Harman wins Wells Fargo Championship

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A new season represents a fresh start for Rickie Fowler. After sneaking into the FedExCup Playoffs by earning the 125th and final spot in the postseason, Fowler starts the 2023 season with a new caddie, Ricky Romano, and a return to a previous swing coach, Butch Harmon. You can read about those changes here. From an equipment standpoint, Fowler also has made a significant change for this week’s Fortinet Championship. He is using a new set of irons at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Fowler switched irons and putters fairly often last season as he tried to snap a winless streak that’s extended past three years. The Equipment Report has been following those changes closely and we were obviously interested when we saw a new set of irons in Fowler’s bag Tuesday. The clubs are a never-before-seen set of Cobra King Tour Forged prototypes. The cavity-back irons represent a change for Fowler, who has mostly opted for thin, muscle-back blades in recent years. Thanks to the slightly larger size and overall design, Fowler told GolfWRX on Tuesday that he’s finding more stability on off-center hits, especially low on the face. “Ben (Schomin) and the guys built me up a few new sets; some of our new MBs, a CB, and then a King Tour,” Fowler explained. “These ones are definitely bigger than what I’m used to, but I was also excited to hit them. … Mishits a little off center, or a little low on the face, or heel-toe bias, were really stable. Especially the ones a groove or two low, the misses weren’t as short. I’d see some, if I hit the MB or the CB a little thin, distances could drop anywhere from 7, 8, 9 yards. I was seeing these more in the 4, 5, 6 (range). A few yards here and there can make a big difference. Overall, I just saw more forgiveness, but at the same time, keeping the characteristics that I want with flight and spin. We’re going to give them a go (this week).” A common complaint that better players make about larger, cavity-back irons is that they have too much offset (the measurement of space between the leading edge of the iron and the hosel). In the past, Fowler has tended to play with irons that have very little offset, or none at all. His new King Tour Forged irons appear to have little offset, especially for a cavity-back. Fowler seems to approve of the appearance. “Cavity-backs have been in and around (my bag) every once in a while, but I’ve been primarily blades or (muscle-backs),” Fowler told GolfWRX.com “Always have loved the look and the feel, but if I’m able to basically get still a great look, really good feel with these. It feels like there’s a lot of mass behind it, but at the same time get a little more forgiveness, why make it harder on yourself?” For now, Cobra Golf has yet to announce a release date, or any technical information on the new King Tour irons, so Fowler’s testimonies remain all we know about the unreleased designs. After finishing a career-worst 161st in Strokes Gained: Putting last season, we also spotted Fowler experimenting with putters on the practice green at Silverado. He was trying out two different Scotty Cameron Timeless+ Tourtype SSS putters, pictured below. As competition begins on Thursday in Napa, we’ll keep an eye on which putter Fowler ends up rolling with to match his new iron set.

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CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Good morning, golf fans. Here’s a quick look at Friday’s early developments in the second round of The Open Championship at Carnoustie. HELLO, RAIN. After a lengthy dry spell in Scotland that left Carnoustie’s fairways with racetrack-like conditions, the weather we’re accustomed to seeing at The Open finally arrived. The rain picked up throughout the mid-morning, forcing players to pull out the umbrellas and rain gear for the first time this week. Game plans were adjusted for the slower conditions, but the good news is that the winds remained calm. PAST CHAMPS MAKING NOISE. Rory McIlroy, the 2014 Open winner, moved into a tie for the lead with Kevin Kisner at 5 under with a birdie at the par-5 14th. McIroy shot an opening 69, and then on Friday birdied the seventh, 10th, 13th and 14th holes (with a bogey at the 12th). Meanwhile, Zach Johnson, the 2015 winner, was 4 under through 12 after shooting a 69 on Thursday. FLEETWOOD OUT FAST. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who opened with a 72 on Thursday, played the front nine in 3 under, then added two more birdies after the turn. He was 5 under on his round through 14 holes and 4 under for the tournament, just one shot off the lead. Fleetwood was solo second last month at the U.S. Open, shooting a final-round 63, and he owns the course record at Carnoustie, also 63. TIGER BATTLING. With a mid-morning tee time, Tiger Woods set out to improve on his even-par 71 on Thursday. Things didn’t go well early – on his second shot from the rough on the second hole, he hit a spectator. But after two straight bogeys, he bounced back with two straight birdies to remain even par through five holes. Woods has missed the cut in five of his last seven major starts, so the first order of business will be to get to the weekend. (Click here for our Tiger Woods blog in Round 2.) And yes, he’s still wearing the kinesio tape on the back of his neck that caused such a commotion on Thursday. DAY GETS IT GOING. After a first-round 71, Jason Day moved up the leaderboard with three birdies in his first 10 holes. In seven previous Open starts, Day has just one top-10 finish – a T-4 in 2015. WILL KISNER MAINTAIN? First-round leader Kevin Kisner has a 12:53 p.m. tee time (that’s 7:53 a.m. ET). It’s the second time in four majors that he’s been atop the leaderboard after the opening round. At the 2017 PGA Championship, he was the co-leader with Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen after 18 holes and maintained that position through the next two rounds, taking the solo lead by a single stroke entering the final round before finishing T-7. He took only positives from his performance at Quail Hollow. “I love myself under the gun and down the stretch,� Kisner said. CHASING THE CUT. The top 70s and ties make the cut following the second round. Patrick Reed will tee off this afternoon locally (10:21 a.m. ET) below the cutline after shooting a 4-over 75 on Thursday. Reed has missed the cut in two of his previous four Open starts, including last year at Royal Birkdale. Since then, his major results include: T-2 at PGA, win at Masters, solo fourth at U.S. Open. NO. 1 IN TROUBLE. After opening with a 5-over 76, Dustin Johnson started the day outside the cutline, and was drifting farther away. He was 1 over through 12 holes, leaving him at 6 over at that point. Johnson had made the cut in his last eight Open starts after missing the cut in his Open debut in 2009. EARLY/LATE ADVANTAGE. The rain was forecast to subside late in the day, and winds were expected to remain relatively calm, so those players in the afternoon could have ideal scoring conditions. They already had the better side of the draw with early first-round tee times – 11 rounds under par were shot by the first 12 groups Thursday compared to none in the last 12 groups.

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