When asked what he recalls most about his career-best T3 finish at last year's Safeway Open (previously Frys.com Open), Titleist Brand Ambassador Tyrone van Aswegen (Pro V1x) didn't hesitate with his response - "I just wanted to get through the final round."
If it wasn't for a 20-minute delay in starting times waiting for the fog to lift, van Aswegen might never had the opportunity. On Sunday, van Aswegen initially could not get out of bed, waking up dizzy and exhibiting signs of vertigo and severe dehydration. He was examined by the on-site tournament physician and taken by ambulance to the local hospital's emergency room where he was given two intravenous bags of fluid. An hour before his scheduled tee time, he still was in a hospital bed. He felt dizzy even after being released.
"I think my caddie (Jeff Johnson) picked my ball out of the hole through the first six holes," said van Aswegen, who entered the final round in a tie for 13th place, four shots behind the leader. "The worst part was putting. Every time I tried to line up a putt or pick my ball up I would just get light headed and dizzy." Johnson also provided van Aswegen with snacks and fluids throughout the round to keep his boss' energy up.
The native of Johannesburg, South Africa, who became a United States citizen in 2013 and now resides in the Dallas area, recovered well enough to close with a 4-under-par 68, including birdies on two of his last three holes to race up the leaderboard. He missed out of the sudden death playoff by one shot despite being the only player in the field to card four consecutive rounds in the 60's. He posted a 14-under-par 274 total, finishing in a three-way tie for 3rd with fellow Titleist Brand Ambassadors Jason Bohn (Pro V1) and Justin Thomas (Pro V1x).
"I wasn't really scoreboard watching because I was just trying to get through the round mentally and physically," said van Aswegen. "I hit some not so great shots, but played pretty steady because I didn't have any expectations. I was concentrating on the shot or putt at hand without really feeling the added pressure that comes with having a legitimate chance to win. My only goal when I got out there was to finish the round."
Walking with Team Titleist during his Tuesday practice round, van Aswegen said putting is the main key to success on the Silverado Resort & Spa's North Course.
"It doesn't necessarily play real long, but you have to hit fairways to give yourself a good chance of hitting it near the hole," he said of the 7,203 yard, par 72 layout. "The greens are the defense of this golf course. They are difficult to read because of their subtle breaks. You really have to concentrate on every putt."
He also added that the closing stretch of holes will determine the winner, just like last year.
"The final three holes are a great stretch to finish with because anything can happen," he said. "You have two potentially reachable par 5's (Nos. 16 and 18) and a short par 4. They are not necessarily birdie holes, but there is a risk-reward option to all three, so how a player chooses to attack it and the success he has (or not) could determine the outcome of the tournament."
Van Aswegen will look to better the career year he had in 2016 when he earned over $1 million over 30 events with a consistent 25 made cuts.
"I feel well and will play a pretty full fall schedule," said the 2002 NAIA national champion at Oklahoma City University, who last played at the Deutsche Bank Championship and finished 98th in the 2015-16 FedExCup standings. "I would like to get off to another good start this year and then build on it. I made a lot of cuts last year but didn't close well enough to be in contention to win. Hopefully I will be in that position again this week and more often this season."
Let's take a closer look at the Titleist equipment the Tyrone will be relying on this week in Napa:
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: 917D2 (9.5°)
Fairway Metals: 915F (15°)
Irons: 712U (3), AP2 (4–9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM6 pitching (46°), gap (50°), sand (56°) and lob (60°)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2
Good luck this week, Tyrone!
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TITLEIST BY THE NUMBERS
A total of 98 players are trusting a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball for their success at the Safeway Open, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 13 and more than all competitors combined.
Titleist is also the top choice among players in the hybrid (30) and irons (42) categories. Titleist Vokey Design Wedges are tops in the approach, sand and lob wedge (179) category and Scotty Cameron putters are the top choice among players with 60 putters in play.
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TITLEIST TOURNAMENT NOTES
The PGA TOUR begins its fourth season featuring a wraparound schedule that bridges two years with 47 events.
The 2016-17 PGA TOUR season kicks off with the Safeway Open and includes seven events during the fall of 2016. Following a seven week break, the season will resume in January with the traditional swing through Hawaii before moving to the West Coast.
The FedExCup Playoffs once again features four events and concludes in September 2017 with the TOUR Championship and the crowning of the FedExCup champion.
The PGA TOUR returns to Silverado Resort & Spa’s North Course this week for the third straight year (the tournament was named Frys.com Open the past two years at Silverado).
Silverado also hosted a TOUR event from 1968-1980, contested as the Kaiser International Open Invitational from 1968-1976 and the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic from 1977-1980.
There were four Titleist Brand Ambassadors among the top three finishers and ties at this event last year.
Kevin Na (Pro V1x), who has a six-week old baby in tow this year, finished second in a playoff, while Jason Bohn (Pro V1), Justin Thomas (Pro V1x) and Tyrone van Aswegen (Pro V1x), all finished in a three-way tie for 3rd, one shot out of the playoff .
Adam Scott (Pro V1) [T4/The Barclays, 4/Deutsche Bank Championship, T4/BMW Championship, T8/TOUR Championship] is the fourth player to finish inside the top 10 in all four FedExCup Playoffs events in a single season, and is the first since 2012.
Of the 50 players who earned PGA TOUR cards through their Top 25 performances during the Web.com Tour regular season or Playoffs race, 30 rely upon the Titleist golf ball, including 15 rookies who will be a PGA TOUR member for the first time.
Five of the 15 rookies are full product line Titleist Brand Ambassadors, including Dominic Bozzelli (Pro V1x), Andrew "Beef" Johnston (Pro V1x), JT Poston (Pro V1x), Richy Werenski (Pro V1x) and Bobby Wyatt (Pro V1).
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