Sunday night in the United States means it’s already Monday morning in Japan, and Titleist is getting a head start on what will surely be this week’s biggest gear story.
This week’s Baycurrent Championship at Yokohama Country Club will officially launch Titleist’s new 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls.
The company is staying quiet on the technical details, which will come with the ball’s retail launch, likely in January or February if traditional launch cadences hold.
The new golf balls first hit the USGA Conforming list three weeks ago at the Biltmore Championship, and several PGA Tour players have already made the switch. That was the result of a lengthy Tour feedback process by Titleist’s R&D team.
PGA and LPGA Tour pros, including Adam Scott, Ryan Gerard, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Justin Thomas, Lottie Woad, Matt Fitzpatrick, Yana Wilson, Viktor Hovland and more, have been testing the final prototypes since March.
“When we’re in the middle of a testing session and a player asks me how soon he can play the new ball, I know we’re onto something,” Titleist’s Director of Tour Research & Validation, Fordie Pitts, said in a release. “That’s how it’s been the last couple months.”
One player who has already made an early move is Neal Shipley. Shipley switched to the 2027 Pro V1 in Asheville, sparking both his career-best round (62 in Round 2) and finish (T3) on the PGA Tour. Three other players (2 Pro V1 and 1 Pro V1x) joined Shipley in gaming the new ball in North Carolina.
Others have joined in the weeks since, including Robert MacIntyre, who switched this week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
MacIntyre loved what he saw in a testing session with the prototype at Harbour Town in April and worked with Titleist tour rep Liam McDougall to dial in the new 2027 Pro V1 last week.
Doug Ghim, who contended at the Bank of Utah Championship, played the new 2027 Pro V1x for the first time this week.
As of the Biltmore Championship, Titleist had 26 PGA Tour victories during the 2026 season, 21 more than any other brand.
With lots of Tour stars teeing it up in Japan at the Baycurrent Classic, it will be worth watching who else moves into the 2027 Pro V1 or Pro V1x at Yokohama Country Club.
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