Day: May 15, 2019

Roundtable: Surprises, analysis from Wednesday at the PGA ChampionshipRoundtable: Surprises, analysis from Wednesday at the PGA Championship

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019| 15:00

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The season of championships continues tomorrow with the opening round of the PGA Championship. Plenty of storylines have dominated the early part of the week and here PGATOUR.COM’s writers tackle some of the big questions in the much-anticipated lead up. Tiger Woods is the talk of the town. What do you see from him this week? BEN EVERILL (Staff Writer): I expect Tiger will play well, but not well enough to win. Something tells me the rust from not playing might kick in just enough to keep him 3 or 4 off the lead throughout the week, keeping us hopeful of a charge that just might not eventuate. SEAN MARTIN (Senior Editor): He’s obviously won here before but I think this long, wet course will be a bit too much for him. He’s not the TOUR’s big hitter anymore. He has to play more of a finesse game. This week will be about brute strength. CAMERON MORFIT (Staff Writer): A guy who hadn’t won a major in almost 11 years suddenly wins two straight? At 43? With a fused back, in cool weather? Yeah, that might be too much to ask for. The time off (one month) and the physical demands of the course plus good vibes (’02) and good form add up to a T12 finish.   REALTED: Quick look at the PGA Championship | Rethinking Tiger’s future | Tee times, Rounds 1 & 2 | Spieth seeing positive signs MIKE McALLISTER (Managing Editor): He’ll play well. I expect him to be in the mix on Sunday. But I don’t expect him to win. Going to be difficult to recreate the kind of magic (and fortune) we saw at Augusta National. HELEN ROSS (Contributor): I think he’ll play well but to expect another epic Masters-like performance is simply too much to ask. Look for his name on the leaderboard but not on the Wanamaker trophy for the fifth time. Whose career would be most impacted by a win this week? EVERILL: Jordan Spieth. Winning the career grand slam in the midst of a serious form slump would be an incredible story and elevate his status into an elite club. MARTIN: Rickie Fowler. He has seven top-10s in the last 20 majors (dating to the 2014 U.S. Open). That’s the sixth-most in that span. Everyone ahead of him on the list has won a major in that span. Fowler’s time has to be near, right? MORFIT: Everyone sees Rickie Fowler as a major talent, and he says he sees himself that way, too. Actually winning a major, though, would leave no doubt in his mind and set him up to take his career to the next level. McALLISTER: Jordan Spieth’s. Not only would he complete the career Grand Slam – becoming just the sixth player to do so — but getting back in the winner’s circle will help quiet the critics. Of course, any first-time major winner would also be on this list, particularly a veteran such as Matt Kuchar. ROSS: Jordan Spieth. Finishing off the career Grand Slam would be huge for anyone, but in this case if could be a massive confidence boost for a player who hasn’t put together 72 holes of his best stuff in a while.  Which will have a bigger impact, the length of the course (7,459 yards) or the length of the rough? EVERILL: The length of course. If you can’t give it a serious poke out here you basically have no shot. Trying to compete with long irons into greens against guys with short irons will prove near impossible. MARTIN: It’s 7,459 yards that’s playing more like 7,700 yards because of the cold, wet conditions (though the sun is shining Wednesday). I think the rough will be the biggest factor, though. This course is already long enough. I think the rough only exacerbates the long hitters’ advantage. Having 140 out of the rough is a much easier proposition than 180. MORFIT: The length of the course. Kerry Haigh and his staff haven’t been able to do much with the rain, but they plan to top the rough today. That’ll make it more playable, but still brawny. I walked 16 holes out there and was reminded just how long this place really is. Shorter hitters can forget it. Medium-length hitters will have to be deadly accurate with fairway woods and utility clubs. A long hitter definitely wins. McALLISTER: Length of rough. The key will be to stay out of it. ROSS: It’s sort of like picking your poison, isn’t it? Longer hitters are certainly the favorites but if they can’t find the fairways, that advantage will be neutralized. Even Dustin Johnson, among the longest of the long, says he hasn’t hit more than a 9-iron out of the rough. Brooks said the winning score could be a few shots under par. What do you think? EVERILL: I agree with Brooks. The course is long, the rough is heavy… there are mistakes waiting to happen around every corner. It’s a par 70… I think four rounds near or just under par will have you well in the mix for a Wanamaker. MARTIN: I think 6 under par is a good target. The winning score in the U.S. Opens here was 276 and 277. Both of those were played in wet conditions. The PGA is traditionally a little bit easier. MORFIT: What does he know about winning majors? Oh, wait. That’s right. I guess I’ll go with Brooks. McALLISTER: Who am I to disagree with Brooks? I don’t see somebody going super-low, but neither do I see the winner finishing over par. ROSS: That certainly wouldn’t surprise me. Yes, the Black Course is a beast but 10 under won in 2012 when the FedExCup Playoffs kicked off there (although it played to a par 71 that week). Which is more likely, a player wins his second major or a player wins his first major … or someone wins their 16th major? EVERILL: A player wins his second major. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott… I like the look of this quintet here this week. Brooks Koepka might have other ideas though. MARTIN: I think the odds are in favor of a first-timer. Fowler, Matsuyama, Schauffele, Fleetwood, Rahm, Bryson, Casey, Finau, Cantlay. There’s plenty of strong candidates to get their first major. MORFIT: The most likely scenario is someone (goes by Dustin Johnson) wins his second major, but I’m not ruling out big-game hunters Fowler, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, all of whom would be winning their first. McALLISTER: Can I add another option – multiple-major winner? I’m thinking Koepka (three majors) or McIlroy (four majors). ROSS: I look for a first-time winner to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. Someone like Rickie Fowler or Jon Rahm or Xander Schauffele comes to mind.

