Scottie Scheffler Trusts His Pro V1 Golf Ball to Win the Waste Management Phoenix Open

By Zack R., Team Titleist Staff On 13 February 2023 Balls Tour Clubs

PGA TOUR | WM Phoenix Open

Scottie Scheffler (Pro V1) earned his fifth career PGA TOUR victory following a final round 7-under 65 at TPC Scottsdale.

  • Scheffler’s winning total of 19 under was enough for a two-shot victory and back-to-back wins at the WM Phoenix Open.
  • His victory in 2022 began a stretch of four wins in six starts, a run that saw him claim his first major title at the Masters and take the top spot in the OWGR for the first time.
  • He returned to World No. 1 with this week’s win.
  • The victory marks Scheffler’s fifth win in 364 days, all of which were won with his Pro V1 golf ball.
  • Scheffler was in complete control of his golf ball in Scottsdale, leading the field in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green (+9.487) and SG: Tee to Green (+13.738).
  • He ranked 1st in Scrambling, getting up-and-down 88% of the time, and 3rd in Greens in Regulation (56/72, 78%).
  • During Sunday’s final round, Scheffler went out in 32, making the turn at 16 under.
  • On the par-5 13th, he stuck his approach from 200 yards to 21 feet and made eagle to re-take his lead.
  • Scheffler went on to make a clutch up-and-down par save on No. 16 and backed it up with an up-and-down for birdie on the drivable 17th.
  • Titleist golf ball players finished 1-2 this week, with Nick Taylor (Pro V1x) posting 17 under for his best result since 2020.

SCHEFFLER ON THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS PRO V1

  • “I feel like you're always playing a different type of shot. Rarely am I just hitting a straight up stock shot, you're always trying to do a little something with the golf ball. And so having that consistency and knowing that golf ball's going to react the way I need it to react when it comes off the face and when it goes into the green - especially when you get in a Tour setup where the greens are crazy firm, the wind is blowing - you got to have total control over where that golf ball is going to go. I feel like I've gotten that consistency with the Titleist ball over the years and I really trust how it reacts.”

KEY PAR SAVE ON NO. 16: PRO V1 + VOKEY WEDGE + SCOTTY CAMERON PUTTER

  • Holding on to a one-shot lead on the 16th hole on Sunday, the winner of the WM Phoenix Open faced a difficult, short-sided pitch from left of the green.
  • Using a Vokey Design wedge, the champion safely pitched his Pro V1 golf ball to 15 feet, 4 inches from the hole.
  • He then rolled in the par save with his Scotty Cameron Tour Type Special Select Timeless GSS Tour Prototype to carry a two-shot lead into the final two holes.

CHAMPION HOLES KEY PUTTS DOWN THE STRETCH WITH SCOTTY CAMERON PUTTER

  • The winner of the WM Phoenix Open relied on his Pro V1 golf ball and his scoring clubs down the stretch to pull away from the field and finish off his two-shot victory.
  • The champion rolled in an eagle putt on No. 13 from 21 feet, 11 inches with his Scotty Cameron Tour Type Special Select Timeless GSS Tour Prototype putter to regain his lead on the back nine.
  • A clutch 15-foot par save on No. 16 extended his advantage with two holes to play.
  • The now two-time WM Phoenix Open champion first put a Newport 2-style putter in play exactly a year ago at TPC Scottsdale, and he went on to win four times in six starts with the new flatstick.
  • The reigning Masters Champion’s current putter is the exact same model as his putter from last season but with a flatter lie angle.
  • Prior to his switch at last year’s WM Phoenix Open, he had previously been using a Newport-style Super Rat 1 tour prototype and worked with Scotty Cameron Tour Rep Brad Cloke to dial in his setup.
  • “He just wanted to switch things up a little bit and give himself a slightly different look heading into 2022,” said Cloke on the winner’s move to his current model. “Prior to visiting us in the Studio, he’d been messing around with an older Newport 2 Timeless he had at home. He’d added bunch of lead tape to the sole to try and get it to a similar swingweight as his Super Rat. He really liked the profile, but the feel wasn’t exactly where he wanted it, so we went to work on building him a new setup with adjustable weighting.”

WINNER RANKS FIRST IN SCRAMBLING WITH VOKEY DESIGN WEDGE SETUP

  • This week’s champion collected his fifth PGA TOUR victory with three Vokey Design wedges (Vokey Design SM8 50.12F, 54.14F, WedgeWorks 60T), finishing 1st in Scrambling for the week at TPC Scottsdale (14/16, 87.5%).
  • During Sunday’s final round, the winner was a perfect four-for-four getting up-and-down after missing the green, and his birdie on No. 17 came after a deft pitch from off the green to five feet.
  • In addition to ranking 1st in Scrambling, the winner was 19th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+1.517).

HATTON, RODGERS TEE UP NEW PRO V1x FOR FIRST TIME IN COMPETITION

  • Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Rodgers made the move to NEW Pro V1x this week in Scottsdale, both having played prior generation Pro V1x models.
  • Hatton finished the tournament in T6 at 11 under, his best PGA TOUR finish since the PLAYERS in 2022.
  • For the week, he ranked 3rd in Driving Accuracy and 4th in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and SG: Approach to Green.
  • Rodgers made five birdies and an eagle on Sunday to shoot 65 and move into T14 on the final leader board, his best finish of the calendar year.
  • He led the field in Strokes Gained: Total (+5.794) as well as SG: Tee to Green and SG: Approach the Green for Sunday’s final round.

DP WORLD TOUR | Singapore Classic

Ockie Strydom (Pro V1) posted a final round 63 to claim his second career DP World Tour win – and his second victory in his last six starts.

  • The South African-native overcame a four-shot deficit at the round’s start, with his flawless closing round securing the one-shot victory.
  • Strydom made five birdies on the front nine to go out in 30 and returned home in 4-under 33.
  • A clutch up-and-down from behind the par-5 18th marked his final birdie of the day and saw him reach his winning 19 under total.
  • Strydom’s 63 was the lowest round of the week at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
  • “The chip on 18 was phenomenal,” said Strydom. “It was one that is either perfect and coming back or it’s in the pond. I played it exactly how I wanted to. Just glad it came out to about half a foot and I knocked it in.”
  • Strydom ranked second in both Strokes Gained: Approach (+3.02 per round) and SG: Tee to Green (+3.88 per round).
  • He finished fifth in SG: Around the Green as well (+0.87 per round), getting his Pro V1 up-and-down 75% of the time (9th in the field).
  • Thirteen of the top 16 finishers on the final leader board teed up a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x  model for the week. 

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS | Trophy Hassan II

Stephen Ames collected his third career win on the PGA TOUR Champions in just his second start playing the NEW Titleist Pro V1 golf ball.

  • Ames’ victory makes it two-for-two on the PGA TOUR Champions for 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x  following Steve Stricker’s win in Hawaii with NEW Pro V1x.
  • Ames finished off his third win emphatically, winning by five shots and in wire-to-wire fashion.
  • The Canadian opened with a 5-under 67 – which tied for the lowest round of the week – and closed with a steady round of even par at the difficult Royal Golf Dar Es Salam venue.
  • With tough scoring conditions all week (only four players carded a round in the 60’s for the tournament) Ames ranked 1st in Bogey Avoidance, and his 13 birdies saw him come out on top at the week’s end. 

KORN FERRY TOUR | Astara Golf Championship

Rhein Gibson (Pro V1 Left Dot) became a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour with a four-shot victory in Columbia.

  • The Australian stepped to the 18th tee with a two-shot lead and made eagle on the last to post a final round 7-under 64.
  • The eagle on No. 18 was Gibson’s second eagle on the back nine after making one on No. 10, and three other birdies to go along with zero bogeys gave Gibson the win.
  • Gibson posted all four rounds in the 60’s (68-69-66-64), and his closing 64 marked the lowest round of the day at the Country Club de Bogota-Lagos.
  • With the win this week in his fourth start of the year, Gibson is projected to rise to No. 3 in the season-long Korn Ferry Tour points list.
  • For the week in Columbia, 14 out of the top 18 finishers on the final leader board played a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x model.

SUNSHINE TOUR | Dimension Data Pro-Am

Titleist Brand Ambassador Oliver Bekker, teeing up the NEW Pro V1x golf ball, won his eighth Sunshine Tour event, posting 22 under for a four-shot win in front of a home crowd.

  • Bekker was the only player to shoot all four rounds in the 60’s (67-68-64-68), and his victory marked his second win at the Dimension Data Pro-Am, having first won the tournament in 2012.
  • Five final round birdies – four of which came in his final nine holes – saw Bekker maintain his lead over the competition, capping off a stellar performance at Fancourt Golf Resort. 

PGA TOUR AUSTRALASIA | Vic Open

Titleist Brand Ambassador Mike Hendry posted a steady even-par final round of 72 through windy conditions to win by four shots while playing the NEW Pro V1 golf ball.

  • The New Zealand-native opened the week with rounds of 64-62 and extended the three-shot lead he began the final round with on Sunday at The 13th Beach Golf Links.
  • “It was so tricky,” Hendry said on Sunday’s conditions. “Trying to judge the clubs into the green was just about impossible at times.”
  • Titleist led the field with 120 players choosing to tee up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x model, 83% of the competition.

AMATEUR | John Hayt Invitational | GORDON SARGENT SMASHES RECORDS WITH 2023 PRO V1

In his first collegiate start with NEW Pro V1, Gordon Sargent cruised to a seven-shot victory at the John Hayt Invitational.

  • The reigning NCAA Individual Champion posted a record-breaking 54 holes highlighted by a second round 64, matching the tournament low round and smashing the 54-hole scoring mark (-15), score in relation to par, and victory margin.
  • He also led his team to a 16-shot team victory in the event.

What’s In The Bag: Gordon Sargent

Golf Ball: NEW Pro V1
Driver: TSR2 9.0° | Tensei 1K Pro White 60 TX-Flex
Fairway Metal: TSi2 16.5° | HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 6.5 TX
Utility Iron: T200 3 (Utility Build) | Ventus Black HB 10 TX-Flex
Irons: T100 4 and 620 MB 5-9 | Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F | Dynamic Gold X100, Vokey Design SM9 52.08F, 56.10S | Dynamic Gold S300, and Vokey Design WedgeWorks 60V | Dynamic Gold S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M prototype

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