Titleist Brand Ambassador Kyle Stanley is tonight's guest on "Golf Fitness Academy presented by Titleist" (5:30 p.m. EDT on Golf Channel). Stanley, the winner of the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open, demonstrates how he builds physical speed and power in the gym to match the speed and power found in his Titleist golf bag.

If you want to learn how a PGA Tour champion improves his golf fitness, be sure to watch this episode of "Golf Fitness Academy."

As always, find your local TPI Certified Instructor at http://www.mytpi.com/FIND

Past episodes of Golf Fitness Academy can be found on iTunes at http://bit.ly/iTunes_GFA

Confidence and precision resulted in near-perfection for Titleist Brand Ambassador Ricardo Santos last weekend at the Madeira Islands Open in Portugal.

Trusting a Pro V1x golf ball and a bag full of Titleist equipment, Santos closed out a fairytale week on home soil Sunday with a bogey-free 9-under 63 for his first win on the European Tour.

“It was a sensational round – definitely the best of my career,” said Santos, 29.

“It was amazing to have the crowds here supporting me. It would be difficult to imagine a better win than this.”

Santos’ performance highlighted a three-win week for Titleist Pro V1x players around the world, including victories by Toru Taniguchi (Japan Tour) and Ryan Cairns (Sunshine Tour).

Titleist golf ball players have now combined for 57 wins across the worldwide professional tours in 2012, more than eight times the nearest competitor with seven and more than all competitors combined.

In Portugal, Santos led a 1-2-3 finish for Titleist Pro V1x players while posting a tournament-record 22-under 266 total. He was the only player to shoot four rounds in the 60s (68-67-68-63), and his final-round 63 was the best round of the day by three shots.

A graduate of the 2011 Challenge Tour, Santos made just three bogeys the entire week, and none since the front nine Saturday. He played his final 31 holes in 13 under, including four birdies over his last five.

For the week, Santos, who plays a mixed set of Titleist AP2 and MB irons, hit 80.6 percent of his greens in regulation.

“It is very emotional and I haven’t got the words to describe how I feel,” said Santos, the first Portuguese player to win a European Tour event in his home country.

“To win my first European Tour event in my own country is very special…. “I didn’t have many bad moments in the round, but the supporters were always there to pick me up and keep me going. This is a huge moment in my career."

Santos topped a leader board that featured nine Titleist golf ball players in the top 10, including runner-up Magnus Carlsson (Pro V1x), who finished at 18-under 270. Andres Harto (Pro V1x) was third, another shot back.

A total of 118 players teed up Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls in the event, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 16 and more than all other golf balls combined.

Titleist was also first in iron sets (45); and sand, lob and approach wedges (197).

Here's a closer look at Ricardo Santos' Titleist equipment:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D3 8.5º (Aldila NV RIP 85)
Hybrid: Titleist 910H 17º (Speeder 904HB)
Irons: Titleist AP2 (712 Series) 3-5 (Project X Rifle 6.5)
Irons: Titleist MB (712 Series) 6-P (Project X Rifle 6.5)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM4 52•08º, 56•11º, 60•07º (Dynamic Gold S400)

• JAPAN TOUR:  Pro V1x loyalist Toru Taniguchi closed out a wire-to-wire victory Saunday at the JPGA Championship Nissin Cupnoodles Cup in extremely difficult scoring conditions at Karasuyamajo Country Club.

Taniguchi, also a winner of this event in 2010, finished the major championship with a 4-under 284 victory total for a one-shot victory. He was one of only two players to finish under par.

Over the last 36 holes, only one player was able to break par.

The win is the 18th for Taniguchi in his 19-year JGTO career, and the third win for Titleist golf ball loyalists through the first four events of the 2012 season.

A total of 67 players in the event relied on Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls for their success, more than twice the nearest competitor with 23.

Titleist was also No. 1 in hybrids (23); and sand, lob and approach wedges (106).

• SUNSHINE TOUR: Ryan Cairns chipped his Pro V1x in for eagle on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Simola Golf and Country Estate.

Cairns, who closed with a course-record-tying 10-under 62, finished regulation tied with Pro V1 loyalist Vaughn Groenewald at 15-under 62.

On the playoff hole, Cairns knew he had to get up and down for birdie to extend the playoff.

“I had to hit that shot properly,” Cairns said. “It was actually a tight lie and I was going to putt it because I didn’t want to duff it in front of all of those people.”

Instead, he chipped it in for eagle and first South African Sunshine Tour trophy.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Louis de Jager (Pro V1x) and Jake Redman (Pro V1) finished two shots back in a third place, as each of the top four finishers relied upon the #1 ball in golf for their success. 
In total, 51 players teed up Titleist golf balls in the event, more than three times the nearest competitor and more than all competitors combined.