Click here to read the full article…

Read MoreRead More

SuperStroke’s extensive line of Traxion putter and swing gripsSuperStroke’s extensive line of Traxion putter and swing grips

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019| 15:00

SuperStroke – which makes putter and full-swing grips used by the likes of Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Jason Dufner and many more – has a new, full lineup of putter and full-swing grips called Traxion. The Traxion line consists of 15 putter grip models, Tour Swing grips and Wrap Swing grips. There are two main technologies that separate this line of grips from any grips in the company’s history. The first, and the technology for which the line is named, is called “Traxion Control.â€� This design uses X-shaped treads on all of the grips for added surface texture to enhance feel and performance, according to the company. This Traxion technology is placed strategically in certain areas, called “Traxion Zones,â€� that SuperStroke considers to be “high-sensory areas.â€� The other main feature used throughout the Traxion line is SuperStroke’s new Spyne technology. The ridges on the underside of the grips, which function as a reminder of where the golfer should place their hands, has been more heavily embossed than ever before. “Traxion and Spyne are two technologies that are almost universally preferred and can help every golfer improve their game,â€� said SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. Traxion putter grips The putter grips, which come in 15 different models, each have No Taper designs – that means they have a uniform width rather than a skinnier lower-hand region. SuperStroke says this helps to quiet the hands and minimize grip pressure. Also, each of the Traxion putter grips has an adjustable weight port in the butt-end of the grip, allowing golfers to counter-balance their grips, or add weight as needed. The new Tech-Port is compatible with SuperStroke’s CounterCore weight system of previous releases. Here are the putter models available in the Traxion line: Tour (1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 5.0), Flatso (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0), Pistol GT (Tour, 1.0 and 2.0), the new Claw-style (1.0 and 2.0), XL Plus (Tour XL +2.0 and 3.0, Flatso XL+2.0) and SS2R. Colorways include black, gray, red, white-and-blue and white-and-red. They are currently available at retail, and the Traxion grips are selling for $29.99 each. Traxion Tour swing grips SuperStroke’s new Tour Swing grips are made of polyurethane, but as Dingman recognizes, polyurethane grips have presented performance problems. Based on the company’s putter knowledge, however, he says the Tour Swing polyurethane grips don’t suffer the same issues. “In the past, choosing a polyurethane swing grip meant compromising performance for comfort,â€� says Dingman. “Leveraging what we’ve learned from our putter grips, we’ve been able to fix that. We made huge strides last year with our Cross Comfort swing grip, and the Traxion Tour elevates performance to an even higher level.â€� The two-piece Tour Swing grips have a “soft, tackyâ€� polyurethane outer layer, according to SuperStroke, and a firmer rubber inner core to improve stability. SuperStroke calls this two-piece design “Torsional Performance,â€� which the company says results in improved feel, feedback and control. As part of the Traxion line, the Tour Swing grips also have the Traxion Zones and Spyne technology as featured in the putter grips. SuperStroke says the Traxion Tour grips will ship in May 2019. They will be available in two colorways (white-gray and white-red-gray) and four sizes — $7.99 for undersize and standard, $8.49 for midsize and $8.99 for jumbo. The white-red-gray colorway is only available in standard and midsize. Traxion Wrap Swing grips The Wrap Swing grips, also made from polyurethane, have deep wrap channels that SuperStroke calls “GeoSpeed Channels,â€� which are designed to minimize grip pressure, and thus increase speed. Also, they have Traxion Control by way of the X-shaped treads between the channels; the wrap grips have bigger X shapes than the Traxion putter grips or the Tour Swing grips, however, providing increased durability, according to a SuperStroke representative. Like the Tour Swing grips, the Tour Wrap grips have a two-piece construction with a tacky polyurethane outer layer and a rubber inner core. The Wrap Swing grips, however, have “Taper Control,â€� meaning the lower hand section is larger than on its Tour Swing grips. The Traxion Wrap grips will be available in gray, black and tan colorways, and they will sell for $5.99 in undersize and standard, $6.49 for midsize and $6.99 for jumbo. Recently, PGATOUR.COM caught up with SuperStroke’s