Munoz making a name for himself in Memphis

Xander Schauffele, who used a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero driver throughout 2019, is using an all-new Callaway prototype driver during his first round Fourball match at the 2019 Presidents Cup, where he’s playing alongside Patrick Cantlay. Based on photos from the event, it appears that Schauffele’s orange-and-black driver has the words “Mavrik� written on the sole. His driver seems to match the look and nomenclature of a driver listed on the USGA Conforming Clubs List as a “Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero� driver. On the USGA Conforming List, the Mavrik Sub Zero driver is listed as having Callaway’s familiar Jailbreak Technology, and a “Flash Face SS20,� with a circle graphic on the face. Jailbreak refers to Callaway’s design technology that features two parallel bars that sit behind the face connecting the sole to the crown. Flash Face, on the other hand, was Callaway’s new face structure debuted in its Epic Flash drivers that was developed by artificial intelligence. Like the USGA image, it also appears that Schauffele’s driver has weight ports on the front and rear portions of the sole. Callaway has not yet commented on retail possibilities for this driver, but the company has confirmed it’s a new prototype, and that Schauffele has tested it leading up to the Presidents Cup. “This week at the Presidents Cup, Xander Schauffele is playing a new Callaway Prototype driver,� Callaway commented in a press release. “He has recently tested it during the offseason and throughout this week’s practice rounds at Royal Melbourne. Schauffele has also said that he’s liked the prototype driver since he first tested it.� We’ll keep you updated should more information be revealed about this Callaway prototype driver. Related: Presidents Cup scoring | Q&A with Xander Schauffele’s club fitter

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TULSA, Okla. – Justin Thomas was in crisis mode earlier this week. His shots weren’t finding the sweet spot, he didn’t feel comfortable over the ball and he was unsure of the solution. Even his father, Mike, wasn’t exempt from his frustration. RELATED: The fabulous dad life of Mike Thomas | Tracing JT’s golfing roots “I have to remind him sometimes, you’re not my dad out here, you’re my swing coach, and I need you to tell me if something is wrong,” Justin said. “I don’t need my ego boosted. I’m here to try to win a golf tournament and play well.” Mike prefers to keep things simple and focus on the fundamentals. A couple days before the year’s second major wasn’t a time to break out the camera or experiment with theories. It was time to go back to the basics. Mike turned his son’s focus away from positions and told Justin to focus on one of his favorite parts of the game, his ability to shape the ball. In an analytical age, Mike wanted his son to engage his right brain. “He was like, well, let’s just start trying to hit some shots,” Justin said. Hitting it high and low, curving it both ways, through what Tiger Woods refers to as the nine windows (think every combination of height and shot shape). That did the trick. Shots started flying off the center of the clubface and Justin’s confidence returned. The high winds blowing across Southern Hills’ wide fairways gave him the opportunity to take his shot-shaping acumen from the range to the course. It showed on Thomas’ final hole Friday, a satisfying birdie that started with a low, slicing drive into the uphill fairway, followed by a wedge shot nestled below the hole on the severely-tilted green. His other birdie on his back nine came after a 6-iron from 217 yards that Thomas hit to 20 feet despite a strong crosswind. “Just being as windy as it was, it was a lot of manipulating and different shots,” said Thomas, who hit 16 greens Friday en route to his second consecutive 67. He’s made just one bogey in his last 27 holes and only three all week. He was by far the best performer among the half of the field that teed off late Thursday and early Friday, facing the day’s highest winds both days. He was three shots better than the next-best performer from that side of the draw, Matt Fitzpatrick. Only three other players broke par from that half of the field: Talor Gooch, Joaquin Niemann and Bernd Wiesberger, and they all were 1 under. Seeking his first major in five years, Thomas took a slightly different approach this week. He teed it up the week prior, playing the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas. That allowed him to make a quick scouting trip up to Southern Hills. “I loved it as soon as I saw it,” he said. Southern Hills’ renovation, which has drastically altered the appearance of this Perry Maxwell classic, has been one of the big storylines this week. The wide fairways give players room to work the ball, a skill that’s even more important in the conditions players have faced this week. The strong wind blows across most of the holes, requiring some sort of curvature to keep the ball from being blown off-target. Thomas is seeking his first win since another victory where his ballstriking skill was on display, last year’s PLAYERS Championship. He played low, hooking tee shots and towering long-irons during a weekend where he had full command of his swing. He hasn’t won since, but still ranks 15th in the FedExCup thanks to seven top-10s in 12 starts this season. That includes a fifth-place finish last week and a top-10 at the Masters after a disastrous first round where his inability to focus cost him an opportunity to command. He followed that 76 by playing the next three rounds in 5 under par, however. This time, Thomas kept fighting in the first round and didn’t let his chances at victory end before they began. Thomas already owns one PGA Championship, having won five years ago at Quail Hollow, but his major record since has been rather paltry. He only has four top-10s in majors since that win, and none better than a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Masters. “It’s golf, so it’s pretty hard sometimes,” he said Friday. “We’re halfway through so it’s still a long way from home, but I’m very, very pleased with where everything is at and the frame of mind and state of mind that I’m in.” He’s come a long way since the start of the week.

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