Aaron Rai Secures His First Major Victory at the PGA Championship with Pro V1 Golf Ball

By Zack R., Team Titleist Staff On Today Balls Tour Clubs

PGA TOUR | PGA Championship

With history on the line in Philadelphia, Aaron Rai teed up his Pro V1 and delivered a decisive finish, playing his final 10 holes in 6 under par Sunday at Aronimink to win his first major championship.

  • Rai became the first PGA Champion in history to lower his score in each round, posting rounds of 70-69-67-64 to finish the week at 9 under par, three shots better than second.
  • Rai, who says he has played a Pro V1 golf ball since he was about 9 or 10 years old, won his first major with the same precision and ball-striking prowess that earned him his PGA TOUR card in 2022 and his first victory in 2024.
  • Of the +7.352 strokes Rai gained tee to green, more than six of them were on approach shots (+6.063/2nd).
  • It added up to a field-best 22 birdies, including four on the back nine Sunday (Nos. 11, 13, 16 and 17) to go along with his eagle on the par-5 9th.
  • Rai topped a leaderboard featuring Titleist golf ball players in five of the top six positions, including Alex Smalley (Pro V1x) who tied for second.
  • Justin Thomas (Pro V1x), Ludvig Aberg (Pro V1x) and Matti Schmid (Pro V1) tied for fourth. 
  • In total, 106 players teed up a Titleist golf ball this week at Aronimink, more than five times the nearest competitor (18).

AARON RAI ON WHY HE PLAYS PRO V1

  • “I want the freedom to choose what I feel is best regardless of contracts, regardless of any other incentives. And I certainly wouldn't be using the Titleist ball if I didn't think it was the best regardless of any other factor.” 
  • “A lot of the golf courses that we play week in, week out, the margin between hitting great shots and being in bad spots is so, so small. And there’s a lot of variables that go into hitting the ball. But certainly when I do my job well, it’s paramount that the ball is in the area that I want it to be. And I don’t think I’ve hit a shot where the ball hasn't been where I’ve wanted it to be when I feel like I've done my part. And again, the ball plays a massive role in that. And that's the reason that I’ve used the Titleist ball for pretty much the whole time that I’ve played golf. And that’s the reason why I’m still using it now.”  

  • “The flight, it has a great balance of height and spin. I’ve probably been using Pro V1 since I was nine or 10 years old, and I can’t really see myself ever moving from it. I just feel if I do my job, I feel like the ball hits the windows that I expect them to be in.”
  • “The feel of it around the greens is second to none. Feel is also associated with sound. Hearing a certain note off the irons, hearing a certain note off the wedges, same off the driver. I quite like softness and I feel like it really gives that, even with the fuller shots. I probably feel it more around the greens, but it’s just got that nice balance of softness, and just what it does as soon as it’s off the face is just in the right area for me.”

LPGA | Kroger Queen City Championship

With her NEW GTS3 driver in the bag, Titleist Brand Ambassador Lottie Woad (Pro V1) shot a steady 1-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday, winning by two to clinch her second career LPGA title. 

  • Woad, the only player to shoot even-par or better for all four rounds (70-64-65-69), was dialed in all week long with her Pro V1 golf ball, hitting 78% greens in regulation (56/72).
  • The 22-year-old Englishwoman made 22 birdies for the week in Cincinnati, 14 of them during her second (6-under 64) and third (5-under 65) rounds.

What’s in the Bag? | Lottie Woad

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW GTS3 9.0° | A•1 SureFit hosel, H1 SureFit CG | Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 S
Fairway Metal: GT2 15.0° | Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Red 60 S and GT3 18.0° | Mitsubishi Diamana BB 63 S
Hybrid: GT2 21.0° | HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80HY 5.5
Irons: T150 5–9 | KBS Tour 120 S
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM11 50.08F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58K* wedges | Nippon N.S. Pro 950GH S

LOTTIE WOAD WHY SHE PLAYS PRO V1

  • “I think it's the most versatile for me. I love it around the greens and particularly my wedges, just being to hit those launch windows and control my spin is one of the most important parts for me and it's one of my strengths of my game.”
  • "I like the feel off the face, particularly on the chips. It feels soft enough for me to better hit those spin shots around the green. And I just feel like I can flight it well. With a wedge I like knocking it down a little bit and launching it lower with a little bit more spin. And just being able do that in the wind too, especially growing up in England, I played links golf as well, so to be able to do that, I think it's really important.”
  • “I think I've always loved controlling the flight of the golf ball ever since I was younger. I think being English does help, I’m used to having to fight the ball down sometimes. But taking that over here just with my wedges, I can just see different windows I want to launch it. And if I know that the ball's going to do that, then it makes it easier.”
  • “I think it feels soft off the face but not too soft. I don't really like it when it's too firm off the face. I feel like I lose a bit of control. So I like the slightly softer feel. But it also feels like it's going to go far enough with a driver. ... I think I can definitely tell from the sound off the face instantly whether I’ve hit a good shot or a bad shot just from the acoustics of that. So I think for that, being really consistent and knowing what the good sound is definitely helps.
  • “I think it just provides me with lots of confidence that I know it's going to do what I want, so it's not really something you have to worry about. And you can just swing it how you normally would, and it's going to launch the right way, spin the right way, and go the right distance.”
  • “If you've got consistency in your launch, your spin and distance ultimately, then you're going to have control, because you know where it's going, you know where it's going laterally and the distance as well. So that definitely gives you the ultimate control.”

