The 146th Open Championship is off and running.
Played since 1860, The Open is the oldest championship in professional golf and it also has the distinction of presenting its winners with one of the most sought after trophies in all of sport – The Claret Jug.
If you’re curious how special the Claret Jug is to players, just ask Titleist golf ball loyalist and defending champion Henrik Stenson (Pro V1).
“It's almost become part of the family. It's been traveling with me around the world,” said Stenson. “And it also brings a lot of smiles to enthusiastic golfers around the world when they get to hold it and take pictures with the Claret Jug.”
After an amazing finish at Royal Troon last year where Stenson fired an 8-under-par final round to post a record-tying score of 63, he had earned the title of Champion Golfer of the Year and added his first major victory to his resume.
“It was certainly a dream come true winning The Open Championship last year,” added Stenson. “It's been a fun year, but at the same time we're about ready to start focusing on what's in front of us rather than what's behind us.”
As for what lies ahead, this year Royal Birkdale will play host to The Open for the 10th time in the courses history, making it one of the most visited venues in the rota. First established in 1889, Royal Birkdale underwent an extensive redesign in 1922 where Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor developed the challenging layout that players will face this week.
Stretched out to 7,156 yards and with a par of 70, players will need to deftly navigate the tight fairways throughout the impressive links layout. And if the wind kicks up from the Irish Sea, an already demanding test will only become more difficult – and more exciting.
So grab that morning cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy the third major of the year.
And best of luck to all of #TeamTitleist this week!
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TITLEIST BY THE NUMBERS
This week at the 146th Open Championship, Titleist is once again the overwhelming golf ball choice, with 103 players trusting a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than five times the nearest competitor with 20 and more than all competitors combined.
Titleist was also the top choice among players in the hybrids category (12) as well as the irons category with 36 sets in play. Vokey Design Wedges also topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (166) category and Scotty Cameron putters were the top choice among players with 55 putters in play.
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SOCIAL BUZZ FROM BIRKDALE
It's time for Team Titleist to roll into the 146th Open Championship!
Arriving in style and with some very special hardware, the defending champion Henrik Stenson.
Royal Birkdale has been receiving high marks from the field all week.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Jimmy Walker got right to work on the range...
Meanwhile, Titleist Brand Ambassador Andrew "Beef" Johnston rolled a few putts on the 8th.
Cheers to an exciting week!