Oosthuizen claims Open victory with new Ping irons
July 19, 2010

Louis Oosthuizen’s commanding seven shot victory in the 139th Open Championship at St. Andrews came less than a month after switching to Ping’s new S56 irons and Tour-S Rustique wedges, the company has announced.

“Winning a major championship with new clubs is the ultimate in product validation,” said John Solheim, Ping Chairman & CEO. “We’re very proud of Louis' exceptional play at St. Andrews. Not only did he dominate the scoreboard, but his statistics for the week were incomparable. From tee to green, his game was nearly flawless. To have him bring Ping its third major championship in just over three years is very exciting for our company.”

It was a Ping one-two at St Andrews, as second place was claimed by Ping pro Lee Westwood, for his second runner-up finish this year in a major championship. Westwood completed the four rounds at 9-under-par 279.

“I’m very thankful to be part of the Ping Tour staff,” said Oosthuizen. “The new irons and wedges gave me the confidence to play some very difficult shots around St. Andrews. I was also able to drive my ball long and straight. My entire game was under control this week and I attribute a lot of that to my Ping equipment.” (See Oosthuizen's full bag here)

Oosthuizen was one of several players who put the new clubs in their bags for The Open, with a total of five sets of S56 and 15 Tour-S wedges in play. Both new clubs will be officially introduced on July 28, 2010 and available in the market place in mid-September.

27-year-old Oosthuizen, a member of Ping’s Worldwide staff since joining the European Tour, switched to the new clubs at the US Open. He also used a Ping Rapture V2 driver at St. Andrews to lead the field in driving accuracy with 56 of 64 fairways hit, and finish 4th in distance with 319.38 yards. Several commentators praised his driving for the week, calling it the “best ever in a major championship.” A specially-designed Redwood Anser putter with an extra long hosel helped him to a tie for third in putting for the week.

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