Tiger withdraws from THE NORTHERN TRUST

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With driver faces nearing the limits in terms of thickness, engineers have shifted the focus to other areas of the club head to pick up speed, boost forgiveness and decrease weight. For Cobra’s new F9 Speedback driver and fairway woods, that meant taking a different look at crown shaping — an integral piece of the design equation that not only dictates aerodynamic properties but the center of gravity position and Moment of Inertia (MOI) as well. Aerodynamic heads typically designed for speed require the perimeter skirt, tail and leading edges to be rounded and raised to reduce drag. But those design alterations have historically come at a cost to overall forgiveness due to a center of gravity location that can’t be positioned low and back in the head. Cobra is attempting to break aerodynamic design constraints with the help of the company’s new Speedback Technology. The design begins with an aerodynamic shape that comes from a raised perimeter skirt, aft, crown and rounded leading edges designed to reduce drag and improve overall stability and clubhead speed. The perimeter skirt on the back of the head is meant to mimic the diffusers found on the underbody of a car that redirect airflow upward, improving downforce. With a similar design to that of an airplane wing, the new overall shaping is 17 percent more aerodynamically efficient than Cobra’s King F7 driver from two years ago; it’s 5 percent more efficient than last year’s King F8. Polymer trips were added to the front portion of the crown — similar to what’s currently found on King F8 — to further improve airflow and overall efficiency. The trips are one-tenth the weight of titanium and allow the air to glide around the head. Discussions regarding the aerodynamic shaping led to ideas about ways to lower the center of gravity position within the head to increase forgiveness. The first part of the equation is a carbon fiber crown that wraps around the perimeter of the head, further reducing the amount of titanium used in the overall design. By increasing the carbon fiber area by 12 percent, engineers were able to save 10 grams of discretionary weight. Weight savings in the crown led to the addition of an adjustable port in the back of the head housing a 14-gram weight. The design of the port pushes the weight deeper in the head, lowering the club’s overall center of gravity. For players who want to reduce launch and spin, the 14-gram weight can be positioned closer to the face. The driver also features other technologies from previous versions, including strategically placed PWR Ridges designed to add rigidity to the carbon crown for a more efficient energy return. According to Rickie Fowler, the ridges serve another purpose, framing the ball at address. “I realize that was not their intended purpose, but it’s nice to be able to get some confirmation that I’m aligned correctly before I hit the shot,” Fowler said. Cobra’s proprietary CNC milled face returns with King F9. The eight-step milling process, which takes roughly 25 minutes, produces a product that’s more exact than what’s been offered in the past. The face is also 3 percent lighter and 10 percent thinner than its predecessor, which allows the face to flex more effectively at impact. The face also features, for the first time, an optimized bulge-and-roll curvature for different lofts and swing speeds. With more roll on the top half of the face and less on the bottom half, launch conditions are improved, regardless of where the ball is struck at impact. The driver will be offered in three standard lofts (9, 10.5 and 12 degrees) with an adjustable sleeve that can go up and down in loft by 1.5 degrees. Instead of offering standard and plus versions, Cobra will only offer a single F9 head; the 9-degree head is the best option for those looking to reduce launch and spin. Cobra’s Connect sensor is concealed in the butt-end of the grip. The sensor weighs 4.6 grams and doesn’t affect the overall swing weight of the club. Once the sensor is paired with Arccos’ app, golfers are able to log distance and statistics during their round. Cobra King F9 Speedback fairway woods and hybrids For the first time, Cobra’s King F9 Speedback fairway woods will feature a CNC milled face insert (475 steel) designed to produce similar ball speed properties to that of the driver face. According to test results, the CNC face saw an increase in ball speed by 2.5 miles per hour, compared to traditional hand polished fairway wood faces. Due to the fairway wood shaping, the bulge curvature tilts diagonally from the high heel to low toe to account for the slight tilt in the head at impact. The same Baffler rail technology on the sole of King F8 can be found on King F9, however, the rails were re-engineered so the lower lofts have a shallower version and the higher lofts a steeper version for different attack angles and turf interaction. Taking another page from the driver design, the fairway wood utilizes a low, back tungsten weight for higher launch characteristics and improved forgiveness in the standard model. Along with the standard head, a more compact TOUR model has the weight situated closer to the front of the sole for less spin and a penetrating ball flight. The King F9 Speedback hybrids offer the same dual rail design in the sole with a progressive height design to account for attack angle and turf interaction. The head utilizes a 455 stainless steel face insert and tungsten weight positioned in the rear portion of the sole. Cobra’s King F9 Speedback driver will be available at retail January 18, 2019 and retails for $450. The two fairway woods go for $270 while the hybrid is priced at $220. BUY EQUIPMENT HERE: PGA TOUR Superstore

