Day: June 15, 2022

Justin Rose took a unique route to new Titleist ironsJustin Rose took a unique route to new Titleist irons

“A blade is just a blade.” In the world of golf equipment, that phrase is often used to express the belief that all muscleback blade irons – which are typically characterized by their thin toplines and compact shapes – are similar enough in their simplicity that the differences are negligible. Justin Rose, the former FedExCup and U.S. Open champion, doesn’t subscribe to that theory. For the last several years, Rose – who’s currently a golf club free agent (aside from a deal with Axis1 to use its putters) – has used a variety of iron brands and models, including multiple blade designs. As of this year’s Masters, Rose was using a set of TaylorMade P7MC irons, which feature a compact, cavity-back design. By the time he next teed it up at the PGA Championship, however, he had switched into his current Titleist 620 Forged MB blade-style irons. Rose finished 13th in the PGA and is coming off a fourth-place finish at last week’s RBC Canadian Open, where he flirted with the lowest round in TOUR history before settling for a 60. How he settled on the new clubs is an interesting story, different than how most of his peers pick their equipment. Most TOUR players test out equipment on the range at tournaments, utilizing the expertise of dedicated club fitters employed by the equipment companies to get them dialed in. Rose, however, visited an off-site clubfitting facility in London, Custom Golf Works Sunningdale in London. The fitter boasts a decade of fitting players on the DP World Tour but also is open to the public. It isn’t affiliated with a single equipment brand. The Titleist clubs simply won out after Rose’s testing sessions. By enlisting Custom Golf Works Sunningdale to conduct his club fitting, Rose could focus less on equipment testing during tournament weeks. “We just went through a few different heads, and I really like the look of the Titleist (620 Forged MB),” Rose told GolfWRX on Tuesday. “I tested them, and they actually performed really, really well. Launch, spin, and also I think a little bit of dispersion. You’re not going to get a ton of difference (between blade iron designs); it’s more just comfort with how they looked. But the more I (use different blades), the more there are subtle differences between certain irons. These ones I’m beginning to learn they come out a little quicker out of the rough. A few more jumpers, which might just be a groove thing. Off the fairway, they spin just as much and just as good.” Playing out of the rough always is a big part of the U.S. Open and this week at The Country Club will be no different. The long grass creates an increased challenge for players when hitting approach shots into the course’s small and undulating greens. Thick grass usually causes shots to fly shorter because the grass creates greater resistance against the club at impact. The opposite can happen, however, when strands of grass get caught between the ball and clubface in a way that reduces spin, but not speed or distance. Sometimes, though, strands of grass get caught between the golf ball and the club face in a way that reduces spin, but not speed or distance. When this happens, it’s called getting a “jumper,” or a “flier,” and the ball travels noticeably farther. The only problem with a jumper is that it flies like a knuckleball, making it difficult to hit and stop on the green; when harnessed effectively, though, getting a jumper can be quite useful. Rose noted that his new clubs produce more “jumpers” out of the rough than his previous set. “A jumper can be a valuable club in the bag if you learn how to play it properly, so that’s the adjustment I’m learning to make with those (Titleist irons),” Rose told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday. Since a “flier” or “jumper” can actually increase distance in certain circumstances, learning how to properly harness it can give a player the opportunity to take less club and use a higher-lofted iron for an approach shot, using the shot’s increased height and steeper angle of descent to help it stop on the greens. As Rose noted above, it may be the grooves that makes his Titleist irons faster from the rough. By that he means the layout, depth, width and sharpness of the grooves on the faces of his 620 Forged MB model irons are possibly different than other blade irons. Since different groove configurations and designs produce different amounts of friction, they can achieve different performance characteristics. He’ll look to harness the “jumpers” this week as he seeks a second U.S. Open title.

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Five Things to Know for the U.S. Open’s first roundFive Things to Know for the U.S. Open’s first round

