Mark Hayes, 1977 PLAYERS champion, passes away at age 69

Jordan Spieth carded a 5-under 67 in the first round of the Valero Texas Open on Thursday, good enough for the solo lead amongst the morning-wave finishers. That was good enough for a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Tom Hoge. Related: Full leaderboard "I certainly would have signed up for 5 under starting out," Spieth said. "Felt like I played some really nice golf on our front nine, the back nine. Then just kind of got a little loose off the tee on the front nine, our second nine, and was able to kind of make do. "I hit some decent drives, ended up in iffy spots," he continued. "Overall, just chipped and putted really well, which was the difference maker today. I didn’t quite hit it as good as I have been." Mired in a slump at the start of this year, Spieth has regained his form with the help of longtime coach Cameron McCormick but also an unlikely ally: fellow TOUR pro Jason Dufner. Speaking about the upcoming Masters in a conference call Wednesday, Brandel Chamblee and Rich Lerner suggested that Spieth has been copying some of Dufner's moves. "Well, if you watch him when he rehearses before he hits a shot now, it's weird," Chamblee said. "Even when he's hitting bunker shots, he'll make this very flat golf swing and then in transition, he'll bring his right elbow much closer to his left elbow than I've ever seen him, and then he will round it off and sort of curve the hub. "He'll swing very much around and to the left," he continued. "The only other person I've ever seen make practice swings like that is Jason Dufner. So it would not surprise me in the least if he was not — if he wasn't taking lessons from Jason Dufner, talking to Jason Dufner about the golf swing, or watching Jason Dufner make golf shots. Or Cameron McCormick is." Added Lerner: "He has, Brandel. I spoke to their camp at Bay Hill and he has confided in Dufner, which sort of caught me by surprise." Asked about the Dufner connection after making seven birdies and two bogeys, one of them on his last hole, the par-4 ninth, Spieth said they've been friends, but that's about it. "Yeah, he’s somebody that has a good knowledge of the golf swing," he said. "He’s helped a lot of guys. Just kind of bounce ideas off him. He’s been a good friend of mine for a long time. "He’s been somebody I can always kind of bounce off - ‘Hey, I’m trying to do this, you know, what’s this feel like to you?' - that kind of stuff," Spieth added. "He’s been a good buddy, as I’ve had a lot of different guys over the years that have been offering advice on and off the golf course to the young guys and that’s not out of the ordinary out here."

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It would be easy to assume PGA TOUR players are always using the latest and greatest gear. It makes sense since equipment manufacturers are theoretically updating, elevating, and pushing the limits of technology year-in and year-out. And, of course, the OEMs want their staffers to use the latest equipment lines. However, every now and then, there are clubs that just refuse to go away. Call it superstition, bad habit, nostalgia, or anything in between. Below are five clubs out on TOUR that simply refuse to take a knee and retire. Putters are exempt here (hence the exclusion of Tiger Woods' "Elder Wand" Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS). Kevin Na's Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver Granted, he’s not the only player on this list playing an older driver (defined as something four-plus years old), but Kevin Na's reluctance to switch is still something to notice. It's not necessarily a crime to keep something that works, but with all the progression Callaway has made since 2017, it's hard to fathom that the guy couldn't have picked up an extra 10 yards with a newer driver. Can't blame Na for being loyal — and winning doesn't help the case for a change either. Na's win at the recent Sony Open in Hawaii has given him wins in each of the last four seasons. Specs Driver: Callaway GBB Epic (9 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD GP 6 TX Tony Finau's and Brooks Koepka's Nike Vapor Pro 3-irons This is the one that still fascinates gearheads. Why do two of the best players in the world continue to stubbornly put this 3-iron back in the bag over and over again? Over the past 4-5 years, it has been benched a couple of times by both Finau and Koepka but like clockwork, both players had it in play last week at The American Express. WRX asked former Nike Tour Technician Ben Giunta for insight. "Players have positive vibes with that model," he said. "It doesn't have a ton of offset. It's consistent. It fits their eyes, and it is really hot." Hard to argue with that reasoning. Specs Brooks Koepka Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Shaft: Fujikura Pro 95 Tour Spec X-Flex Tony Finau Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 105 X Fred Couples' Callaway FT-i Squareway 3-wood "I haven't found anything I hit better." That's what Fred Couples told GolfWRX's Johnny Wunder on The Gear Dive Podcast back in 2019. The story of how Couples stuck this in his bag is perhaps one of the most Freddie Couples stories ever. The story goes that Freddie was on the range at the 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at SilverRock. The Harrison rep at the time was testing shafts with Fred and one of the samples was connected to this square-headed Callaway fairway wood. Remember, it's 2008 and shaft reps usually had test clubs built up to speed the process up. After hitting a few, Fred turned to the guy and said "I love it." The rep said, "Great so what head do want it in?" Fred replied, "Nope, I love the whole thing, thanks." Headcover went on. In the bag it went. Here we are today. Specs Callaway FTI Squareway (15 degrees) Shaft: Harrison Mugen Prototype 75 X (43-inches, D3) Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap 58R "Logo Down" Henrik Stenson's Callaway Legacy Black irons It's typically his old trusty Diablo Octane 3-wood that gets all the attention, but now that the trusty weapon has officially been put to rest, there is another section of Stenson's bag that stands out for its longevity — his irons. Keep in mind that his Callaway Legacy Black irons were never even sold in the United States. They were a Japanese-only offering that caught his eye back in 2013. Stenson has never shied away from forgiveness in his irons. He loved that the clubs had a blade profile at address while still giving him plenty of help down below. As one of the best ball strikers in recent memory, it's comforting to know that even someone like Henrik Stenson will take all the help he can get. Word on the street is that he has gone through 10-plus sets of the irons and the stock is getting thin. Specs Callaway Legacy Black (3-PW) Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

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