NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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The PGA Tour officially got rid of its wraparound season starting in 2024, but the fall tournaments remain a good time to get a head start equipment-wise before 2025.
Srixon has been busy seeding its players with new clubs presumably coming in 2025, which started with Hideki Matsuyama testing new irons during the playoffs and a new ZXi LS driver at the Tour Championship. The newly USGA-conforming ZXi driver line (ZXi, Max, LS and TR) is primed to succeed the ZX Mk II driver when it’s released.
On the LPGA front, Grace Kim was seen sporting the new Srixon fairway wood and hybrid with the same ZXi name in her bag at the tour’s last domestic stop in Arkansas before heading on its October Asia swing.
When the FedEx Fall season started at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, Srixon released its new prototype ZXi5 and ZXi7 irons that appear ready to take the mantle from the popular Mk II version ZX5 and ZX7 irons.
Meanwhile, Tour Edge for the first time introduced its 725 Exotics series to the PGA Tour as prototypes in order to help its design team get as much feedback as possible before the final 725 designs were ready to roll out in November.
The prototypes were introduced to the PGA Tour Champions in early 2024 and took off with extremely fast player adoption. Its game-improvement Exotics line is one of the leading brands on the senior circuit, with brand ambassadors such as Bernhard Langer and Ken Duke as well as unpaid players using the irons, drivers, fairways and hybrids. The 725 accounts for more than 60 percent of Tour Edge drivers in play on the Champions tour.
“The buzz around the 725 fairways on tour has been the biggest I have experienced in quite some time, and there is more tech than ever featured in these new designs,” said David Glod, Tour Edge’s founder, CEO and chief designer.
Titleist had a big showing all over the world two weeks ago, including in Las Vegas with the 25th anniversary launch of its new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls. While brand ambassador J.T. Poston won with a full array of Titleist gear from the GT3 driver all the way down to his Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 Black Prototype putter, he still used his earlier-generation Pro V1 ball. Runner-up Doug Ghim, however, was one of the 23 players to immediately put one of the new Pro Vs in play, using the new Pro V1x.
Frenchman Julien Guerrier finally won in his 230th career DP World Tour appearance using a setup filled predominantly with Titleist gear as well, from the GT2 driver and fairway, T100 and 620 CB irons, Vokey SM10 wedges and 2019 Pro V1 ball.
Also finally breaking through after a long competitive grind was Tim O’Neal, who collected his first win on the PGA Tour Champions using the new GT2 driver and the Pro V1 Yellow ball.
Scott Michaux