What Golf Balls Do The Pros Use?
Whether you’re interested in a golf pro’s playing style or just curious to know their ball of choice, you’ve come to the right place. Follow Golfballs.com as we review 5 top players in professional golf and the balls they use most frequently out on the golf course.
The Official Equipment Report
There is a professional golf leaderboard that gets posted each week that most golf fans know nothing about. That is because the final results are posted on Thursday, not Sunday. On Thursday evenings, after the opening round of professional tournaments, an official equipment report is compiled. Titleist has been at the top of the leaderboard for golf balls for years. In the most recent World Wide Ball Count for 2019, Titleist balls were used in 24,984 professional rounds – where its closest competitor tallied only 3,154. Some 74% of professional rounds were played with a Titleist Pro V1 or its companion ball, the Titleist Pro VIx. Those results enable Titleist to claim the title, “The Number One Ball in Golf” as well as become the standard-bearer for quality golf balls in the sport. One might think that all the top professionals tee up a Titleist when real money is on the line, but that is not the case. In fact, many superstars do not use Titleist balls at all.
1. Tiger Woods’s Go-To Golf Ball
Tiger Woods was once one of the Titleist devotees. He grew up playing Titleist golf balls until signing his record-breaking endorsement contract with Nike early in his pro career. Woods helped develop Nike’s golf ball and he piled up major championships with his signature ball until the Oregon-based sports giant got out of the golf equipment business in 2017. Faced with putting a new brand in the bag, Woods decided to forego his old Titleist balls. When he prepared for his comeback to the golf course in 2018, Woods found that the Bridgestone practice balls he was hitting were going so far that they were messing up his carefully measured distances with his irons. Tiger wound up relying on Bridgestone Tour B XS golf balls. Not many pros have followed Tiger into the fold of the Japanese rubber manufacturer, but they have certainly served him well.
2. What Golf Ball Does Phil Mickelson Play?
When Phil Mickelson was left off the 2019 Presidents Cup team, it marked the first time the smooth-swinging southpaw was not on a national team in 25 years. Throughout that remarkable run, Lefty never used Titleist golf balls but resided in the Callaway stable. Mickelson has always been an eager experimenter with Callaway’s newest offerings – frequently embracing the company’s innovative line of Chrome Soft X golf balls. Mickelson has even been involved in the development of Callaway’s latest ball, the Chrome Soft X Triple Track ball, which he used in his latest win, the 2019 Pebble Beach.
3. Rory McIlroy’s Golf Ball of Choice
The 2019 PGA Tour Player of the Year is also not a Titleist user. Few details of the game of golf go unanalyzed by Rory McIlroy and that includes his golf ball. McIlroy is an inveterate tester of equipment and this year when he was seeking a slightly lower launch angle and higher spin rate with his short irons. This brought him to switch from TaylorMade’s TP5x to the TP5.
4. What Ball Does Dustin Johnson Play?
Another top bomber who foregoes Titleist is Dustin Johnson. DJ is at the opposite spectrum of Rory – he doesn’t spend too much energy micro-managing his equipment. Johnson is a TaylorMade loyalist and has used their equipment every year he has been on tour. Based on Johnson’s loyalty to the brand, it is likely that he will keep using the TP5x until TaylorMade rolls out its newest version. 
5. Brooks Koepka’s Golf Ball
Not all the top pros eschew the game’s leading golf ball. World Number One and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka tees up Titleist, favoring the Pro V – specifically the Pro V1x over the Pro V1 for its firmer feel and higher flying trajectory. Koepka clearly does not need more distance on his shots and looks for a ball that performs on the scoring shots.
Find the Right Ball For Your Game
Five different golfing pros, all using different balls and different golf clubs. If this tells us anything, it’s that the best golf balls are the ones compatible with your playing style. Whether you’re like Tiger Woods and have to adjust your swing for the Bridgestone practice balls, or a Rory Mclloroy, and are looking for the best golf equipment for gameplay, the most important thing is that your golf balls are helping your game, and not hurting it. Whether you are performing on the fairway or the driving range, your preferred golf ball makes a difference in your game.
