May 3, 2011; Phoenix, Arizona — Wins on three major tours highlighted the first weekend in May for PING and its staff of more than 80 professionals around the world. The three titles by Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood and Maria Hjorth bring PING’s year-to-date worldwide total to seven.
“A fantastic weekend for us,” said PING Chairman & CEO John Solheim. “Each event came down to the final holes and we were excited to see our players come out on top. To have the No.1 player in the world in Lee, and one of the most talented and popular in Bubba, has made this year very rewarding so far. Additionally, Maria’s gesture of donating $20,000 of her winnings to the American Red Cross to help the tornado victims of Alabama was an amazing touch of class.”
Each victory will be commemorated in the famed PING Gold Putter Vault with a putter representing the model used by the winning player. The newest additions will be two Redwood® Ansers (Watson and Westwood) and a Scottsdale® Pickemup® Long putter (Hjorth).
On the PGA Tour, PING Pro Bubba Watson’s playoff win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans marked his second win of the season and third in 10 months. He joined PING Pro Mark Wilson as the only multiple winners on Tour this season. Watson led the field in driving distance (331.4 yards), tied for first in greens-in-regulation (80.6%) and assumed the No. 1 position in the FedExCup standings. He also moved to 10th in the world rankings. Watson played a G15® driver, G15 5-wood, S59 irons, Tour-S® and Tour-W® wedges and a Redwood Anser® putter.
For the year, Watson, who has earned fame for his long drives, leads the PGA Tour in greens-in-regulation, hitting 74.4%.
Lee Westwood further solidified his World No. 1 ranking with a come-from-behind win at the European Tour’s Ballantine’s Championship in Korea. It was his second-straight win as he claimed the Indonesian Masters the week before to regain his position atop the world rankings. A final-round 67, the low round of the day, earned him a 1-shot victory over fellow PING Pro Miguel Angel Jimenez. Westwood relied on a G10® driver, i10® irons, i15® 3-wood, Rapture V2® 5-wood, Tour-W wedges and a Redwood Anser putter.
A final-round 67 at the Avnet LPGA Classic also landed PING Pro Maria Hjorth in the winner’s circle. Trailing by two entering the last round, the Swede carded seven birdies en route to a two-shot victory and her fifth career title. Her bag included a K15® driver and 3-wood, S56® irons, a G10 hybrid, Tour-S Rustique wedges and a Scottsdale Pickemup Long putter.
Contact:
Pete Samuels
(602) 687-5487
