NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
For the past few years, many have pointed to this week’s Open Championship at the Old Course as potentially one of the most fascinating moments in golf gear history.
The storyline goes something like this: While the governing bodies work to, in all likelihood, place meaningful limitations on equipment that will impact distance, golf’s oldest major is coming back to its most iconic course. St. Andrews has been vulnerable to low scores in the past – the last four winners at the venue have been 14-under or better – and the speculation is that equipment has advanced to the point where the game’s best could demolish scoring records.
Back in 2015 when Zach Johnson won, the average driving distance on the PGA Tour was 290 yards. Seven years later, there are 90 players averaging 300 yards or more per drive. That old average of 290 yards would put a player around 170th on tour this season.
To say it another way, the game has evolved a lot in that time. The Old Course, which was lengthened to 7,300 yards in 2015, can evolve only so much. St. Andrews had a wonderful tradition where, between 1955 to 1995 when nine Open Championships were held, the yardage stayed nearly identical. Not once did it wander more than 15 yards from its length of 6,936 yards. It has been lengthened progressively since then, but there is only so much room available.
The R&A has a long-standing and admirable tradition of letting the weather dictate scoring, so it will be no surprise if calm conditions relinquish incredibly low scores. The product of that possibility is up for interpretation. For some, it could signify an exclamation point to the theory that increasing distances have rolled back the essence of brilliant course design. For others, it simply will be an entertaining tournament on sacred grounds.
With that storyline as a backdrop, here are some of the key gear storylines as players vie for the Claret Jug:
It appears that Tiger Woods is prepared once again to switch driver shafts heading into an Open at St. Andrews. Before the 2015 event, he went to a Matrix TPHDe instead of his Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Blue Board 93X. Now he has been spotted using a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X instead of a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX. Speculation is that the shaft change will enable a lower launch to take advantage of firm fairways.
Adding to our previous report on Titleist TSR drivers, positive momentum is continuing for the new club. Will Zalatoris, Max Homa and Cam Smith all used one at the Genesis Scottish Open last week. Before that, there were 28 players who used the driver at the John Deere Classic. One of them was victor J.T. Poston, who has a TSR3 in the bag. Poston had switched at the Travelers Championship, in which he posted a runner-up finish. This week will be his first Open Championship.
Viktor Hovland is set to remain with Ping long-term as the brand announced Thursday that Hovland re-signed for multiple years. Hovland went to Oklahoma State, which has a close relationship with Ping, and he has used a bag of mostly Ping clubs throughout his pro career. Recently, a TaylorMade 3-wood and Callaway lob wedge have been the only exceptions. Ping continues to do well signing players out of college, as the company recently inked standouts Cole Hammer, Logan McAllister and R.J. Manke.
Sean Fairholm