PGA TOUR | Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
Titleist Brand Ambassador Russell Henley conquered Bay Hill Sunday with a clutch and controlled finish, playing his final seven holes in 4 under par – including a chip-in eagle on the par-5 16th – to earn a one-shot victory over the PGA TOUR’s best.
- Henley was in total control of his Pro V1x golf ball, trusting a Titleist setup that includes his GT3 driver, T-Series iirons and Vokey Design SM10 wedges to more than nine strokes gained tee-to-green (+9.108/3rd), while gaining over three more strokes on the greens with his Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 (+3.613/10th).
- Henley, who also led the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+6.382) and was T2 in Greens in Regulation (67%), finished the week at 11 under par, posting rounds of 72-68-67-70 to claim his fifth PGA TOUR victory – and his third finish of T6 or better in his last four starts.
What’s in the Bag? | Russell Henley
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: GT3 10.0° | HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5TX
Fairway Metal: GT3 16.5° | HZRDUS Smoke Black 80g 6.5TX
Hybrid: TSi2 21.0° | Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 100 TX
Utility Iron: T200 4 | AMT Tour White X100
Irons: T100 5-9 | AMT Tour White X100 (5-6), Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM10 48.10F (@ 47°), 50.08F (@ 51°), 54.10S (@ 55°), 60.04T | Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48°), S400 (50°-60°)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5
HENLEY ON HIS MOVE TO A TITLEIST GOLF BALL
- After starting his PGA TOUR career playing a competitive brand, Russell Henley made the move to a Titleist golf ball toward the end of the 2016 season.
- “The minute that I changed to Titleist in 2016, the first thing I realized was how good my practice became. They sent me a bag of Pro V1x golf balls to play with and to practice with, and immediately, I just remember with the wedge play, I was hitting 60-, 70-, 80-yard shots on the TrackMan with the same spin numbers and just spinning it like crazy. And I would put them in these little small areas, I could throw a towel over. And the confidence I got from my practice was just immediate for me. And the feel of the golf ball was just tremendously better. So I feel like that’s where I’ve gotten a lot more confidence. When I go home and I’m practicing with this stuff, I’m able to see exactly what’s going to happen. When I hit a wedge shot on Sunday at PGA National [last week], I know I’ve practiced that shot. I know what it’s going to do and my confidence has just gotten more and more since then.”
- This week in Orlando, Henley was one of 47 players teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball, more than five times the nearest competitor (9).
HENLEY ON WHY HE PLAYS PRO V1x
- “I’m looking for spin. Ninety percent of the time I see just a medium-low kind of shot, and I don't spin the ball a ton. So the Pro V1x has given me the ability to feel like I'm consistently spinning the ball a lot. And so for me, I'm trying to hit one shot as much as I possibly can, get really good at that one. And then if the lie gives me an opportunity, be able to throw it up in the air or do something different with it. But medium-low with a lot of spin, that’s what the Pro V1x gives me.”
- “I lived in Charleston, South Carolina, for seven years right after college, and it's always windy there. And so wedge play for me was always about control and spin and taking spin off, but then also downwind, being able to really spin it. So the Pro V1x has just really given me the ability to do both. And so that’s what I’m looking to do. Be able to hit it hard and spin it a ton and then take a bunch off.”
- “Definitely the V feels softer and the X is clickier, but I think the more I just have practiced with the X, the more I just prefer the way it feels. And sometimes I think feel is good, but when I'm looking out and I see the ball have the proper spin, that means more to me than the way it feels. Some guys might be a little more sensitive to it. I’m a little less sensitive to it.”
HENLEY WINS WITH GT3 DRIVER; WINS IN BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS FOR GT3 ON PGA TOUR
- Following Joe Highsmith’s victory at last week’s Cognizant Classic, Russell Henley became the second player in as many weeks to bring a GT3 to the winner’s circle on the PGA TOUR.
- Henley first put his GT3 10.0° driver (HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5TX) in play at this year’s Sentry after testing the model in the offseason.
- Henley was particularly drawn to the added spin stability that GT3 offered and the ball speed gains he experienced compared to his previous gamer.
- His preferred spin window is in the mid-2000 RPMs, which gives him an ideal combination of distance and control.
- “Yeah, I love the control – and [when it comes to technique/teeing it up higher] I don't feel like gaining six yards is quite as important as having that tighter window. That’s why you’ll see me tee it up real low sometimes or just kind of like medium... But I think around 25[00 RPMs] is pretty great, and I think if you want to hit bombs, you want to launch it high and spin it at 2,000. But for me, I like launching it a little more 10-11 [degrees], spin at 24, 25[00]. ... I try to let the club just send it out there for me.”
- In six events with his GT3 in the bag, Henley has four top 10’s, including his victory today as well as T5 and T6 finishes at Pebble Beach and PGA National, respectively.
- He ranks 9th on TOUR in Driving Accuracy (69%) so far in 2025.
- At last week’s Cognizant Classic, Henley worked with J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s Senior Director of Club Promotions, to dial in his setup even more.
- Looking for slightly more fade in his ball flight, Henley was able to see immediate results using GT3’s SureFit CG track, moving the weight from Neutral to T1 (Toe).
- This week at Bay Hill, Henley gained +1.339 shots off the tee (21st).
