Hi Team Titleist,
Qualifying for next week’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines began months ago, with more than 8,600 golfers teeing it up at 108 Local Qualifiers held across the United States. It ended on Monday – “Golf’s Longest Day” – with a total of 66 players having earned tickets to Torrey through 36-hole Final Qualifiers held at 11 different locations. (Nine were held on Monday in the U.S., with two others held May 24 in Japan and Dallas.)
Of the just over 800 players who competed at a Final Qualifier, 73% percent of them teed up a Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1x or Pro V1x Left Dash golf ball, including 49 of the 66 (74%) players who ultimately qualified for the season’s third major championship.
All five amateurs who earned the trip to San Diego through Final Qualifying also played a Titleist golf ball, with four of the five gaming a Titleist TSi driver, the most played driver model this season on the PGA TOUR.
The other three amateurs who will be competing at Torrey Pines also play a Titleist golf ball – the 2020 British Amateur champion (Pro V1), 2020 U.S. Amateur runner-up (Pro V1) and the recent Big 12 individual champion and U.S. Walker Cup team member (Pro V1x), who got in the field this week as first alternate from the Columbus, Ohio, qualifier.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Ty Strafaci, the 2020 U.S. Amateur champion, who has recently turned professional, will be competing with a NEW Pro V1x and full bag of Titleist, including TSi3 driver, U•500 utility, T100 and 620 MB irons, Vokey Design SM8 wedges and Scotty Cameron 009M putter.
Titleist Success at Final Qualifiers:
- Three amateur golfers – each of them Pro V1 players – were medalists at two different Final Qualifying sites. Two tied for first at Dallas Athletic Club while the other – a member of the winning team at the recent NCAA Championship, who went 3-0 during the match-play sessions – topped the leaderboard at Meadow Springs GC in Richland, Wash.
- Titleist Brand Ambassador Cameron Young – playing a NEW Pro V1 golf ball, TSi driver and fairways, T100 and 620 MB irons, Vokey Design SM8 wedges and NEW Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11 putter – qualified for his second U.S. Open, medaling at the Purchase, N.Y. qualifier played at Century Country Club & Old Oaks Country Club. The performance came just a week after Young, 24, completed back-to-back, wire-to-wire wins on the Korn Ferry Tour. Young, the son of Titleist staff professional David Young, the head PGA Professional at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, played his college golf at Wake Forest, where he graduated in 2019.
- Titleist Brand Ambassador Hayden Buckley qualified for his first U.S. Open, shooting back-to-back 67’s at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. Buckley – playing a Pro V1 golf ball, TSi3 driver, T100 irons and Vokey SM8 wedges – claimed his first Korn Ferry Tour title earlier this year at the Lecom Suncoast Classic, winning with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff after starting the week as the first alternate. Buckley, playing in his rookie season on the KFT, did not find out he was in the event until approximately 15 minutes before his 7:17 tee time Thursday morning. He hurried to the driving range and hit 10 balls before teeing off – on his way to an opening 3-under 68. Buckley, 25, played on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada in 2019 after four years on the golf team at the University of Missouri, where he started as a walk-on and graduated with the program’s lowest scoring average.
- Another former Missouri golfer – Titleist Brand Ambassador Peter Malnati – also qualified for his first U.S. Open, punching his ticket at the Columbus, Ohio, qualifier held at Brookside Golf & Country Club and The Lakes Golf & Country Club. Malnati plays a NEW Pro V1x golf ball and full bag of Titleist equipment, including TSi3 driver and fairways, U•500 utilities, T100 irons, Vokey SM8 wedges and a Scotty Cameron Newport 1.5 Fastback.
- Titleist staff member Steve Allan, a PGA teaching professional at Arizona Country Club, made two clutch putts to earn the final qualifying spot in Washington. With his son, Joey, caddying, Allan made a 10-footer for par on the 36th hole to force the playoff, then rolled his Pro V1 golf ball in from 15-feet for birdie on the first playoff hole to qualify for his sixth U.S. Open and first since 2010 at Pebble Beach. Allan, 47, owns two wins on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“I had a blast today, with my son Joey, caddying for me,” Allan tweeted. “And I holed a few putts at the end to qualify for the US Open!! Thanks to everyone for all of the texts and messages!! Torrey Pines here we come!”
Seven of the 10 players who qualified for the U.S. Open through the European Tour’s three-tournament qualifying series, ending with last week’s Porsche European Open, also played a Titleist golf ball.