Phil Mickelson takes Northern Trust lead with four consecutive birdies, proceeds to hit wedge off a green

Go ahead and peruse Brooks Koepka’s bag setup from his win at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. If you’re a gearhead, you’ll notice something feels out of place — and it’s not the Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron he’s had in the bag going to 2016 when the Swoosh was still in the equipment game. Next to a Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 putter, Koepka’s Titleist Vokey Design SM4 TVD lob wedge is arguably the oldest club in his bag at the moment, with a product release date that goes back to 2011. There’s a reason why Koepka loves the wedge so much, and it has to do with a custom low-bounce TVD M-Grind he’s placed on his 60-degree for every TOUR title, including three major championships. Bottom line, Koepka and his lob wedge have some good history — so much so that when he decided to move into the current SM7 version earlier this year, Vokey Tour rep Aaron Dill added the same SM4 TVD M-Grind to the updated head. Koepka had three Vokey SM7 wedges in play during his win at this year’s U.S. Open, but like most professionals, fresh sets are needed throughout the season to ensure the grooves have extra zip for the major championships. Given Koepka’s success with SM7, many wondered why the 28-year-old suddenly decided to revert back to SM4 in his lob wedge late in the year, but retain SM7 gap and sand wedges. Of course, there’s a story behind the older model wedge getting a spot in Koepka’s bag. The week prior to the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Koepka made a call to Aaron Dill, Vokey’s Tour rep, to have three new SM7 wedges built in preparation for the PGA Championship and FedExCup Playoffs. It was a simple ask that Dill was able to knock out — shipping the clubs to Koepka’s house prior to his departure for Firestone. But there was one problem when Koepka arrived on site in Ohio: He left the wedges at home. In need of a set at the last minute, Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, asked Dill if he could build something new in less than a day. Dill is a modern-day magician on the grinding wheel, but on short notice, even he wasn’t able to completely fulfill Koepka’s request. The issue came down to the grind on the lob wedge, which is highly complicated and takes roughly two days for Dill to add Koepka’s customized SM4 TVD M-Grind geometry on a special SM7 head. “I’d say about 10 to 15 percent of the guys I work with need something exotic on their wedge,” Dill said. “A few of those grinds just take time to get it exactly right, and that’s the case with his grind.” To help Koepka out in a pinch, Dill reached into his bag of tricks, pulling an old SM4 TVD M-Grind head from the Titleist truck. Due to the number of players who still use exotic offerings on TOUR, Dill keeps special stock — custom grinds and head offerings that may have been retired — on hand each week for unique requests. Dill would eventually build Koepka an SM7 with his preferred grind after the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but instead of putting it in play, the PGA TOUR Player of then Year chose to keep the older model SM4 in the bag for the remainder of the season and into the new 2018-19 campaign. What makes Koepka’s M-Grind so different from the standard version? According to Dill, it comes down to bounce characteristics that are lower than most golfers would prefer on the grind. Koepka’s lob wedge sits tight on the turf, due to the relief that’s added to the heel, toe and trailing edge, making it ideal for firm conditions — something he encountered for years in Europe before he earned his TOUR card. “When it comes to his lob wedge, the bounce on it is extremely low,” said Dill, who noted the bounce on a standard M-Grind is 8 degrees. “He’s got some terrific hands and delivers the wedge impeccably. He’s able to get away with just having very little bounce. “We talk about low bounce numbers, he’s about 8 to 9 degrees less forward angle than the original. It’s quite a bit. That’s just from him experimenting and finding what’s worked best for him. He’s been using that for years.” Koepka’s SM4 may be one of the oldest wedges on TOUR, but when it comes to the way it performs on the course, there’s a reason why he continues to use the same setup. The results speak for themselves. BUY EQUIPMENT HERE: PGA TOUR Superstore

Click here to read the full article…

HOW IT WORKS: Our experts from PGATOUR.COM make their predictions for the Presidents Cup this week at Liberty National. The experts make their predictions for the winning score, man of the match, and a comment for their reasoning. Tweet your picks @PGATOUR!