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OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – Bubba Watson admits his mind hasn’t been fully focused on golf this year and he’s looking forward to shutting things down for the rest of 2017 once his FedExCup Playoffs end. After a solid 3-under 67 start at Glen Oaks Club leaves him sitting tied 6th at THE NORTHERN TRUST his vacation time could be delayed a little longer. The nine-time PGA TOUR winner and two-time Masters champion entered the FedExCup Playoffs ranked 113th, firmly facing elimination if he doesn’t perform this week. But he’s finally playing with some mental freedom and hopes to ride the wave a little longer. “All I know is where my mind was, where my focus was the first half of the year; it wasn’t in the right spot to play the best game of golf,â€� Watson said. “Now, I’m driven, I’m dedicated and I want to be back on top. I want to win tournaments, so this is the best way I know how to do it. “Hopefully when this is over, I’m in Atlanta and then I get to take a break after that. My thing is just play until they tell me I can’t play anymore. When I’m done with the Playoffs, no matter where that is, I’m taking at least four and a half months off. I won’t play until next year.â€� The top 100 in the FedExCup standings after this week advance to the Dell Technologies Championship with the top 70 after Boston advancing to the BMW Championship in Chicago. From there the top 30 make it to the TOUR Championship. Points in Playoff events are quadrupled. Watson currently projects to 62nd place. The Florida native plans to spend the bulk of his time off with his family as son Caleb begins school. “I’m going to be tee-ball coach. So looking forward to that, being home with the family and just have a blast,â€� Watson beamed. “My kid started kindergarten. My family’s not going to be able to travel as much anymore. So I just want time off. If I had to choose golf or family, I’m going family every day of the week.â€� TOP FIVE OUTLOOK: FedExCup leader Hideki Matsuyama looks set to lose his top dog status after an opening 4-over 74 left him tied for 102nd. Currently he’s trending towards a missed cut and a drop down to 4th. Dustin Johnson sits just one shot off the pace at Glen Oaks and as such projects to the top spot from his fourth position. Justin Thomas (68) currently projects to drop from No. 2 to No. 3 with Jordan Spieth (69) dropping back to 5th. Rickie Fowler started the week 5th but his round of 68 has him falling to 6th in the current projections. Tournament leader Russell Henley (64) is the man projected to surge into the top 5, all the way to No. 2. BUBBLE BOY: Heading to New York Seung-Yul Noh was the man on the bubble to advance at 100th in the FedExCup but the Korean is going to need something special to remain in the mix for TPC Boston. A 4-over 74 leaves him tied for 102nd this week and projected to 111th in the standings. The nerves now shift to Sanderson Farms champion Cody Gribble whose 78 has him projected to fall from 89th to 100th. MOVING IN, MOVING OUT: After one round, five players have put themselves in position to play their way into next week from outside the top 100. They are led by Bubba Watson who projects from 113th to 62nd after his 67. Martin Flores (118 to 63) and Harold Varner III (123 to 64) joined Watson with 67s to get the start they needed for salvation. Ryan Blaum’s 68 has him projected from 105th to 77th and Brian Gay’s 69 shows him moving from 106th to 94th. The players projected to be booted out at after one round are Branden Grace, Jason Kokrak, Byeong Hun An, Robert Garrigus and Seung-Yul Noh. OUT OF THEIR CONTROL: There will be 25 players officially eliminated from the Playoffs after THE NORTHERN TRUST but we already know one of them is Dominic Bozzelli who withdrew before the tournament. He started at 115th and projects to 119th. Four other players are not in the field this week leaving them at the mercy of others. Masters champion Sergio Garcia (rest) now projects to 30th, Brandt Snedeker (rib injury) projects to 73rd, Adam Scott (paternity leave) projects to 79th and Scott Piercy (shoulder injury) projects to 97th. Scott has welcomed his second child into the world in the last few days, a son named Byron. He will not play in Boston, effectively ensuring his elimination from the Playoffs. NOTABLE NUGGETS: Among those players projected to be eliminated at this stage are major winners Jimmy Walker and Geoff Ogilvy plus Team USA Presidents Cup Captain Steve Stricker. International Team hopeful Byeong Hun An hurt his chances after an opening 74 leaves him projected 105th. At 13th on the International Team standings An must make the cut on Friday or be out of chances to both make the team outright and to further impress Nick Price for a captain’s pick. The biggest potential FedExCup movers are so far Chris Kirk and Camillo Villegas who share third after rounds of 66. They project to move up 64 spots each from 97th and 98th to 33rd and 34th respectively. Harold Varner III (59 spots), Martin Flores (55 spots) and Bubba Watson (51 spots) also look good for a giant leap. Defending FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy had a tough day at the office with a 73 projecting him from 44th to 54th in the standings. Phil Mickelson’s round of 72 has him projected to drop from 51st to 61st. Jason Day’s 69 gives him a modest projected lift from 49th to 46th while Presidents Cup teammate Louis Oosthuizen is eyeing the top 30 after his first round 67 has him projected from 35th to 16th.

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