The PGA Tour has provided a wealth of memorable moments and dramatic finishes this year, but they saved one of the best for the very last event on the 2018 calendar, as longtime Titleist golf ball loyalist Charles Howell III ended an 11-year victory drought by winning the RSM Classic, notching the first win on the PGA Tour by a player trusting the New 2019 Pro V1 golf ball.
Howell, who was playing the New 2019 Pro V1 for the first time in competition, also relied on 13 Titleist golf clubs, including the new TS3 driver and two TS2 fairway metals, which he put into play for the first time at last month’s CIMB Classic.
Despite cold and windy conditions in Round 1, Howell got off to a blazing start, firing an 6-under-par 64 on St. Simons Island. The Georgia native hit all 14 fairways and all 18 greens with his new Titleist equipment, to establish a lead he would maintain all the way into play on Sunday.
Coming down the stretch in the final round, Howell made a late charge, converting birdies on three of his final four holes to force the RSM into overtime. On the second extra hole, with the pressure mounting, Howell faced a 15-foot birdie putt for the win. Saying later that he'd "putt it off the green before leaving it short", Howell's Pro V1 found the center of the cup, sealing his first PGA Tour title since 2007, when won the Nissan Open at Riviera CC.
"Golf is a brutal game and the highs come with a lot of lows," Howell said after the victory. "You work and you practice and you prepare and you think you're doing all the right things but the results don't quite show it. It's a wonderful lesson to be learned that if you truly believe in what you're doing and stay the course that it can happen for you."
Charles' reaction to the winning putt:
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Let’s take a look at the equipment that Charles trusted in his momentous victory at the RSM Classic:
Golf Ball: New 2019 Pro V1
Driver: TS3 (10.5°)
Fairway: TS2 (15°, 21°)
Irons: 718 T-MB (4), 718 AP2 (5-7), 718 CB (8-PW)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM7 gap (52.08 F-grind), sand (56.08 M-grind) and lob (60.08 M-grind)
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Congratulations, Charles!
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