Fairhaven, MA (February 6, 2012) - On one of the biggest sports days of the year, Titleist Brand Ambassador Kyle Stanley charged to a victory more than worthy of Super Bowl-sized acclaim.
One week after finishing runner-up in a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open, Stanley, one of the several young guns in the Titleist stable, authored a Sunday performance of perseverance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open that the golf world won't soon forget. The 24-year old, trusting Titleist equipment from tee-to-green, rallied from eight shots back in the final round to earn his first PGA Tour victory by one shot over fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Ben Crane.
Stanley combined with Titleist Brand Ambassador Kieran Pratt and Pro V1x loyalist Paul Lawrie to sweep the three events played across last week's worldwide professional tours.
WHAT'S IN KYLE STANLEY'S BAG?: Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, 910D3 (8.5) driver, 910Fd (13.5) fairway metal, 503i 2-iron, MB (4-P) irons, Vokey Design Spin Milled approach (52), sand (56) and lob (60) wedges, Scotty Cameron Timeless (GSS) putter.
Stanley fired four consecutive rounds in the 60's, closing with a bogey-free 6-under 65 for a 15-under 269 victory total. He topped a leaderboard that included all Titleist golf ball loyalists among the top seven finishers.
Crane (Pro V1x, 910D2 driver, 910F fairway metal, 910H hybrid, AP1/5 and AP2/6-9 irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges), who finished runner-up following a final-round 5-under 66, was followed by Spencer Levin (3rd/Pro V1x) and Titleist Brand Ambassadors D.J. Trahan (4th/Pro V1x, 909D3 driver, 910F fairway metals, MB irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges, Scotty Cameron GoLo putter), Brendan Steele (T5/Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, 910F fairway metal, 909H hybrid, MB irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges, Scotty Cameron GoLo Mid putter) and Kevin Na (T5/Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, 910F fairway metal, 910H hybrids, AP2 irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Tour Rat putter), and Pro V1x loyalist Bubba Watson (T5/Pro V1x).
A total of 92 players in the field at TPC Scottsdale relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success, more than eight times the nearest competitor with 11 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist was also first in irons sets (39); sand, lob and approach wedges (128); and putters (59).
Stanley's victory in the desert was highlighted by both power and precision, not to mention some grit and determination.
Two weeks ago, Stanley paid a visit to the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, Calif., a short drive from Torrey Pines, where he was participating in the Farmers Insurance Open. There, he worked with Dr. Greg Rose on his alignment, getting himself squared up from what had become an open stance. As a result of the realignment, Stanley lost some backspin with his Titleist 910D3 7.5º driver.
TPI's Senior Club Fitting Analyst Dino Antenucci, changed Stanley's driver head from 7.5º to 8.5º, keeping the SureFit Tour hosel in the A•1 position (standard loft, standard lie). Immediately, Stanley had a better ball flight, more shot-shaping control and about 2,400 rpm of backspin. Of course, the results speak for themselves:
In Phoenix, Stanley finished 3rd in Greens in Regulation (79.2) and is now 9th (75.2) on the 2012 PGA TOUR. He is also 8th in Driving Distance to date with an average of 308.2 yards. His tee-to-green success places him atop the FedExCup Points (846) and PGA TOUR Money (nearly $1.8 million) lists.
EUROPEAN: Pro V1x loyalist Paul Lawrie (Pro V1x) moved back into the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50 for the first time since 2003 after a flawless performance earned him a second Commercialbank Qatar Masters title. Long known on Tour by the nickname "Chippy" for his short-game prowess, Lawrie chipped in twice during a brilliant closing 7-under 65 that gave him a 15-under 201 total, four shots clear of his nearest competitor. The event was shortened to 54 holes following severe wind conditions on Friday.
With the victory, Lawrie, who also won this event in 1999, earns a spot in the 64-man WGC-Accenture Match Play later this month and the 24-man Volvo World Match Play in May.
ASIAN: It was a 1-2-3 finish for Titleist Brand Ambassadors at the Zaykabar Myanmar Open where Kieran Pratt (Pro V1x, 909D3 driver, 910F fairway metals, MB irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges, Scotty Cameron SS Newport 2 putter) birdied the second hole of a playoff to top Adam Blyth (Pro V1x, 910F fairway metal, CB irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Select Fastback putter) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, 712 Series CB irons, Vokey Design SM4 wedges) to capture his first Asian Tour title.
Seven of the top 10 finishers trusted a Titleist golf ball for their success.
