90 for 90: Celebrating Mr. Palmer

A lot has changed in Brooks Koepka’s equipment setup since he won last year’s WM Phoenix Open. He was a free agent at last year’s event, meaning he had the flexibility to play any clubs he wanted. This year, he is as an official staffer of Cleveland-Srixon after signing a deal with the company in November 2021. A black-white-and-red Srixon staff bag with his name on it is the most immediate proof. His bag at last year’s WM Phoenix Open did include Srixon ZX7 irons (more on the development of Srixon ZX7 irons here), and that hasn’t changed. He switched to those irons in January 2021, and given the way he still talks about those irons and their unique V-sole designs, it doesn’t seem like that will change anytime soon. “The irons have been probably the easiest transition I have ever made,” Koepka said in Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference. “(The V-sole), … I’d never even heard of it, didn’t know it existed. But going through the turf, every once in a while, because I’m very steep on it, I felt like the club would grab a little bit and kind of drag it left. I haven’t seen that once with these irons. They went in the bag immediately.” He’s added more Cleveland-Srixon clubs to the bag since becoming a staffer. Koepka has the new Cleveland RTX ZipCore Tour Rack Raw wedges in play. Having played Cleveland wedges when he was a kid, the biggest part about getting comfortable with his new wedges was figuring out the right sole grind for his turf interaction. “The wedges, I’ve played Cleveland wedges growing up as a kid,” Koepka said. “It’s all about getting the grind work done for me. My lob wedge is probably a little difficult to get the grind right. Takes a few tries. Once we got that done, everything else, you know, you just match your specs.” At the top end of the bag, Koepka has a new Srixon ZX7 driver at 10.75 degrees, equipped with a Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 70 TX shaft that he’s used for years. Like Koepka said, he matched up his previous specs, so it makes sense he didn’t switch up his driver shaft even though he switched the heads. It’s the golf ball switch, though, that seemingly has Koepka most excited. As of November 2021, Koepka has been using a Srixon Z-Star prototype that offers him more height and stopping power with the irons, which is an advantage on the faster and firmer greens on the PGA TOUR. Despite the added height, Keopka says the ball provides ample stability in the wind. “The ball has been crazy actually to me,” Koepka said. “The ball doesn’t move that much in the wind, which I think is the craziest thing. So a little bit of adjustment there. But, I mean, it goes probably, like if I was hitting 7-iron, ball goes 15 feet higher, the Srixon ball, and it’s got the same amount of spin. So to me it’s only going to help me. This place, the greens are kind of firm so I can hold greens a lot better. Then it’s just been very easy transition, something I have been very, very pleased with. We have been working at it for probably six, eight months. So I have been very pleased.” Filling out his bag, Koepka continues to use a TaylorMade M2 Tour 3HL fairway wood and a Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron, each of which has been in his bag for years. He also has a Scotty Cameron Teryllium TNP2 putter, which is a new and slightly different version of the T10 Select Newport 2 proto he used to win last year. Check out the full specs below on Koepka’s bag for this week as he defends his title at the WM Phoenix Open. Driver: Srixon ZX7 (10.75 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour 3HL (16.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 80 TX Driving iron: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Shaft: Fujikura Pro Tour Spec 95 X Irons: Srixon ZX7 (4-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore Tour Rack Raw (52 Mid, 56 Mid and 60 Low) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Teryllium TNP2 Golf Ball: Srixon Z-Star proto Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord (midsize)

