The Professional Golf Balls the Top 25 Players on Tour Use

With the Masters starting, every piece of equipment makes a difference, especially the ball. While casual golfers may not give much thought to the ball they use, the world’s top-ranked players carefully select their specific models based on factors like spin control, distance and feel.

From Scottie Scheffler’s Titleist Pro V1 to Hideki Matsuyama’s Srixon Z-Star XV, the ball choices made by elite golfers reflect both personal preference and performance demands at the highest level. Using data from the PGA Tour, Golf Monthly, Golf365, Today’s Golfer, and other reliable sources, I’ve compiled a breakdown of professional golf balls used by the top 25 PGA Tour players worldwide.

The top 25 PGA tour golfers use five different balls — but #1, #2, and #3 are all different

1. Titleist Pro V1: This is the choice of the current top-ranked player in the PGA, Scottie Scheffler. The Pro V1 features a premium three-piece construction and a spherically-tiled 388 tetrahedral dimple design for a consistent flight.

Titleist recommends the Pro V1 for players with medium to high swing speeds and low to mid handicappers. If you want tour-level performance with a balance of distance, feel and control, the Pro V1 is the ideal option. Here’s what Scottie Scheffler had to say about the Titleist Pro V1:

“I feel like I’ve gotten that consistency with the Titleist ball over the years, and I really trust how it reacts.”

2. Titleist Pro V1x: This is the choice golf ball of some of the top PGA Tour players, including Ludvig Aberg. Many professional golfers prefer the Pro V1x over the Pro V1 because of the firmer feel, higher flight and more spin. It is great for players seeking maximum height and stopping power. Here’s what Ludvig Aberg had to say about the Titleist Pro V1x:

“I like to hit it a little bit higher to have a little bit of a different angle coming into the firmer greens that we play here on the PGA Tour. So I think the Pro V1x helps me with that and it helps me to be able to compete against the best players in the world.”

3. TaylorMade TP5X: As the preferred golf ball of the #2 ranked player in the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy, the TP5X provides a very firm feel, high launch and is great in windy conditions. Due to its inner layers getting progressively firmer, the TP5X stores and releases more energy on full shots. This helps make it TaylorMade’s longest distance ball.

I recommend it for high-swing speed golfers who want a fast ball but don’t mind a firmer feel. Here’s what Rory had to say about the TaylorMade TP5X (read it in his accent):

“It’s fast, it’s a really, really fast golf ball. Definitely feel like I’ve picked up a little bit of speed with it, especially off the tee.”

4. Callaway Chrome Tour: As the preferred choice of #3-ranked player, Xander Schauffele, the Callaway Chrome Tour is the successor to the Chrome Soft X LS. It’s a balanced ball that’s not too soft and not too firm. An important update to the Chrome Tour is a new high-performance urethane cover that provides more durability and better control.

Players who are looking for a low spin off the tee but a high spin around the green would do well with the Chrome Tour. Here’s what Xander Schauffele had to say about the ball :

“It can be tricky to find a ball that performs so well with every club in the bag, but that’s exactly what Chrome Tour does.”

5. Srixon Z-Star XV: With its 3-piece design and urethane cover, the Srixon Z-Star XV is the preferred choice golf ball of Hideki Matsuyama, ranked #6 in the world. It is designed for high swing speeds of over 100 mph. Its new FastLayer DG Cores are soft at the center and get firmer from the inside out. This contrasting compression helps with distance while still providing excellent feel.

Players who prefer a firmer feel and aim for maximum distance without sacrificing greenside control will enjoy the Z-Star XV. Hideki Matsuyama didn’t get into much detail but here’s what he said about the ball:

“I trust the total performance of the Z-Star XV”

Golf Ball and PGA Tour Rankings Cheat Sheet