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Jon Rahm is the defending champion, Rory McIlroy is coming in hot, and FedExCup frontrunner Scottie Scheffler is having the best season, with four wins. RELATED: Tee times | Nine Things to Know: The Country Club | How to watch first round Not that he doesn’t have anyone behind him. Good friend Sam Burns has three. The 122nd U.S. Open is rife with storylines. Here are five: 1. EIGHT IS GREAT Eight different players have won the last eight majors, which speaks to how hard it is to stay on top. McIlroy, 33, who just won the RBC Canadian Open but hasn’t captured a major since the 2014 PGA Championship, would make it nine straight with a win this week. “I liked what I saw,” said McIlroy, who played The Country Club’s front nine Monday. Cameron Smith, who won THE PLAYERS Championship in March, would also extend the streak to nine. So would Sam Burns and Max Homa. All three players have won more than once on TOUR this season, and each is in pursuit of his first major championship. On the other hand, the most likely recent major winners to do it again (and break the streak) are: – Scottie Scheffler, who won for the first time on the PGA TOUR at the WM Phoenix Open in February and picked off his first major title at the Masters Tournament two months later. He also won the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Oh, and he boasts two runner-up finishes. He’s atop the FedExCup and world ranking, with sizeable leads in both. – Justin Thomas, who captured the PGA Championship at Southern Hills last month for his second major title, and made a run at last week’s RBC Canadian Open before finishing third. The winner of 15 PGA TOUR events, he already has nine top-10 finishes this season, and recently committed to playing the weeks before the majors. (It worked nicely at the PGA.) – Jon Rahm, the defending U.S. Open champion, won the Mexico Open at Vidanta last month and is coming off a T10 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. “I played the front nine (Monday),” Rahm said. “I think it’s a wonderful course.” 2. IT’S A FAMILIAR COURSE Matt Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur nine years ago at The Country Club and has since won seven times on the DP World Tour. He is one of 22 players in the U.S. Open field who played here in ’13. Scottie Scheffler (quarterfinalist), Patrick Rodgers (quarterfinalist), Corey Conners (semifinalist, lost to Fitzpatrick), and several who missed the cut – including Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Aaron Wise, and Cameron Young – also have experience at The Country Club. Most others in the field do not. “Yeah, I remember everything,” said Fitzpatrick, who has seven top-10 finishes this season, including a T10 at the RBC Canadian Open. “I’ve been back a few times since, and love coming back here … back in 2013 it was – you had to hit fairways and greens.” Scheffler had just won the U.S. Junior when he got to the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club, where Justin Leonard had made the putt to put the Americans over the top at the 1999 Ryder Cup. Randy Smith, who coached Leonard, was also coaching Scheffler and was with him at the 2013 U.S. Amateur, where Scheffler put together a few classic comebacks of his own. “I remember being down in pretty much all my matches (that I won),” Scheffler said. 3. IT’S A COMPOSITE The course is made up of a blend of holes from The Country Club’s three 9s, so none of the players have seen every hole. Nor have they seen the holes in this sequence. Also, architect Gil Hanse has been hard at work restoring the course. There’s the drivable par 4 fifth hole at 310 yards, uphill. And there’s a 619-yard par 5, the 14th. But the newest hole, which hasn’t been used since the 1913 U.S. Open, is the 131-yard, downhill, par-3 11th, the shortest hole on the course. That’s only a gap wedge for the best players in the world, but there’s trouble lurking: four bunkers around the green to collect short and left misses, plus sharp drop-offs for misses right and long. And a lot of gnarly rough. Justin Thomas, who didn’t make the match play portion of the 2013 U.S. Amateur, said he loves the addition of the new hole. “I think every golf course should have a short little hole like that,” he said. “And it’s got a diabolical green to where it’s – they can put some tough pins. You can make 2 and 4 in a heartbeat.” 4. LOCAL FLAVOR Francis Ouimet, who won the 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club, grew up in a house just across the street from the 17th hole and learned the game as a caddie at the course that would make him famous. A handful of players in the field have local ties this time around. Stanford golfer Michael Thorbjornsen grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts, about 50 minutes away. “I got to see the course one time,” said Thorbjornsen, who will hit the opening tee shot off the first tee. “I’ve had a couple of dinners here.” Shortly before finishing T4 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Scott Stallings, who was born in Worcester, about an hour west of here, got through Final Qualifying in Texas. “That was a huge goal,” said Stallings, 37. “Probably the biggest goal I had of the year.” Four-time TOUR winner Keegan Bradley is a graduate of nearby Hopkinton High School. “It’s big,” he said in a story on PGATOUR.COM. “It’s the thing I’m most proud of; when you’re from New England, it becomes who you are.” Finally, there’s Fran Quinn, 57, who plays out of Worcester Country Club. He’s a Massachusetts legend who plays on PGA TOUR Champions. Quinn will hit the first tee shot off No. 10 on Thursday. 5. PLAYOFF TIME Little-known amateur Francis Ouimet beat British heavyweights Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, the most accomplished players of the day, in an 18-hole playoff at the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline. Julius Boros, 43, took down the legend Arnold Palmer and Jacky Cupit in another three-man playoff in 1963. The last time the U.S. Open was at The Country Club in 1988, Curtis Strange beat Nick Faldo, then the reigning champion of The Open, in an 18-hole playoff. Three U.S. Opens, three playoffs. Widen the view, and playoffs have been necessary to decide the winners of the last six U.S. Opens played in the state of Massachusetts. Not since Tiger Woods outlasted Rocco Mediate over 19 holes on Monday at Torrey Pines in 2008 has the U.S. Open gone beyond regulation – the 13-year gap is a tournament record. The 18-hole playoff format has been removed with a two-hole aggregate (holes 17 and 18 at The Country Club) now in its place. Sudden death on those holes will follow if players remain tied.

