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NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
It’s been a strong summer for players using multiple hybrids.
First there was Webb Simpson and Dustin Johnson using two hybrids each on their way to victories. In Collin Morikawa’s case, he has two hybrids of identical lofts – a pair of 19-degree TaylorMade SIM Max rescues – and has been in the habit of choosing one for each tournament, depending on the conditions. For a higher launch, he uses the hybrid with a Mitsubishi Tensei Blue 85 shaft; for a lower, more penetrating ball flight, he uses a Mitsubishi Tensei White 100TX. During his win at the Workday Charity Open two weeks ago, he opted for the lower launch.
Morikawa had not used a hybrid in his golf career until six months ago at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, when he searched for a club that could help him attack the course’s reachable par-5s. It worked incredibly well, as he carded four eagles in the last two rounds. That experiment was enough to persuade Morikawa to put away his utility 2-iron in favor of hybrid options.
While Morikawa now favors a hybrid, Brooks Koepka has returned to a powerful low-iron that helped him become a four-time major champion. His Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron, a leftover from when the company still produced clubs, has been reinserted into his lineup after being pulled earlier this year. Koepka had been using a TaylorMade P790 UDI 3-iron, but came into the Memorial Tournament at No. 156 in the FedEx Cup standings and needing a spark.
Also in the category of players reverting to familiar equipment, Gary Woodland is back with a Ping G410 Plus driver after a short-lived stint with a 7.5-degree Wilson WLabs prototype driver.
There have been encouraging results for Viktor Hovland since the restart, particularly his third-place finish at the Workday event. That hasn’t stopped Hovland from entering Bryson DeChambeau territory in his propensity for tinkering with equipment.
Right after nearly winning a PGA Tour event, Hovland called Ping rep Kenton Oates to see if he could test a new set of Ping i210 irons. His goal was to get a little higher launch and more spin without altering shaft lengths, lofts or carry yardages.
The idea was to remove 4 degrees of bounce so Hovland could make impact higher on the face. He spent several hours testing the irons Wednesday morning and discovered an extra degree of launch and 150-200 RPMs of spin.
Hovland put the new irons into play for this week, so it’s worth following to see if it becomes a long-term change.
Sean Fairholm