“I just kept telling myself, 'Keep working hard and keep plugging away'. It's not always how you start but if you finish well you can have a great year."

These were the words of Titleist golf ball loyalist Tom Pernice Jr. (Pro V1x) who overcame a slow start to capture a one-shot victory at the PowerShares QQQ Championship, the first Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs event in PGA TOUR Champions history.

The 57-year-old closed with a 2-under-par 70 in breezy and rainy conditions in Thousand Oaks, California, breaking a tie for the lead with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th at Sherwood Country Club and adding a 15-footer on the par-3 15th.

Pernice posted a 13-under-par 203 victory total, which included an 8-under-par 64 on Saturday to secure a share of the overnight lead.

It was the fifth win on PGA TOUR Champions for Pernice, and his first since the season-ending 2014 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

The top 72 on the money list earned spots into the PowerShares QQQ Championship field. The top 54 finishers now advance to next week’s Dominion Charity Classic in Richmond, Virginia, where the field will be cut a final time, to 36 players, for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Scottsdale, AZ.

With his victory, Pernice jumped from 32nd to ninth in the current standings.

TITLEIST BY THE NUMBERS

Titleist was the overwhelming field favorite in golf balls at the PowerShares QQQ Championship with 49 players trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, seven times the nearest competitor with seven.

The win was the 21st for Titleist golf ball loyalists, more than 10 times the nearest competitor with two.

#TeamTitleist