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NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
The coronavirus pandemic brought on decisions that result in a lack of PGA Tour events for at least the next month. In the golf equipment world, however, the decisions made by players about their gear remain an interesting discussion point.
At the short-lived Players Championship, which was cancelled after (almost) one round of play was in the books, Rickie Fowler had been dealing with uncharacteristically sluggish performance on the greens. So he made an intriguing change in the run-up to the event at TPC Sawgrass – Fowler used a backup Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter with a multi-material TPZ One 35 shaft made by LA Golf.
The concept of upgrading putter shafts by adding different materials is relatively new. LA Golf, which also has made shafts for recent tour winners like Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na, uses the exotic material Zylon in addition to other high-end materials intended to provide stability through the strike, the company says. It’s said that the head twists less at impact and internal laminate dampening technology provides a smooth strike.
It’s expected a growing list of players will begin testing the technology, perhaps many doing so during this forced break from competition. DeChambeau has three consecutive top-fives while Fowler’s first full tournament with the new shaft produced a T18 finish as he picked up more than a stroke on the field. Na currently sits at No. 7 in strokes gained putting for the season. Those results alone could convince players to experiment, especially if they have struggled recently with the flat stick.
On an aesthetic level, players arrived in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with all of the finest touches. Paul Casey sported a custom alligator head cover from the Canadian company Dormie, Erik van Rooyen’s Callaway Jaws MD5 wedge had custom dots in the colors of the South African flag, and wedge stamping of all kinds littered the range – a notable example being Ryan Armour’s 52-degree Titleist Vokey SM7, which had “RA doesn’t stamp his wedges but AD does,” in reference to Titleist rep and expert wedge stamper Aaron Dill having some fun.
The first round at the Players will become a footnote in the record books, but it’s worth pointing out the intriguing mixed bag Hideki Matsuyama used to shoot 9-under 63 last Thursday. Matsuyama is under contract as a Srixon staffer but uses only the company’s Prototype irons (4-PW) and its Z-Star XV golf ball. His driver is a new 9-degree TaylorMade SIM Max with a Graphite Design Tour AD XC-8 shaft, but he still employs a 15-degree TaylorMade M4, an older model, for his 3-wood. Interestingly, he has started using a hybrid, the 19-degree TaylorMade SIM Max.
Matsuyama carries three Cleveland RTX 4 Forged Prototype wedges (52, 56 and 60 degrees) as well as a Scotty Cameron Circle T GSS putter.
Sean Fairholm