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Pick ‘Em Preview: U.S. OpenPick ‘Em Preview: U.S. Open

If the U.S. Open plays out at even a fraction of how the PGA Championship unfolded, then you cannot give up no matter when you think you don’t have a chance. Remember, that was the week when the champion in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live grabbed Justin Thomas at +30000 to win mid-round of the finale. Tournaments at which the top of the leaderboard is more likely to come back to the field are prime for that kind of pickin’. Also, just like for the last major, PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live has expanded prize money places four times the norm. All of the top-20 best performers at The Country Club will cash. First place will pocket $2,000. Refer to the top of your desktop interface and/or mobile app for the breakdown. As it pertains to the desktop, if yours defaults to the Valspar Championship, click on the Profile page until it loads. (You’ll cycle through a series of new pop-ups until it does.) Then click on LOG OUT. That should reset your interface to reflect the opening board for the U.S. Open, and although strange, you actually won’t log out. Of course, just as we previously experienced, if your page doesn’t reset, log out for real and log back in. With deep fields are long odds for many of your favorites, so go get yours! Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Glass … Xander Schauffele (+2200) No time for funny business this week! We’ve learned the majors continue to ship BIG BOY WINNERS so I’ll leave my daydreaming at +10000 and higher for the other events. Schauffele’s record at this event is fantastic as he’s T7 or better in all five of his career starts over the last five years. I get there are guys with better form, win shares or whatever else. He’s performed at classic tracks, coastal tracks and a “new” track. Bases covered. I’m putting him up based on five years of growth and scar tissue. He’s not going to be surprised, shocked or shaken come Sunday afternoon as his demeanor matches the depth of his bag. He’s ready. Rob … Brooks Koepka (+4000) As much as I’d like to and as easy as it has been over the years, I can’t argue with Glass, but Koepka trains in having gone Win-Win-2nd-T4 in U.S. Opens since 2017. But we don’t need to pin his receipts on the bulletin board. This is a major and he is an apex warrior. The house is throwing us a bone at this kickback. TOP 10 Glass … Max Homa (+380) My luck at the Weekend Window has been mixed so I’m going to focus on players who might not need adjusting (hopefully) as the weekend rolls on. I absolutely HATE his record in majors overall (11 events, 4 cuts made). I’m playing the come here as he’s cashed in his last three and T13 at Southern Hills was the best of the bunch. His reputation on difficult tracks RECENTLY is more than fantastic. Rob … Patrick Reed (+775) Results may vary, because while I’m able to access this window regularly and Brendon Todd delivered on it at +1100 at Colonial, I probably need to throttle back on my expectation entering the final round. For now, I still can open with a reach. This is one of those happy accidents that we hope to encounter along the way. His form has been uninspiring for most of 2022, but he still rose for a T7 in challenging conditions at Colonial just three weeks ago. That’s what patience and one of the best short games out there can manufacture. I’m also fixated on his record in all majors. He’s proven time and again that he wants the lights on. The harder the test, the better he performs, the more we benefit. In the U.S. Open alone, he has a solo fourth-place finish among five top 20s. TOP 20 Rob … Victor Perez (+700) It seems that the interface is opening this window regularly and earlier for R2, so I’m opening with an aggressive move at the Frenchman. He’s one of my Sleepers. The play is for a guy who has enough experience in the biggest events so as not to be overwhelmed by the experience. He’s also comin’ in hot and even if there might be fewer fans of Tom Brady in the neighborhoods surrounding The Country Club, Perez remains among TB12’s faithful. However, he’ll need to get off to a hot start to retain my loyalty. The inconsistency of having the option to modify this bet during tournaments is more influential than hoping that he’s going to recover from, say, sitting T70 after one round. Glass … Brian Harman (+425) Cashed in his last four U.S. Opens, including monsters Erin Hills (T2), Shinnecock Hills, Winged Foot and Torrey Pines. Should be relieved that he’s getting “only” 7,264 yards this week. Balanced through the bag, his excellent short game can let him hang around. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Jon Rahm (+2500) I’ll hook my wagon to one of the early 3-balls off the front knowing I can rearrange throughout MOST of the day. Clearly stated he’s playing the PGATOUR for the competition and legacy, he’ll look to join Brooks Koepka and Curtis Strange in the recent record books if he wins again this week. An excellent start won’t hurt his chances and it would put the field on notice. Rob … Rory McIlroy (+1400) This is where Glass can get me every time. McIlroy goes off No. 10 at 7:40 a.m. ET and he’s rightfully tagged with the shortest odds. However, by the time I’m up on Thursday morning, he’ll be done with his round, so I need to leave my potential pivoting entirely to the afternoon wave. Among the longer shots, I looked at Denny McCarthy (+12500), Sebastián Muñoz (+8000) and Russell Henley (+6600). McCarthy has been doing his best work of late in opening rounds, Muñoz opened The RSM Classic and the AT&T Byron Nelson with 60s, and Henley was the FRL at the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2021. All go off before 8:00 a.m. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.

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