• PGA TOUR: Titleist golf ball players finished in eight of the top 11 spots at The Players, including runners-up Zach Johnson (Pro V1x), Ben Curtis (Pro V1x), Rickie Fowler (Pro V1x) and Martin Laird (Pro V1x). Luke Donald (Pro V1x), who shot 30 on the back nine Sunday, finished sixth.  

Fowler (77.78%) and Johnson (75%) ended the tournament 1-2 in Greens in Regulation, while Curtis topped the Strokes Gained - Putting statistic (2.418). Curtis, who games a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter, currently leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained - Putting at 1.242.

In total, 93 players in the field trusted Titleist golf balls for their success, more than five times the nearest competitor with 17 and more than all other golf balls combined. Titleist was also first in iron sets (38); sand, lob and approach wedges (140); and putters (56).

• KOREA/ONE ASIA TOUR: 
At the the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, eight of the top 11 players on the final leader board relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

A total of 110 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x players were in the field, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist also led in hybrids (87); iron sets (67); and sand, lob and approach wedges (188).

• CHINA: 
Seven of the top 11 players at the China PGA Champions Tour Lianyungang event were Titleist golf ball players, including Wang Jeung Hun (Pro V1x), who tied for second.

Hun was one of 107 Titleist golf ball players at the event, more than five times the nearest competitor with 21 and more than all other golf balls combined.

What would Players Championship week be without a Team Titleist Trivia contest?

Exactly. So let's get right to it. We have three Grand Prizes up for grabs this week, including:

• Zach Johnson-signed Team Titleist hat and Limited Edition Team Titleist Vintage Indigo T-Shirt;

• Lee Westwood-signed Pro V1x and TT Vintage Indigo T-Shirt; and

• K.J. Choi-signed Pro V1 and TT Vintage Indigo T-Shirt.

(Three runner-ups will also receive TT Vintage Indigo T-Shirts.)

See below for this week's question.

QUESTION: Which Titleist golf ball model did K.J. Choi play in winning the 2011 Players Championship?

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: To enter the contest, log in to your Team Titleist account and then add a comment (see below) to this blog post with the correct answer to the above question by Sunday, May 13, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.*

Note: You must be a Team Titleist member to enter. Only one entry per person. We will randomly draw the winners from all approved entries. (The grand prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third approved entries randomly drawn, in this order: Johnson hat, Westwood ball, Choi ball.)

(Sorry U.S. only. Here's some more info: Why are Titleist sweepstakes U.S. only?)

**UPDATE: K.J. used a Titleist Pro V1 golf ball in winning last year's Players Championship.

Congrats to our grand prize winners:

• Jimbo64 (Johnson Cap)
• Scott G (Westwood Pro V1x)
• Joseph R (Choi Pro V1)

And three runner-ups:

• Robert J
• Spongy72
• Tony W

To the winners: Please make sure the address in your Team Titleist profile is up to date, as we will be mailing your prize to that address.

Sweepstakes Rules and Community Policy

The PGA Tour’s best are hanging out in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week for the 39th edition of The Players. And while host TPC Sawgrass is most famous for its tiny island on the par-3 17th, in no way does that translate into some sort of vacation.

Unless, of course, you stick to the fairways. (And greens.)

“The key here is just keep the ball in the fairway. It's hard to play this golf course from the rough,” said Titleist Brand Ambassador Bud Cauley, who grew up just down the road in Jacksonville, Fla., and is making his first appearance in the event.

“It's a different type of golf course. It's a big advantage if you're playing from the fairway, especially with the small greens,” says Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy. “And the rough around here, it can be a little thick in patches and it can be a little tricky.”

Both Bud and Rory will be relying on Titleist Pro V1x golf balls to successfully navigate them through all of TPC Sawgrass’ 7,215 challenging yards.

In total, 93 players in the field are trusting Titleist golf balls for their success, more than five times the nearest competitor with 17 and more than all other golf balls combined. Titleist is also first in iron sets (38); sand, lob and approach wedges (140); and putters (56).

For a look at some of the Titleist players and equipment in this week’s field, take a look at Team Titleist’s slideshow from the practice rounds by clicking the image below.

When most golfers think of TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course, the first thing that comes to mind is the par-3 17th (all 137 yards of it) and its world-famous, taunting and dangerous island green.

But No. 17 doesn't stand alone, especially at a Players Championship. It also makes up one-third of one of the most challenging finishing stretches in golf, including the risk-reward 523-yard par-5 16th and 447-yard par-4 18th, which consistently ranks as The Players' most difficult hole.

Team Titleist recently asked Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy about his strategy for taking on Nos. 16, 17 and 18, which you can watch in the above video.