Vice President of Marketing Stephen Graham to learn more about the benefits of Spyne and Traxion technology as it relates to the Tour and Wrap grips, which will both be hitting retail in late May. PGATOUR.COM: How can the Spyne technology help beginning or weekend golfers, especially if they’ve never had a reminder-type grip before? Graham: Consistency. The thing that leads to consistency is hand positioning on the grip. It doesn’t matter, whatever instructor you go to will tell you to always go back to the basics. It’s grip, it’s stance, it’s alignment. Honing in on that, the only thing we can control here at SuperStroke is hand positioning and encouraging repeat hand position. That’s where the Spyne comes in. In terms of building off of the old reminders — we used to call them reminders way back when — is to make the Spyne visible so people can understand what’s going on and actually see it, and put their hands on it and feel it. The idea here being repeat hand position to increase consistency and squaring that clubface at impact. Is there a certain spot on the hand where you tell golfers you should put the reminder, or the Spyne technology, on their hand? Or is it different for everyone? No, that’s a great question. The answer to that is ‘no,’ because everyone holds the club differently; some people are more finger-oriented, some people are more palm-oriented, some people have small hands versus XL hands. While there are different size grips for that, from undersize to jumbo, everybody is going to be unique. Our goal here is that the same individual — as long as they pick it up and place it in their hands consistently — will have a greater chance of repeating the hand position and squaring the club face consistently at impact. That’s the goal. So even if you hit it 20 yards to the right, you can play golf as long as you always hit it 20 yards to the right. So that’s what we’re trying to get the beginner and the intermediate golfer to do is for them to enjoy the game more. It will increase their consistency and therefore increase their performance. How does the Spyne technology from SuperStroke differ from reminder grips from the past? I would say the concept is of a Spyne or a reminder is not new, it’s being able to see it and the visibility of it compared to years passed. Reminders from 20 years ago, whatever, were on in the interior of the grip. Whereas – kind of ‘seeing is believing’ — if I can see the Spyne, I can see the reminder, it just recaptures and validates that I have to put my hands in the same position. It’s simply the idea of making it visible so people can see the technology. We’re always of the idea that if you can see it, you can definitely believe it. You can definitely feel it. When it comes to Traxion technology, how is that beneficial for golfers compared to other grips on the market? The whole idea behind the Traxion series – obviously we’ve learned a lot from our putter grips – what the golfer will notice when they pick up the Traxion Wrap or the Traxion Tour model is they’ll notice a different tread pattern. That’s the X shape in the grip. It’s because of that, the tackiness, built into the polyurethane material that will alleviate a lot of that grip pressure that the beginner and intermediate golfers mentally go through. They think they have to hold onto the club because it will go flying out of their hand. It’s just because of that added texture and added tackiness that allows them to ease up on the grip pressure, which allows them to swing the club more freely and square it up at impact, and also increase their club head speed. … we do have the Taper Control technology built into the grip, which in plain English is a reduction in the taper rate on the lower hand. The idea there is to decrease and minimize grip pressure in order to help increase club head speed. Where can people buy the Traxion Tour and the Traxion Wrap grips? All the major golf retailers, from PGA TOUR Superstore, to Golf Galaxy, Roger Dunn, Edwin Watts, all the major golf retailers will carry the Traxion Tour. PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

Click here to read the full article…

Read MoreRead More

NBA Rumors: Coach’s Challenge, ‘Replay Official’ Rule Changes DiscussedNBA Rumors: Coach’s Challenge, ‘Replay Official’ Rule Changes Discussed

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019| 14:15

Multiple changes to the replay system were discussed Tuesday at the NBA general manager meetings, including the possible implementation of coach’s challenges. According to ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe, opinions were split on challenges. Some GMs want everything to be available to be challenged, including

Click here to read the full article…

Read MoreRead More