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Pro V1 Loyalists Harrington, de Jonge and Langer Grab 2008 Player of the Year Honors
Titleist, December 19, 2008
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A trio of Titleist players were honored by their peers this week, as each was named 2008 Player of the Year on his US Tour. Two-time major winner Padraig Harrington hoisted the trophy on the PGA Tour, Titleist Brand Ambassador Brendon de Jonge earned the honor on the Nationwide Tour, and Bernhard Langer picked up that hardware and more on the Champions Tour.
Irishman Padraig Harrington (Pro V1x) successfully defended his British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July and won the Wannamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship in August. Harrington’s six top 10’s included the major wins as well as a fifth place finish at the Masters in April.
That consistent play on the world’s largest stages surely won Harrington the votes of his fellow US PGA Tour members. It also took him down to the wire in the race for the European Tour Order of Merit, where Harrington was narrowly edged by Titleist Brand Ambassador Robert Karlsson.
Zimbabwe native Brendon de Jonge (Pro V1x) was determined to start, and finish, his 2008 Nationwide Tour with a positive attitude. “I made a very, very conscious effort at the beginning of this year to embrace the opportunity I had of playing the Nationwide Tour, playing my way back onto the PGA TOUR. I think it was obviously very important to get into the right frame of mind,” said the Titleist Brand Ambassador in his press conference.
With that approach, de Jonge played with a consistency that impressed his peers enough to name him their Player of the Year. He posted nine top 10 finishes, won the Xerox Classic in August, and finished 2nd on the year end money list. On looking back on his season, Brendon said he was “very thrilled at how consistent it was, how often I put myself in contention. The biggest thing is for me to take that same mindset to the PGA TOUR next year.”
Champions Tour rookie and Pro V1 loyalist Bernhard Langer of Germany hit the ground running and never let up in 2008. He posted 14 top 10 finishes in his 20 starts, won three times, and was the leading money winner. Langer’s performance so impressed his fellow Tour members that they voted him both Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
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