Click here to read the full article…

Time is a finite resource. We may try to deny that fact or suppress it, but it’s a truth that we must eventually reckon with. For Rory McIlroy, coming face-to-face with that reality has resulted in one of the best seasons of his career. He added to his impressive trophy haul of 2019 with a win Sunday at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. It was his fourth win in his last 15 starts, and third World Golf Championship. McIlroy was a mop-topped phenom when he arrived on the PGA TOUR 10 years ago. Now his hair is closely cropped, and some grays peek out from under his Nike hat. He’s 30 now, passing that milestone this May. He knows every win adds to a resume that will get him in the World Golf Hall of Fame one day, so he wants to maximize his remaining opportunities to make history. Related: Final leaderboard | What’s in Rory’s bag? “I think maybe moreso than when I first came out on TOUR, I try 100% over every shot, because I realize I don’t have as much time left as I used to when I was 20,â€� McIlroy said. “Even if I’m having a bad day, I’m trying over every single shot. My concentration is better and my mental capacity on the golf course is much better than it ever has been, and I think that’s a big key to why I’m able to play consistently week-in, week-out.â€� His performance at Sheshan International confirmed that his consistent play from last season has carried over to the 2020 season. McIlroy won the 2019 FedExCup and was named the PGA TOUR Player of the Year after winning three times and finishing in the top 10 in 74% of his starts. From a Strokes Gained perspective, it was the best season in the ShotLink era by a player not named Tiger Woods. McIlroy’s FedExCup defense has started with a third-place finish at the ZOZO Championship and now his first WGC win since 2015. He had to work hard for the victory despite shooting the second-lowest score in tournament history and going bogey-free on the weekend. Last year’s champion, Xander Schauffele, may have been under the weather but it didn’t keep him from putting pressure on McIlroy until the final hole. Schauffele trailed by two with four holes remaining, but birdied 15 and 18 to force extra holes. “Xander pushed me the whole way, or all 73 holes we played together this week,â€� McIlroy said. But McIlroy felt he had an advantage as soon as Schauffele pulled a piece of paper from Slugger White’s hat. Schauffele’s slip had a “2â€� written on it, indicating that he’d hit second in their sudden-death showdown. “I knew that was the big moment because I could hit a drive down the fairway and put the pressure on him,â€� McIlroy said. His driver has always been an asset, and that was the case on the first playoff hole. He hit a booming drive down the fairway, setting the stage for him to win another big title in 2019. Schauffele’s tee shot found the rough and he had to lay up short of the lake in front of the green. McIlroy launched one of his sky-high long irons onto the green, then two-putted from 25 feet. Schauffele missed a 12-foot birdie putt to tie. McIlroy and Schauffele were tied at 19-under 269 after regulation. Schauffele’s final-round 66 was just a stroke higher than Sunday’s best score. McIlroy shot a final-round 68 after opening with three consecutive 67s. The win was McIlroy’s fourth in his last 15 starts. “The four wins this year have been wonderful. THE PLAYERS Championship, RBC Canadian Open, THE TOUR Championship to win the FedExCup, big events,â€� McIlroy said. “But more than that, I think it is the consistency that I’m bringing week-in, week-out. Even if I don’t have my best stuff, at least give myself a chance.â€� McIlroy moved to No. 1 in the FedExCup, though his reign atop the standings will likely be short-lived. He’s three points ahead of Houston Open champion Lanto Griffin, who starts the Bermuda Championship’s final round in 20th place. No one has won back-to-back FedExCups, but McIlroy’s defense is off to a strong start. He’s also in a race with Tiger Woods to become the first three-time FedExCup champ. Woods, who won the ZOZO for his record-tying 82nd win, is 10th in the standings. McIlroy has now finished in the top 10 in 16 of his last 21 starts on the PGA TOUR. He opened the 2019-20 season with a 2-over 72 in Japan. His highest score in the seven rounds since is 68. He’s 34 under in those seven rounds, making just eight bogeys in that span and averaging 66.3 strokes per round. “Right now, the game feels pretty simple,â€� he said Saturday evening in Shanghai. “I know that it’s not going to feel like that all the time, but when it does, you have to take advantage of that feeling.â€�

Click here to read the full article…