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NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Sometimes it takes experimentation in tournament play to gain the right feedback about equipment. Two weeks ago, Rory McIlroy switched to a 35-inch putter, up one inch from usual, at the Genesis Invitational. But ultimately he did not feel comfortable enough to stick with the longer putter at last week’s WGC-Mexico Championship.
“Sometimes with the 34, my right arm can get a little high and my right shoulder can sort of roll over, but with a 35 a little longer, it sort of puts my shoulder and my right elbow into better position, sort of more on plane with the shaft,” McIlroy explained.
“So it looked really good on video and it felt good, but once I got out there, just that inch difference in the putter, it moves your eye line and you sort of stop seeing your lines the way you usually do, and I especially struggled last week on right-to-left putts because when it's a longer putter and the ball is above your feet, you feel like the putter is up in your sort of belt.”
McIlroy’s initial results after going back to his 34-inch TaylorMade Spider X Copper putter were glowingly positive as he gained more than three strokes on the greens during Thursday’s first round in Mexico. His results also may have been influenced by a change to a thicker grip, the Lamkin SinkFit Skinny.
“The thicker grip gets your hands more facing each other and for me gets that right arm tucked in a little bit better and then gets the arm on the shaft clean, and I just stroke it better,” he said.
Phil Mickelson likes to “hit bombs” with his Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero driver, but recent wedge stamping will have him staying aggressive around the greens as well. Callaway’s Anthony Taranto went to work on Mickelson’s PM Grind wedges by putting “Hit Bombs & Attack the Pin” on one and “#CalvesLikeAdonis” on the other.
Titleist led the ball counts at the WGC-Mexico Championship (72 percent) and the Puerto Rico Open (82 percent). FootJoy dominated the shoe counts at both tournaments, scoring 54 percent in Mexico and 68 percent in Puerto Rico.
Sean Fairholm