PGA TOUR | Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Showcasing control and precision through windswept conditions, Austin Smotherman (Pro V1x) prevailed in extra holes to earn his second career PGA Tour win in as many starts.
- A Monday morning playoff was scheduled after high winds forced the cancellation of Sunday’s final round and reduced the tournament to 54 holes, with Smotherman and Seamus Power (Pro V1x) tied at 16 under.
- Smotherman, who currently ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach (+0.637), made par on each of the three trips around the 152-yard par-3 16th hole in the all-Pro V1x playoff, securing another PGA Tour title after breaking through at the Bank of Utah Championship earlier this month.
- The SMU alum displayed exceptional ball-striking throughout the week, ranking 2nd in Proximity (26’2”) and 6th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+7.275).
- He hit 72% GIR (T18) while scrambling for par at an 80% clip (T11).
- Smotherman and Power also led a group of Titleist golf ball players who finished Saturday’s third round 1-2-3-4-5 atop the leaderboard, with nine of the final top 10 playing a Pro V1 or Pro V1x:
- Smotherman, a 2025 Korn Ferry Tour graduate who finished third on last year’s Points List after a two-win season, first switched to his Pro V1x from a competitive brand at the start of last year and hasn’t changed his golf ball model since.
- Seventy-five percent of the field this week in Bermuda (90 players) teed up a Titleist golf ball, more than six times the nearest competitor.
- Smotherman’s victory today marks the 29th win for Titleist golf ball players this season on the PGA Tour.
16 PLAYERS TEE UP NEW 2027 PRO V1 AND PRO V1x GOLF BALLS IN BERMUDA
- Corey Conners and Taylor Moore were among 16 players who teed up NEW 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x models this week in Bermuda, as the validation process for the next generation models continues on the PGA Tour and professional tours around the world.
- After testing 2027 Pro V1x at home last week, Conners moved to the new model in his first opportunity Thursday at Port Royal and opened with an 8-under 63, tying his lowest round of 2026.
- In the most difficult conditions Saturday, Conners hit 14 of 18 greens (T2) on his way to a closing 69 and a T3 finish.
- It was a similar story for Moore, who after testing 2027 Pro V1 at home last week put it right in play on his way to a T3 finish as well, his best result since March.
- Moore posted rounds of 65-68-66 while gaining +5.685 shots (4th) on approach shots.
- All eight players who teed up 2027 Pro V1 (Moore, Hayden Springer, Chad Ramey) and Pro V1x (Conners, Jeffrey Kang, Brendon Todd, Hank Lebioda, No. 5 SG: Around the Green) for the first time this week in Bermuda advanced to the weekend.
- Last week on the JGTO, Yusaku Hosono trusted the new Pro V1x to victory at the Japan Open Golf Championship, earning invitations to the 2027 Masters and the 155th Open Championship, his first major starts.
- A week earlier, Hosono was among 12 players who put the 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1xin play at the PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan as the global validation phase officially got underway.
- That list of early adopters also included Jordan Spieth (Pro V1), Brian Harman (Pro V1x), Sahith Theegala (Pro V1), Tom Hoge (Pro V1) and Denny McCarthy (Pro V1).
- Hoge finished T6 this week in Bermuda while leading the field in Scrambling (95%), getting up-and-down on 19 of 20 attempts.
- McCarthy led the field this week in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+3.978) while finishing T15.
- In total, 25 players have already teed up 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x models on the PGA Tour.
DP WORLD TOUR / KPGA | Genesis Championship
Yuto Katsuragawa (Pro V1) earned his second career DP World Tour title, matching the course record with a third-round 63 (-8) before closing in even-par 71 for the two-shot victory.
- Katsuragawa made only one bogey over the weekend, leaning on a sharp short game to rank 4th in Scrambling after getting up-and-down 17 of 22 times (77.3%).
- Seventy-one percent (90) of competitors this week in South Korea teed up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball model, more than five times the nearest competitor (17).
- Twenty-four of the 28 events played this season on the DP World Tour have been won by Titleist golf ball players.
- The victory vaulted Katsuragawa from 106th to 28th in the Race to Dubai Rankings, ensuring his DP World Tour card for 2027 while also earning spots in the season-ending Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR | Hero Women’s Indian Open
Gaming her NEW 2027 Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, Pornanong Phatlum won in a four-shot runaway for her fourth career victory at the Women’s Indian Open.
- Phatlum, who first moved to the next generation Pro V1x at the LPGA’s LOTTE Championship earlier this month, was in complete control on Sunday, closing with a bogey-free, 7-under 65.
- It was the low round of the day by three shots and one of only two final round scores in the 60’s.
- She was the only player to finish double-digits under par after four trips around DLF Golf and Country Club’s difficult layout.
JGTO | Fortinet Players Cup
The winner of the Fortinet Players Cup trusted his Titleist GT3 driver, U•505 utility and Vokey lob wedge to his fourth career JGTO title.
- He hit 75% fairways in regulation (T7).
- Thirty-six players this week played a Titleist driver (38%), more than double the next most played brand (17).
- Six of the last eight events on the JGTO have been won by players gaming a Titleist driver.
SUNSHINE TOUR | Stella Artois Players Championship
Titleist Brand Ambassador Deon Germishuys birdied the first playoff hole to capture his fourth career Sunshine Tour victory.
- Gaming a setup that included his Pro V1 golf ball and NEW GTS metals, Germishuys made 24 birdies over four rounds in Gauteng, including four on the back nine Sunday (Nos. 11-12, 16-17) to force extra holes.
- Germishuys was one of 118 players (83%) who teed up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball at Glendower GC, more than five times the nearest competitor (22).
- Titleist was also the most played in every major equipment category: driver (54%), fairway (46%), hybrid (50%), utility (53%), iron (51%), wedge (65%) and putter (37%).
What’s in the Bag? | Deon Germishuys
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: NEW GTS3 8.0°
Mini Driver: GT280 13.0°
Fairway Metal: NEW GTS2
Irons: T250 4 and 620 CB 5–PW
Wedges: Vokey Design SM11 48.10F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58K*
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA | Players Series South Australia
Adam Bland (Pro V1x) closed in 3-under 67 to win by two and capture his second career PGA Tour of Australasia title.
- The hometown winner made 24 birdies over rounds of 67-65-64-67.
- Titleist was the overwhelming #1 ball at Willunga GC, with 107 (74%) players teeing up a Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf ball.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS | Stifel Charity Classic
In his first start this season playing a Titleist golf ball, the Stifel Charity Classic champion (Pro V1) played his final six holes in 6 under to win by one and claim his first Champions Tour victory.
- Gaming an equipment setup that also included his NEW GTS3 driver and fairway, he made eight birdies and two eagles on his way to a Sunday 62, jumping eight spots on the leaderboard to beat out the field at the first of three Charles Schwab Cup Playoff events.
- He climbs from 23rd to 7th in the Schwab Cup standings with the win.
- The six-time winner on the PGA Tour led a 1-through-5 finish for Titleist golf ball players on the final leaderboard.