1).
Titleist was the most played golf ball at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship with 101 players (67%), compared to 36 for the nearest competitor. Nordqvist’s victory marks the 9th for Titleist on the 2009 LPGA TOUR, more than four times the nearest competitor with 2.
PGA TOUR: Brian Gay (Pro V1, Vokey Design Spin Milled sand/56 and lob/60 wedges) played his way into this week’s U.S. Open, winning the St. Jude Championship in wire-to-wire fashion. In the final round, Gay fired his third consecutive 4-under 66 to post an 18-under 262 total, five shots clear of Titleist Brand Ambassador Bryce Molder (Pro V1x, 909D3 driver, 909F2 fairway metal, 695CB irons, Vokey Design pitching, sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport 2.7 SS putter) and David Toms (Pro V1). Toms eagled the 16th hole to secure a share of second place. Three players tied for fourth place another shot back, including John Senden (Pro V1, Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter) and Paul Goydos (Pro V1).
The win marks the third career victory for Gay, who also won the Verizon Heritage in April. Of the 11 players who finished among the Top 10 and ties, nine trusted Titleist golf balls for their success. Titleist was the most played golf ball at the event with 105 players, five times the nearest competitor with 21. Titleist was also first in irons sets (42), wedges (144) and putters (57), and second in drivers (38).
Gay’s victory marks the 14th for Titleist on the 2009 PGA TOUR, ten more than the nearest competitor with 4.
NATIONWIDE: Titleist was the most played golf ball at the Knoxville Open with 98 players, compared to 22 for the nearest competitor. Titleist was also first in wedges (122) and putters (46).
CANADIAN: It was a Titleist 1-2 finish at the City of Surrey Invitational where Mike Grob (Pro V1) fired a final round 5-under 67 to win by two strokes over a charging Graham DeLaet (Pro V1x). Having parred the first five holes of the final round, Grob exploded with five birdies over his next six holes to open up a six shot lead. He finished the tournament at 16-under 272 to capture his sixth Tour title.
WORLDWIDE WINS: With three more wins this week, the 2009 Titleist golf ball victory count advanced to 67, that’s more than four times the nearest competitor with 15.
TITLEIST TOUR BLOG: For daily inside-the-ropes notes, video, player and equipment information at this week’s U.S. Open and across the worldwide professional tours, please visit the Titleist Tour Blog at: http://titleistblog.com/
DIRECT FROM THE TOUR VIDEO: To view exclusive round-by-round interviews with Titleist players from this week’s U.S. Open and at every PGA TOUR event, please visit our Direct from the Tour feature online at: http://www.titleist.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1
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://www.titleist.com/leaderboard/default.asp
Contact:
Joe Gomes, Director of Communications (508.979.3211)