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Want to plug 100,000 watts into a 220-volt outlet? Get Tiger Woods on a birdie run. After a slow start to the opening round of the PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Team Woods – Tiger and his 13-year-old son, Charlie – caught some fire, bringing a burst of energy to the year-end event. Despite a stretch where the birdie train would stall midway through the back nine, Tiger and Charlie managed to shoot 13-under 59, and trail 2020 champions Justin and Mike Thomas, their Florida neighbors, by two shots heading to Sunday’s final round. (The event is 36 holes, with a Scramble format.) The Woods and Thomas teams played alongside one another on Saturday, making for plenty of laughs along the way, and will play alongside each other on Sunday as well, a request that PGA TOUR officials said was made by television. The last group tees off at 11:05 a.m. (Vijay Singh and his son, Qass, were first to the clubhouse at 13 under.) The Thomases and Woodses are a close bunch, and the barbs were plentiful across 18 holes. Charlie was wearing a Snoopy hat, so Mike Thomas, the elder statesman in the group and a PGA club professional who has helped to coach Charlie, called him “Snoopy” all day. Charlie had struggled early, but came through big at the par-4 seventh hole when he rolled in a putt from 18 feet. As he walked to the next tee, Justin Thomas saddled up alongside and said, “Welcome to the Father-Son, Charlie.” It’s a family affair all around, with Joe LaCava on Tiger’s bag and his son, Joe Jr., on Charlie’s bag. Jani Thomas, Mike’s wife and Justin’s mom, is caddying for Mike. And hey, Charlie didn’t want to leave out Justin’s caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, in naming who is part of the family. For the players, the needle stays out, constantly. “Before we even got out here, the texts were flying,” Tiger Woods said. Charlie rolled his left ankle earlier this week, and at times on Saturday he walked with a more pronounced limp than his ailing dad, who has been dealing with plantar fasciitis on top of the right leg and ankle injuries that have slowed him since his 2021 SUV crash in Los Angeles. Both played out of a cart for most of the day. After his tee shot at the third, Charlie immediately grabbed for the back of his ankle. A few holes later, at No. 5, he hit a tee shot and went to the ground. Charlie even has tried wearing different shoes to help. “On some shots,” Charlie said, “it hurt a lot. Walking was tough … it was all right. It wasn’t that bad.” His father, who once won a U.S. Open on a broken leg, can tell his son a little something about pain, having endured multiple back, knee, leg and ankle surgeries just to keep playing. On Saturday, the best pain reliever was the fun the two were having being together on the golf course. The crowd loved it, too. For Tiger, just being here after a year in which he played only nine official rounds always was going to be a bonus. “It’s about us having an opportunity to bond,” Tiger said. “We do this at home all the time, and you know, you guys are now seeing what we do all the time at home. We just have fun. We needle each other. We encourage each other. It goes back and forth. “It’s just an amazing relationship, and it just deepens the bond between father and son.” Like his dad sometimes has to do, Charlie hung in there on Saturday without having his best stuff. Some holes, Charlie would hop on one foot after his drives – he ripped one on the par-4 ninth long enough that his dad never even needed a tee ball – and on others he came up with different swings and followthroughs to help ease the pain. Charlie made his best contribution with the putter, No worries, especially when your partner happens to be the GOAT. Once Tiger chipped in for eagle from just off the back of the green at the par-5 fifth, Team Woods – or “Team Ice Pack,” as Tiger jokingly referred to them after the round – was off and flying. Charlie, who joined his dad on the interview stand for the first time Saturday evening, was impressed by his dad’s play. “I mean, he played great today,” Charlie said. “He had to carry me all day.” A year ago, Team Woods shot 15-under 57 on Sunday, finishing runner-up to John Daly and his son, John II. In many ways, despite making birdie on only one of their first three holes, this day felt very similar to where they’d left off. “We just got rolling,” Tiger said. “I had a little bit of a chip-in (for eagle at 5) and all of a sudden a couple putts fell, and we were just trying to give ourselves as many opportunities getting in the fairway, iron shots and putts, and we just got rolling.” From the par-3 fourth hole, where Tiger made a 30-footer up the hill for birdie, through the par-4 11th, Team Woods played eight holes in 9 under. Team Thomas pulled back ahead with their second eagle of the day at the 14th, and the cushion stayed at two shots when both teams birdied the closing, par-5 18th, where Team Woods missed a long look for eagle. Two years ago, after Team Thomas won the PNC in their debut, Justin and Mike playfully made their way over to Tiger’s house on Christmas wearing the wide Willie Park belts that are awarded the tournament champions. So one might say there is a little extra motivation for Team Woods on Sunday to try to catch them. After all, Tiger Woods has a short memory.

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Follow the action on Day 1 of the RBC Heritage from Hilton Head, S.C.

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