- He was among the 40 percent (29) of players gaming a Titleist driver, compared to 18 (25%) for the nearest competitor.
- Titleist has been the most played driver on the PGA TOUR for the last six seasons and counting.
HENLEY LEADS FIELD AROUND THE GREENS WITH VOKEY WEDGES
- Gaming four Vokey Design SM10 wedges – SM10 48.10F (@ 47), 50.08F (@ 51), 54.10S (@ 55), 60.04T – Russell Henley led the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, picking up 6.382 shots on his competitors.
- He also finished 8th in Scrambling, getting his Pro V1x up-and-down 17 of 24 attempts (71%).
- The 35-year-old's most consequential wedge shot of the week came on Sunday on the par-5 16th, when he found himself in the greenside rough, 54 feet from the hole for his third shot.
- Henley holed it for eagle, vaulting himself to the eventual winning number of 11 under.
- For his wedge setup, Henley primarily uses his pitching and gap wedges as distance clubs for approach shots.
- For greenside shots, he relies on his S Grind sand wedge and his T Grind lob wedge.
- “Russell plays four SM10 wedges, and these models have changed very little in our time together,” said Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill. “His 48.10F (@ 47) and 50.08F (@ 51) are his distance wedges and he has always liked the feel of speed through the turf, which is why he has chosen to play the lower bounce F Grind in the 50-degree. These are manipulated very little, so their sole job is to hit a distance number while managing trajectory and spin.”
- Henley’s 54.10S (@ 55) has been in the bag since day one of working with the Vokey team, but he has experimented with his lob wedge in the past.
- Originally, Henley was gaming a 58-degree M Grind, but after testing grinds about a year ago with Dill, he found T Grind was a better fit for his short game needs.
- “The most important thing for Russell with his 60 is knowing he has the most versatility when greenside. It was this time last year when he first tested the 60.04T and added it to the bag. Right away Russell mentioned confidence when he opened the face, and he loved the way the wedge felt gliding through sand.”
- Due to grainier Bermudagrass conditions at previous stops this year, Henley started his season with a WedgeWorks 60L Grind lob wedge in the bag.
- He returned to his trusty T Grind at Torrey Pines for The Genesis, and it immediately brought back some familiar feels around the green.
- Overall, there were 111 Vokey Design gap, sand and lob wedges in play at Bay Hill (53%).
HENLEY DIALED ON GREENS WITH PHANTOM PUTTER
- Gaming his Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 tour prototype putter, Russell Henley gained 3.613 strokes on the field this week, ranking 10th.
- He also finished T8 in Putts per GIR (1.69).
- On No. 17, Henley faced a testy 5-foot, 8-inch par putt to stay one shot ahead with one hole to play.
- He calmy rolled it in, and then two-putted from 42 feet, 9 inches on the last for the win.
- “I knew I was going to have to make some putts if I wanted to win,” said Henley. “So I just tried to stay focused, and I did a really good job of going back to my same process, my mental process, how I read the putt, and committing to my line and picked the right line.”
DP WORLD TOUR / SUNSHINE TOUR | Joburg Open
Calum Hill (Pro V1x) shot the low round of the day – an 8-under 62 – and prevailed in a playoff to claim his second career DPWT title.
- Hill began Sunday at Houghton GC eight shots off the pace before charging up the leaderboard with ten final round birdies.
- When the 30-year-old Scot’s score of 14 under was matched twice, the trio of competitors headed back to the 18th tee.
- Two pars later, Hill was crowned champion.
- In total control of his golf ball for the week, Hill ranked 2nd in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, gaining over 10 shots on the field (+10.36).
- He picked up 4.96 shots on the field (10th) with his approach play while gaining over two off the tee (+2.92, 9th) and around the green (+2.52, 5th).
- He hit 70% fairways in regulation (T4) and 76% greens in regulation.
- Titleist was the overwhelming #1 ball at the Joburg Open, with 83 percent of the field (130 players) teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x. That total is more than nine times the nearest competitor (14/9%)
- Titleist was also the field’s top choice in each of those equipment categories:
- 48% of the drivers in play (75) were Titleist, more than double the nearest competitor (31/20%).
- 44% of the iron sets in play were Titleist (68), also more than double the nearest competitor (25/16%).
- There were 334 Titleist/Vokey Design pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges in play (54%), more than all other brands combined.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS | Cologuard Classic
Gaming his NEW 2025 Pro V1 golf ball, Steven Alker birdied the par-4 18th in a playoff, earning his ninth career PGA Tour Champions win.
- Alker came home in 30 on Sunday, carding a final round 66 to post 12 under.
- That total was matched by Jason Caron (NEW 2025 Pro V1) before Alker’s birdie 3 on the first extra hole closed out the tournament.
- Alker led the field in Driving Accuracy (88%) and Greens in Regulation (78%) for the week at La Paloma Country Club.
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA | New Zealand PGA Championship
Holding onto a one-shot lead in the fairway of the 72nd hole, Titleist Brand Ambassador Tyler Hodge flushed a 7-iron to 12 feet, setting up a stress-free par and a breakthrough win.
What’s in the Bag? | Tyler Hodge
Golf Ball: NEW 2025 Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSR2
Fairway Metal: TSi2
Irons: T100
Wedges: Vokey Design SM10
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 7.5
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