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HAWAIIAN 1-2 PUNCH WITH TITLEIST AT SONY OPEN

World No. 1 Vijay Singh Edges World No. 3 Ernie Els in Battle of Pro V1x Golf Ball Loyalists.

Vijay Singh

Fairhaven, MA (January 17, 2005) - Continuing the championship form that catapulted him to the top of the world rankings, Vijay Singh birdied the final hole of the Sony Open in Hawaii to edge two-time defending champion and fellow Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Ernie Els by one stroke. Singh, who started the final round four shots behind the overnight leader and never owned the outright lead until the 72nd hole, shot a 5-under par 65 en route to his first win of the year, the 25th of his PGA Tour career and 47th as a professional. Singh was the only player to shoot all four rounds in the 60s to finish with an 11-under par 269.

Els made a valiant Sunday charge toward a three-peat by posting a final round 8-under par 62 that tied the Waialae Country Club course record and included a birdie-birdie-eagle finish. In addition to the Pro V1x golf ball, Els relied upon a complete bag of 14 Titleist golf clubs, including the Titleist Titanium 983K driver (8.5), new Pro Trajectory 904F 3-wood (15.0), Titleist Forged 670 irons (3-PW), a Titleist prototype 2-iron, new Vokey Design Spin Milled sand (56) and lob (60) wedges and a Scotty Cameron by Titleist putter.

Ernie Els

In addition to his record-tying performance on Sunday, Els relied upon Titleist’s high performance technology to finish first in putts per green in regulation, tied for first in birdies (19), second in driving distance (297.5 yards) and tied for second in eagles (2).

It marked the second consecutive top 5 finish through the first two events of 2005 for Singh and Els. Els posted a T3 at last week's season-opening Mercedes Championships, while Singh finished T5.

Titleist golf balls were the overwhelming favorite among the Sony Open field with 103 players, 90 more than the nearest competitor with 13. Singh and Els topped a leaderboard that consisted of seven Titleist golf ball players among the top 10 and ties:

PLAYER
FINISH
GOLF BALL
VIJAY SINGH CHAMPION PRO V1X
ERNIE ELS 2ND PRO V1X
BRETT QUIGLEY T5 NEW PRO V1X
TOMMY ARMOUR III T7 NEW PRO V1X
PLAYER T7 NEW PRO V1
BART BRYANT T9 NEW PRO V1X
ROBERT GAMEZ T9 NEW PRO V1X

In addition to golf balls, Vokey Design wedges and Scotty Cameron putters were the favorite among the field.

Direct from the Tour: To view exclusive interviews with Sony Open winner Vijay Singh, visit our Direct from the Tour feature online at www.titleist.com.

Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra comprise the major golf brands of the Acushnet Company, an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE - FO). Titleist, Cobra, FootJoy, Pro V1, Pro V1x, Titleist Titanium 983, Vokey Design and Scotty Cameron by Titleist are trademarks owned or licensed by Acushnet Company. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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