NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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It’s a rarity for professional golfers to openly tweet about a flurry of equipment tweaks, especially on a tournament day.
So consider Pádraig Harrington’s fascinating gear tweet to be chicken soup for the Range Rat soul.
It was less than two hours before Harrington’s Thursday afternoon tee time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when he unleashed a real doozy. The three-time major champion – who is known for his perpetual golf swing tinkering – stated that although he isn’t one to fiddle with his equipment, he underwent wholesale tweaks to his gear before teeing it up at Bay Hill.
Harrington needed a new driver shaft in his 9-degree Titleist TSi3 after his original Fujikura Ventus Black broke one week earlier at the Honda Classic. He also damaged his 5-wood on Monday, causing him to insert a new 5-wood. The Irishman said he had “fallen out of form” with his 3-wood, so it was time to replace it as well. He had been using a TaylorMade M4 fairway wood – a 2018 model – and had a SIM2 Max for his 5-wood. It was unclear where he ended up among all of these moves, but significant alterations were afoot.
In a mood of evaluation, there were more changes throughout the bag. Harrington bent all of his irons 2 degrees upright from where they were, meaning the shaft is more vertical at address. His irons had been 1.5 degrees flat before then, so he is now a half-degree upwards. Similarly, he also moved all of his wedges 1 degree up. A more upright club typically will create a higher launch angle, all other variables being equal.
Harrington plays a unique bag featuring a Wilson Staff FG Tour V5 Utility 4-iron, no 5-iron and then Wilson Staff Model Forged irons for his 6-PW. He has three Wilson Staff FG PMP wedges, at 52, 58 and 64 degrees. Note the 64-degree lob wedge, an extreme in the pro game.
After an opening 1-over 73, Harrington tweeted once again. Despite a stellar ball-striking day, he had lost more than three strokes on the greens during round one, putting him next-to-last in the field for the stat.
“Changed or adjusted 13 of my clubs this week,” Harrington wrote after his Thursday round. “The only one I didn’t change was the putter. It’s lucky I’ve no spare with me.”
There were brighter days ahead of him, however. Harrington made the cut and played solid golf on Friday and Saturday before fading to a tie for 53rd.
It’s just a reminder that everyone is trying to get better. Sometimes a fresh view of your equipment can make all the difference.
Sean Fairholm