Titleist brand ambassador Rory McIlroy makes U.S. Open history in record-setting victory.
Fairhaven, MA (June 20, 2011) – In winning the 111th United States Open Championship, Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy registered one of the all-time dominating performances in major tournament history, trusting a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball and a bag full of Titleist equipment to a historic eight-shot victory and his first major championship.
Over the four rounds at Congressional Country Club, McIlroy set or tied 12 tournament records, posting rounds of 65-66-68-69 to finish at 16-under (268), a red number that U.S. Open scoreboards had never previously displayed. For the record, they had never shown 13, 14 or 15 under, either. McIlroy also got to 17-under at one point.
At 22 years, 1 month and 5 days, McIlroy became the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones won the 1923 U.S. Open at 21 years, 3 months and 28 days. Among his scoring records are:
• Fastest to double-digits under par (26 holes);
• Largest 36-hole lead (T-6);
• Low first-36 holes (131);
• Most strokes under par for 36 holes (-11);
• Low first-54 holes (199);
• Most strokes under par for 54 holes (-14);
• Low 72-hole total (268); and
• Most strokes under par for 72 holes (-16).
– Relying on Titleist from tee-to-green, McIlroy hit 62 of 72 of greens in regulation (86 percent), using his Titleist 910D3 driver, Titleist MB irons and Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges to author a legendary tale of precision and tap-in birdies. He averaged 1.65 putts per green, putting with a Scotty Cameron Newport GSS Prototype in a chromatic bronze finish that may as well have been gold. McIlroy rolled his Pro V1x golf ball in for 19 birdies, one eagle and 48 pars. He made just two bogeys and one double-bogey in 72 holes.
“I didn’t really have a swing thought this week. I was just seeing the target and hitting it. It was just one of those weeks where everything was on and it worked out the right way,” said McIlroy.
McIlroy was one of 96 players in the field at Congressional Country Club that relied on a Titleist golf ball for their success, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19 and more than all competitors combined. It marked the 63rd-consecutive year that Titleist was the #1 golf ball at the U.S. Open.
Here’s a closer look at What’s in Rory McIlroy’s Titleist golf bag:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D2 8.5º, C•2 SureFit Tour hosel setting (Fujikura Rombax 7V05)
3-wood: Titleist 906F2 13º (Fujikura Pro95)
5-wood: Titleist 906F2 18º (Fujikura Pro95)
Irons: Titleist MB 3-9 (Project X Steel)
Wedges: Vokey Design Spin Milled 248•10º (bent to 46º), SM54•10º, 60Lº (Project X Steel)
Putter: Scotty Cameron GSS prototype
There were three other events across the major professional tours, and just like last week’s 7-of-7 sweep, Titleist golf ball players won them all.
– On the European Tour, Australia’s Matthew Zions (Pro V1) closed with a 2-under 69 to win his first European Tour title at the Saint-Omer Open in convincing fashion. The overnight leader, Zions made four birdies and two bogeys on Sunday en route to an 8-under 276 total, seven strokes ahead of three players, including Titleist Pro V1x loyalists Peter Gustafsson and Craig Lee. Zions’ previous best result on the European Tour was a ninth-place finish at the 2007 New Zealand Open.
– Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 117 players, more than six times the nearest competitor with 18. Titleist also was first in iron sets (49); and sand, lob and approach wedges (194), and second in drivers (39), including 37 new 910D2 or 910D3 drivers; hybrids (28), including 19 new 910H models; and putters (30).
– Mathew Goggin (Pro V1x) became the first two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour this season, holding off Titleist Brand Ambassador Kyle Thompson (Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, 910Fd 3-wood, 910F 5-wood, AP2 irons, Vokey Design gap and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport putter) by one shot to win the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open.
– Goggin, who started the day with a one-shot lead, finished the tournament with a 7-foot birdie putt to avoid a playoff with Thompson, who was pursuing back-to-back victories after winning last week’s Rex Hospital Open. Goggin shot a 2-under-par 69 in hot, windy conditions to post a 72-hole total of 18-under 266.
– The victory is the fourth career Nationwide victory for the 37-year-old Goggin, who played nine of the eleven previous seasons on the PGA Tour.
– Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 114 players, more than eight times the nearest competitor with 14. Titleist also was first in iron sets (44); sand, lob and approach wedges (139); and putters (68). Titleist was second in drivers (40), including 35 new 910D2 or 910D3 drivers; and fairway metals (43), including 32 new 910F or 910F.d models.
On the Asian Tour, Chawalit Plaphol (Pro V1x) of Thailand, captured the Queen’s Cup for his first title in five years. His last win on the Asian Tour was at the 2006 Bangkok Airways Open, which also was contested on the same Santiburi Samui CC course in Thailand.
Plaphol closed with a 3-under 68 for an 11-under 273 victory total after entering the final round with a one-shot lead and finishing with a two-shot victory. Daisuke Maruyama (Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, AP2 irons, Vokey Design sand and lob wedges) finished solo 3rd, six strokes behind the champion. In fact, 11 of the 13 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls, including 6 of the top 7.
Titleist was the overwhelming choice of more players with 98, which is over 68 percent of the field.
– Titleist golf ball players have now won 77 times across the 2011 worldwide professional tours, 7 times the nearest competitor with 11.
Contact:
