PGA TOUR | Bank of Utah Championship
In total control of his Pro V1x golf ball from tee to green, Austin Smotherman went low in Utah to win his first career PGA Tour title by two shots and lead a one-through-six finish for Titleist golf ball players.
- Smotherman jumped out to the lead on Friday after he followed up a first-round 63 by matching his career low with a 62.
- He kept it going over the weekend and never looked back, ball-striking his way to a breakthrough victory.
- Over four rounds at Black Desert Resort, Smotherman picked up more than 10 strokes on the field from tee to green, gaining over five off the tee (+5.213, 2nd) and nearly another five with his approach play (+4.962, 7th).
- He hit 89% greens in regulation (2nd) for the week, helping set himself up for a field-best 32 birdies.
- Smotherman’s ball-striking has been world-class this season, as he ranks 8th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach (+0.637 average per round) and 5th in GIR (71.9%) overall.
- Finishing runner-up alone at 24 under was Titleist Brand Ambassador Doug Ghim, who was making his first start after moving to the new 2027 Pro V1x.
- Ghim led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+5.705) and ranked sixth in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+3.137).
- Overall for the week in Utah, 98 players teed up a Titleist golf ball, totaling 82% of the field and more than 10 times the nearest competitor (9).
- That group also includes 17 of the top 20 finishers, 11 of the top 12, and each of the top six:
- Smotherman, a 2025 Korn Ferry Tour graduate who finished third on last year's Points List after a two-win season, is projected to climb 28 spots to No. 51 in the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall standings.
- He first switched to Pro V1x from a competitive brand at the start of 2025.
- The champion put on a clinic off the tee this week, gaining +5.213 strokes on the field to rank second.
- His approach play was similarly elite, as he hit 64 of 72 greens in regulation (89%, 2nd) while gaining +4.972 shots (7th).
- Around the greens, he scrambled at a 75% clip (T11) getting up and down for par on six of eight attempts.
New 2027 Pro V1 And Pro V1x Golf Balls Begin Global Validation Phase
On Monday at the PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan, the next generation Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls begin a key global validation phase that will span the world’s professional tours for the next several months.
- Titleist reps from both the PGA Tour and Japan Golf Tour will be working with players on the range and inside the ropes at Yokohama Country Club as they prepare to game the next generation models in competition.
- The transition from player testing to tournament play, however, has already begun.
- Four players who eagerly awaited their first opportunity to tee up the 2027 models got the chance at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, the opening event of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall season.
- That group included Neal Shipley, whose move to the new Pro V1 led to both his career-best round (62 in Round 2) and finish (T3) on the PGA Tour.
- This past week, the group of early adopters grew, with more 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x models going into play at the PGA Tour's Bank of Utah Championship, the LPGA’s LOTTE Championship and the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
- Robert MacIntyre was one of the latest players to convert, teeing up the new Pro V1 for the first time this past week in Scotland before finishing T6.
- The new model initially caught MacIntyre’s attention during a prototype testing session with Titleist’s Director of Tour Research & Validation Fordie Pitts earlier this year at Harbour Town during his Tuesday practice round at the RBC Heritage.
- Last week, MacIntyre asked to book a session at the Titleist Performance Centre at Woburn (UK), where he worked with Titleist tour rep Liam McDougall to get dialed in with the new 2027 model.
- Another player to make the early move was Doug Ghim, who added 2027 Pro V1x to his setup this week in Utah after having first tested the new model during a trip last month to the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, Calif.
- Ghim finished runner-up in his first start since the move, carding rounds of 65-62-64-69 for a 24-under total.
- More on new Pro V1 and Pro V1x’s tour launch: https://mediacenter.titleist.com/en-US/272799-now-on-tour-new-titleist-pro-v1-and-pro-v1x-begin-global-validation-phase-in-japan/
DP WORLD TOUR | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Adrian Meronk (Pro V1) closed in 4-under 68 on the Old Course to earn his fifth career DP World Tour victory.
- Meronk shot rounds of 71-66-63-68 to finish at 20 under in Scotland and win by two shots.
- Nobody made more birdies over the four days than Meronk (25, T1).
- He also added an eagle to his total during his 9-under 63 third round, which tied for the low round of the tournament.
- Finishing T6 at 16 under was Robert MacIntyre, who made the move to the 2027 Pro V1 this week after testing the new model at the Titleist Performance Centre at Woburn (UK) last week.
- Seventy-five percent of competitors this week in St Andrews teed up a Titleist golf ball model.
- Twenty-one of the 25 events played this season on the DP World Tour have been won by Titleist golf ball players.
JGTO | Drugstore Cosmos Cup
Hiroshi Iwata (Pro V1x) birdied the 72nd hole to win his ninth career JGTO title by one shot.
- Iwata made 26 birdies over rounds of 66-65-64-72.
JLPGA | Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship
Jiyai Shin (Pro V1) prevailed on the third playoff hole to capture her 30th career JLPGA victory and sixth JLPGA major title.
- Shin’s win today saw her complete the career grand slam of JLPGA majors, having previously won the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup (2018, 2025), the JLPGA Championship (2018) and the JLPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup.
- She also has two majors on the LPGA tour, having won the AIG Women’s Open twice (2008, 2012).
- Her mark of 30 tour wins unlocks lifetime membership on the JLPGA.
- On Sunday, Shin made three back-nine birdies to close in 66, her fourth sub-70 round of the week. She was one of only two players to reach double digits under par (11 under).
KPGA | Hyundai Insurance KJ Choi Invitational
Jeunghun Wang (Pro V1x) carded a bogey-free 4-under 68 on Sunday to break through for his first career KPGA title with a three-shot win in Yeoju.
- Wang recorded rounds of 72-69-69-68 while making 17 birdies over the four days.
ASIAN GAMES | Men’s Singles
Titleist Brand Ambassador Tom Kim closed in 6-under 64 to clinch a three-stroke victory in the men’s singles competition at the Asian Games.
- Gaming his all-Titleist setup, Kim birdied four holes during his final round front nine (No. 2, 4, 6, 8) before adding another birdie on No. 11 and an eagle on No. 13 to pull away from the field and claim the top spot on the podium.
- Kim’s victory at Kasugai comes on the heels of his stellar performance at the Presidents Cup where he earned four points (4-1-0) for the Internationals. It was the highest point total of any player on both sides.
What’s in the Bag? | Tom Kim
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: NEW GTS3 9.0°
Fairway Metals: NEW GTS3 15.0° and 18.0°
Hybrid: GT1 20.0°
Irons: T100 4–9
Wedges: Vokey Design SM10 46.10F, 50.12F, WedgeWorks 58A (@ 59) wedges
Putter: Scotty Cameron TourType GSS tour prototype
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS | Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic
Steven Alker (Pro V1) shot a final-round 66 to close out his 14th career title and third win in his last four starts.
- The New Zealander made 17 birdies (2nd) over three rounds in Pennsylvania, including three on the back nine Sunday (Nos. 11, 16, 17), to pull clear of the field and win by one.
- Hitting 87% GIR (2nd) for the week, Alker shot rounds of 65-65-66 to finish at 14 under.
- Alker led a 1-through-7 finish for Titleist golf ball players this week in the Keystone State.
SUNSHINE TOUR | Limpopo Championship
Kyle Barker (Pro V1) prevailed in a playoff to capture his third career Sunshine Tour title.
- Dialed in with his Pro V1 golf ball, Barker made 16 birdies en route to carding rounds of 70-68-73-68.
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