CARLSBAD, Calif. – Bolstered by strong performances in the four-ball and scramble formats, TaylorMade returned to the winner’s circle at the annual Golfweek Industry Cup presented by Topgolf Swing Suite held at La Costa Resort.
TaylorMade finished the 27-hole, 4-person team competition at 23 under par. Titleist, which had its best success in the individual aggregate format and was the reigning champion, finished in second at 21 under. Adidas took third at 15 under, while Callaway shot 14 under for fourth.
The competition is an annual showdown among representatives of the game’s top manufacturers. The winning TaylorMade team was represented by Juan Yumar, Bucky Coe, Joe Ryon and captain Patrick Baxter.
On the eve of the event, which was sponsored by Topgolf Swing Suite, Baxter expressed to his entire contingent how important the event is with pride on the line. This year was especially of focus after Titleist ended TaylorMade’s streak of four straight wins in 2018.
“There will be lots of eyes on our performance tomorrow,” Baxter told his team. “This tournament serves as a shining reminder that TaylorMade produces the best-performing equipment made by the game’s brightest minds and strongest players. Let’s play smart and be the best representatives of the brand we can.”
After the morning session in which TaylorMade built a comfortable lead, things heated up down the stretch in afternoon aggregate play, in which three of four scores per team count.
“It was close all the way to the end,” Baxter said. “However, our team never let up. All four of us closed out the aggregate session with birdies on the par-5 17th of the Legends Course. The talent on the other teams was extremely strong, but we earned this one. Especially Juan Yumar, our MVP. He was our club champion this year and fired 2 under par in the last session, proving as the difference maker in this two-shot victory.”
The annual long-drive competition, held at Full Swing Golf’s headquarters and additionally presented by Topgolf Swing Suite, saw TaylorMade’s Chris Rollins defeat Fujikura’s Marshall Thompson in the finale. Rollins’ winning drive of 326.8 yards was propelled by his TaylorMade M5 and Fujikura Ventus 6X shaft.
Top-Four Leaderboard
1. TaylorMade Team 1 (-23)
Players: Juan Yumar, Bucky Coe, Joe Ryon, Patrick Baxter
2. Titleist Team 1 (-21)
Players: Price Ferchill, Grant Martens, Kevin Tassistro, Nick Geyer
3. adidas Team 1 (-15)
Players: Scott Parkin, Matt Blackey, Robbie Ziegler, Kristen Muirhead
4. Callaway Team 1 (-14)
Players: Kevin DeHuff, Marc Zien, Joe Toulon, Jonathan Sanders