NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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Bryson DeChambeau made headlines for some of the wrong reasons at the Open Championship, but his T14 finish came with his usual flair for upheaval in his golf bag.
After unveiling his TaylorMade Qi4D 200+ prototype driver at the U.S. Open, DeChambeau went back to a Krank Formula Fire Pro 6-degree driver at Royal Birkdale along with the original Project X Hzrdus T1100 6.5 handcrafted shaft that he used when he first turned pro. He hit only 21 of 56 fairways (37.1 percent, which ranked 143rd in the field) yet for the week he gained +2.49 strokes off the tee (19th).
Some of his success, however, could be attributed to the new irons DeChambeau has been teasing all season and finally put in play at the Open. His prototype irons – with stiff True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts designed to lower launch and control – have “1-of-1” stamped on the toe along with his logo and feature a new groove pattern that DeChambeau helped design.
Bryson DeChambeau uses his new “1-of-1” irons at Royal Birkdale along with his old Krank driver.
Charlie Crowhurst, R&A via Getty Images
“I got new irons in the bag, so it’s nice to feel it out here in this windy weather, and they perform really well,” DeChambeau told GolfWRX.com early in the week on the range at Birkdale.
“So what’s cool about these irons, there’s something really cool happening out of the rough, it’s spinning more consistent. … It’s got some different grooves on it, which are cool, but ultimately we’ve already sent it to the USGA.”
Collin Morikawa, who finished T18 at the Open after skipping the Scottish Open, opted to figure out at home what TaylorMade irons to take with him to handle the firm, baked-out turf at Royal Birkdale.
“We supplied two completely different iron concepts,” TaylorMade said in its clubhouse report about Morikawa’s Open prep. “The first was a custom set of P7CB irons featuring a specially developed sole package with modifications to both the leading edge and sole geometry. These changes were specifically designed to improve entry into firmer turf while maintaining enough effective bounce to prevent excessive digging.
“The second option was a full set of P7MC irons. These irons possess one of the narrowest sole geometries in the TaylorMade iron family. That narrower sole naturally presents less effective bounce to the turf and allows the club to enter and exit firm ground with very little resistance. For players who deliver the club as precisely as Collin, this often creates a sensation of the club simply ‘disappearing’ through impact rather than being redirected by the turf.”
Morikawa had a unique way of picking which set he’d take with him to England. He tested the irons off of asphalt cart paths at home to study the wear pattern on the soles of each iron option.
“By comparing the wear patterns between the different sole geometrics, Collin was effectively able to visualize how each iron would behave on links turf before arriving in Southport,” TaylorMade said. “The testing confirmed what both Collin and our tour team expected. The narrow sole of the P7MC irons created the cleanest and most predictable turf interaction for the conditions expected.”
Open winner Ryan Fox put a new Srixon ZXi RKT LS+ driver and 3-wood in play right before Birkdale. But the most notable thing about the Champion Golfer of the Year’s bag was the one piece of equipment in it that wasn’t Cleveland-Srixon – his Ping Anser 2D blade putter. By holing that 12-footer for birdie on 18, Fox became the first player to win a major using a blade putter since DeChambeau (SIK Pro C-Series Armlock/LA Golf Proto) at the 2024 U.S. Open
Scott Michaux
