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NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Justin Rose and Honma Golf officially have gone their separate ways.
The former No. 1 player in the world signed with the Japanese-based in 2019 and won immediately at the Farmers Insurance Open, but he has struggled since. That stretch of poor play, poor at least in the context of his lofty standards, has sent him outside the top 10 of the rankings and back to a mostly TaylorMade bag.
When last seen at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rose played a 10.5-degree TaylorMade SIM driver and P730 irons. It was a substantial change from earlier this year when he had 10 Honma clubs in the bag.
“I am hopeful that during our time of partnership, we have laid the groundwork for Honma to continue to expand their brand,” Rose said in a statement. “We both feel it is the right time to pursue our own paths.”
Other than the Rose-Honma split, the biggest equipment headline belonged to Titleist launching the newest option in the Vokey line and making it available for purchase. The Low Bounce K Grind, available in 58- and 60-degree versions, is billed as an improvement on one of the most popular grinds on the PGA Tour.
Master craftsman Bob Vokey and wedge wizard Aaron Dill heard from many players who loved the K Grind, which is known for its wide camber, but felt like there was too much bounce. That led to Vokey crafting a sole with “6 degrees of effective bounce that would be effective for a wide variety of players.”
Adam Scott and Webb Simpson are among the two biggest names to put the club in their bag recently.
“Adam Scott was using the original Vokey Design 200 series (260.08) wedge for several years,” Dill said. “As far back as 2012, we started testing the new K Grind with him after he mentioned he was looking to improve his bunker play. He was seeking more forgiveness and – after some blind testing – Adam was blown away by how much easier coming out of the sand could be with this grind.
“We started with a 60.10 K, and as conditions firmed up, Adam mentioned that a little less bounce could be the key. The 60.06 K was born and has been in his bag ever since.”
In putter news, Phil Mickelson turned some heads last week when he used a nearly 10-year-old Odyssey, nicknamed the “Tiger Slayer,” during the charity match in which he partnered with Tom Brady and played against Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning.
The 35-inch PM Prototype with a White Hot XG insert is special to Lefty because he used it to defeat Woods at the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Mickelson shot 64 on Sunday, beating Woods by 11 shots that day.
Mickelson made it seem as if he had dusted off the putter from a long retirement, but he has used it occasionally during the past decade. That includes PGA Tour appearances this year at the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship.
Sean Fairholm