The Acushnet Company’s Titleist brand has dominated the ball count and many of the equipment count categories for the past several years – decades in regards to the Titleist golf ball – but Titleist staffer Rory Mcllroy’s eight-shot victory at the U.S. Open was dominating even by its standards.
The young Irish star, who shot 16-under par in four rounds, played Congressional with a bag full of Titleist products, including a Titleist 910D2 driver (8.5 degrees) and 906F2 fairway metals (13 and 18 degrees). He played MB irons (3-PW), Vokey Design pitching (48 degrees), approach (54 degrees) and a 60-degree lob wedge. McIlroy used True Temper Project X 6.5 shafts in his irons).
Mcllroy also used a Scotty Cameron prototype Newport GSS putter and a Titleist Pro V1x. According to Titleist, since 1949 a Titleist has been the preferred golf ball by the majority that tee it up at the U.S. Open. At Congressional, last week, 96 players, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19 choose to play Titleist.
Titleist was also first at Congressional in iron sets (44); sand, lob and approach wedges (132); and putters (51).
Mcllroy has used a few Scotty Cameron putters over the past two seasons, playing the majority of events with a Newport Fastback. After a recent session with his putting instructor, McIllroy decided that the toe flow of the Newport GSS style was working better with his putting stroke.
The Scotty Cameron team built Mcllroy the Newport GSS Prototype last season at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. He’s put it into play in a few times over the past year and has always kept it in his travel bag.