NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
TGL golfer Tiger Woods signed an extension to play the Bridgestone Tour B X golf ball. Woods first signed with Bridgestone in 2016 and won three times using its ball, including the 2019 Masters, but his relationship with the company goes back farther.
“I have played a ball manufactured by Bridgestone since my memorable 2000 season,” Woods said in a statement, referencing the Nike-branded Tour Accuracy then manufactured by Bridgestone. “Since the beginning, Bridgestone has continued to innovate and lead the golf ball category in terms of technology, performance, and consistency. They are great at what they do, and I look forward to continuing to work with their R&D team to design industry-leading golf balls.”
The 2000 Nike Tour Accuracy Woods switched to was a three-piece, solid construction ball with a molded rubber core and urethane cover – a departure from the usual liquid-core and wound construction most tour pros were using before the sea change came with the Titleist Pro V1’s introduction late that season.
PGA Tour players Matt Kuchar, Chris Gotterup and 2025 rookie Takumi Kanaya as well as senior golfers Fred Couples and Boo Weekley also extended their contracts with Bridgestone while tour winners Kurt Kitayama and Harry Hall joined the Bridgestone staff, which also includes Jason Day, to play its golf balls. All of them will play a version of the Tour B (X, XS or RX) balls while Gotterup plays the Bridgestone 221 CB irons as well.
England’s Hall won the ISCO Championship in 2024 and was the only player to finish in the top 10 in both Hawaii tournaments to start 2025. He added a T21 at The American Express to extend his strong start, positioning himself 12th in the FedEx Cup standings ahead of Torrey Pines.
“For me, the final test for any new equipment is in tournament conditions. The Bridgestone team fit me into the Tour B X, but I really wanted on-course validation before formally joining the staff,” said Hall. “After these past two weeks in Hawaii … I knew I had found the right ball for my game. The ball speed is there, along with control around the green, and stability and consistency in the wind.”
Rickie Fowler has made a lot of equipment changes starting in the fall, including closing out 2024 by debuting the new Cobra DS-Adapt X driver at the Grant Thornton Invitational playing alongside semi-retired LPGA star Lexi Thompson.
“For me, the X head, it’s not like it was any or much slower than the LS,” Fowler said in December. “It was more just the stability side of it. I like playing out of the fairway as much as possible. That’s been a big (factor) for me and all the testing I’ve done.”
In his 2025 season opener at The Amex, Fowler toyed around testing a prototype 13.5-degree Cobra 2-wood, which he compared favorably to the TaylorMade BRNR mini driver he started using in October. The unveiled Cobra 2-wood is nicknamed “The Deuce.”
Among the biggest Fowler equipment changes – which included adding Cobra King Tour black irons and a L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter – was switching from his TaylorMade ball to a Titleist 2023 Pro V1 to start 2025.
“I did a lot of golf ball testing at the end of the year,” Fowler told GolfWRX.com in the desert, saying he was “kind of in the free-agent space right now” when it comes to a ball deal.
Scott Michaux