WOAD WINS WITH NEW GTS3 DRIVER

  • Lottie Woad brought her NEW GTS3 driver to the winner’s circle on Sunday, having made the immediate move to GTS in March when the new models debuted at the Ford Championship.
  • Prior to the GTS tour launch, Woad had gotten her first look at the GTS lineup during final prototype testing, where she worked through each of the GTS2, 3 and 4 models to find her optimal setup.
  • Woad settled on a 9-degree GTS3 in A•1 and H1 SureFit hosel and CG positions, with her Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 S shaft.
  • She found her new gamer unlocked faster ball speeds and greater spin stability across the face.
  • "I got a little more speed across the board of all the models,” said Woad after her initial testing session with GTS. “The '3' was the one that the top end gave me a little more and... the misses [with GTS] were way better, so kind of tightened that dispersion up.”
  • Woad’s win was one of three victories worldwide this week with NEW GTS drivers, as Cole Sherwood (GTS2) won on the Korn Ferry Tour and Gerhard Pepler (GTS3) triumphed on the Sunshine Tour.

KORN FERRY TOUR | Colonial Life Charity Classic

Titleist Brand Ambassador Cole Sherwood (Pro V1x) closed out his first career Korn Ferry Tour title with a final-round 4-under 66 to win by one. 

  • Sherwood’s four rounds of 68 or better (68-66-64-66) saw him lead a group of 10 Titleist golf ball players finishing inside the top 11 positions on the final leaderboard.
  • It was also a 1-2 finish for NEW GTS driver players this week, as Sherwood finished one shot ahead of Zac Blair (GTS4 10.0°).
  • Sherwood was dialed on the greens with his Scotty Cameron Fastback 2 putter, gaining a field-best +8.014 strokes on the greens.
  • He also led in average feet of putts made (117 feet per round).
  • The 24-year-old hit 74% GIR (T16) for the week, which helped set him up to convert 20 birdies and two eagles.

What’s in the Bag? | Cole Sherwood

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: NEW GTS2 10.0°
Irons: T100 4–9
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM11 46.10F, 50.12F, 56.14F (@ 55), WedgeWorks 60A+
Putter: Scotty Cameron Fastback 2 tour prototype

KPGA | KPGA Gyeongbuk Open

Doyeob Mun (Pro V1x) birdied the 72nd hole to close in 4-under 67 Sunday and clinch his sixth career KPGA title.

  • The 34-year-old Korean was the only player to record four rounds in the 60s (67-69-67-67) in Gyeonbuk, making 20 birdies in the process.

JGTO | Kansai Open Golf Championship

Gaming his Titleist driver, utility and Vokey lob wedge, the winner of the Kansai Open Golf Championship closed out a three-shot victory for his third JGTO title.

SUNSHINE TOUR | Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am

Gerhard Pepler (Pro V1 Yellow) delivered a flawless final round, closing in 7-under 65 to win his second career Sunshine Tour title in wire-to-wire fashion.

  • He came up clutch down the stretch, making an eagle 3 on the par-5 17th before going on to win by two shots.
  • Pepler’s Sunday 65 was his third bogey-free round of the week, having opened with rounds of 63-64.

What’s in the Bag? | Gerhard Pepler

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Yellow
Driver: NEW GTS3 9.0°
Utility Iron: T250 2
Irons: 620 CB 4–5 and 620 MB 6–PW
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM11 50.12F, 56.08M, 60.06K

CHINA TOUR | Straits Cup Xiamen Open

Ryan Ang (Pro V1x) closed in even-par 71 to win by one and secure his first China Tour title.

  • The 26-year-old Singaporean led a group of nine Titleist golf ball players finishing inside the final top 10.

LET | Amundi German Masters

Leonie Harm (Pro V1) made four back-nine birdies on Sunday — including one on the par-5 18th — to win by one on home soil and capture her first career LET title. 

  • The 28-year-old German’s week was highlighted by a course record 8-under 65 on Thursday, the low round of the tournament.

AMATEUR | U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship

  • A total of 256 competitors have gathered this week at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., to compete for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship – and 88 percent of them are teeing up a Titleist golf ball. 
  • Among the 128 two-man teams, 224 players are teeing up a Pro V1, Pro V1x or Pro V1x Left Dash model, more than 18 times the nearest competitor (12).
  • Titleist is also the top choice of players in every major equipment category:
    • Forty percent of the field (103 players) is gaming a Titleist driver, 41 more than the nearest competitor (24%).
    • Titleist is also the most played fairway (121 players/35%) and hybrid (40/43%).
    • Titleist irons are also the top choice of players in Arizona with 98 (38%) sets in play, more than double the nearest competitor (39).
    • Fifty percent (60) of the utility irons in play are also Titleist.
    • There are over 500 Vokey Design gap, sand and lob wedges in play (501/66%), more than seven times the nearest competitor (63) and more than all other brands combined.
    • More competitors are also gaming Scotty Cameron putters (67/26%) than any other brand.

AMATEUR | NCAA Division I Women's Regionals

The NCAA D1 Women’s Regionals concluded this week, with 86% of competitors across six different sites having teed up a Titleist golf ball.

  • Titleist was also the most played driver (38%), iron (34%) and wedge (50%).
  • Each one of the eight medalists played a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, including Anna Davis, who finished atop the individual leaderboard in Louisville and led Auburn to the team title.
  • Davis was also among the five medalists who gamed a Scotty Cameron putter and at least one Vokey Design wedge.
  • Her all-Titleist setup included her Pro V1x golf ball, NEW GTS2 driver and fairways, 620 MB irons, Vokey Design wedges and Scotty Cameron Phantom putter.

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