Hawaii: Titleist Brand Ambassador Justin Thomas (Pro V1x) made history when shattering the Sony Open and PGA Tour record books en route to his second consecutive victory in Hawaii and the third in his last four starts on the 2016-17 wraparound schedule.
He also finished tied eighth at the season-opening Safeway Classic in October.
It was the fourth career victory for Thomas who also won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia in both 2015 and 2016.
Thomas, aged 23, who opened the tournament by becoming the seventh and youngest player ever to shoot 59 in PGA Tour history, followed it up with rounds of 64-65-65 to finish with a 27-under 253 victory total, seven shots clear of his nearest competitor.
Thomas won the SBS Tournament of Champions the previous week by three shots.
The only other player to win back-to-back events in Hawaii came in 2003, and that player also trusted his golf ball and full set of golf clubs to Titleist, switching to the new equipment just one week before the season-opener.
Thomas is expected to vault from 12th to eighth in the Official World Golf Ranking with the win, the first time he has ranked inside the top-10.
Thomas topped a leaderboard that included nine players among the top-10 finishers who relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success, including Titleist brand ambassador Jordan Spieth (third, New Prototype Pro V1x), and Titleist golf ball loyalists Kevin Kisner (tied fourth, New Prototype Pro V1), Zach Johnson (tied sixth, New Prototype Pro V1x), Charles Howell III (tied eighth, New Prototype Pro V1), Chez Reavie (tied eighth, Pro V1) and Jim Herman (10th, Pro V1).
It was the second consecutive week that Spieth posted a top-three finish.
Among the records set by Thomas at the Sony Open were:
*Lowest winning score in Sony Open history: 27-under 253 (by three shots)
*Lowest 72-hole score in PGA Tour history: 253 (by one shot)
*Lowest 54-hole score in PGA Tour history: 188 (tied with Titleist Brand Ambassador Steve Stricker)
*Lowest 36-hole score in PGA Tour history: 123 (by one shot)
At the first full-field event of the 2017 calendar year, Titleist was the overwhelming favourite in golf balls with 95 players in the field of 144, more than five times the nearest competitor with 18.
Titleist was also top choice in the hybrid (24) and irons (37) categories. Vokey Design Wedges topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (167) category and Scotty Cameron putters were the top choice in putters (56).
Among the new players to the Titleist golf ball roster teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x last week were Paul Casey (New Prototype Pro V1x), while Derek Fathauer (New Prototype Pro V1x), Russell Henley (Pro V1x) and Sean O’Hair (New Prototype Pro V1) were playing Titleist golf balls as well as Titleist golf clubs.
Titleist is part of the Acushnet company, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.