Ian Poulter, Mark Hubbard share lead after opening 64s at RBC Heritage

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Callaway announced the launch of a slew of new equipment on Tuesday, including Epic Forged irons and Epic Flash Hybrids that are made for a wide range of golfers, and a line of Epic Flash Star clubs that are designed for low speed players who want more distance, according to Callaway. Each of the new products will be available at retail on August 2. The new Epic Forged irons mark the first time that Callaway will offer tungsten weighting in a forged iron. Made from 1025 carbon steel, the new irons use a “Suspended Tungsten Coreâ€� that consists of a custom tungsten weight that is placed strategically in each iron to position the center of gravity (CG) for controlled launch. The weight is wrapped in a TPU (thermoplastic urethane) mold and then “suspendedâ€� within the club head in Callaway’s familiar urethane microspheres. The microspheres help to reduce vibration at impact. Also implemented in the iron heads are Callaway’s 360 Face Cup — designed for faster ball speeds across the face – and a new VFT (variable face thickness) design made to better control spin rates. The Epic Forged irons have a platinum chrome finish and come stock with Aerotech Steelfiber or Mitsubishi Tensei AV Silver shafts, and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. They will sell for $300 per club, or $2400 for an 8-piece set. The long-awaited Epic Flash Hybrids are built for greater ball speed by using the company’s familiar Jailbreak Technology, which consists of two internal bars behind the face that run from the crown to the sole. The bars help to stabilize the face, thus providing more energy transfer, according to Callaway. The hybrids also have forged Carpenter 455 steel faces that also have Face Cup technology; these designs are used to create more ball speed and distance. Additionally, the club heads have MIM’ed (Metal Injection Molding) tungsten weights to enhance launch and forgiveness, and the crowns have Callaway’s T2C (triaxial carbon) technology that has a weaved design to reduce weight from the crown to be placed lower in the head. The hybrids have a new OptiFit 3 hosel that’s lighter than previous iterations to optimize launch and spin while reducing weight from unwanted areas in the head. The Epic Flash Hybrids come stock with Mitsubishi Tensei AV Silver shafts, and they will sell for $300 per club. Callaway’s new Epic Flash Star Family of clubs features a driver, fairway woods, hybrids and irons that are all built with lighter weights for golfers who need more speed and distance. While the metalwoods have all of the familiar technologies from Callaway’s Epic Flash line, and the irons are forged from 1025 carbon like the Epic Forged irons, the line of clubs comes with UST Mamiya’s ATTAS Speed graphite shafts that were previously only available in Japan. The lightweight shafts are designed for high launch and low spin, thus helping low swing speed golfers optimize distance. The clubs also come with either Golf Pride JL00 (30 grams) or J200 (43 grams) lightweight grips to save additional weight from the club overall. The Epic Flash Star driver, which has a Flash Face and Jailbreak like the company’s popular Epic Flash drivers, is 50 grams lighter in total than the Epic Flash. Callaway has also made a 13.5-degree option available, in addition to 10.5- and 12-degree options. The drivers will sell for $699.99 apiece. The fairway woods, which are available in 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 models, will sell for $399.99 each, while the hybrids, available in 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 will sell for $325 each. The Epic Flash Star forged irons (5-PW, AW, GW and SW) are made with “powerful lofts and optimized CG placement,â€� according to Callaway, that’s specific to each iron. The lofts range from 22 degrees in the 5-iron to 33 degrees in the 9-iron, and the wedges range from 38 degrees in the pitching wedge to 55 degrees in the sand wedge. While those lofts are stronger than market-standard, the Epic Flash Star irons are designed for higher launch. They will sell for $325 per club.

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With the eyes of the golf world focused on the Presidents Cup this past weekend, the potential future of the game was hard at work. Charlie Woods posted a career low round of 68 on Sunday at a qualifier for the Notah Begay III Junior National Golf Championship at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. His father Tiger Woods carried his clubs. After a 1-over 37 on the front nine, Charlie came in with two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th hole to card a 68. His second shot on that 14th hole nearly found the cup for an albatross but lipped out leaving a tap-in eagle. While most 13-year-old golf hopefuls are lucky to have a devoted coach or parent cheering from the cart path, Charlie navigated his round with the help and guidance of an 82-time PGA TOUR winner on the bag. “Well, Dad told me to stay patient,” Charlie said. “Just play steady golf. Just stay patient, play, focus on each shot, don’t look too far ahead. Stay in the game.” Charlie would go on to finish T4 in the Boys 12-13 division for the tournament with a score of 4-over-par for 36 holes. Tiger and Charlie have played together at the PNC Championship the last two years, a team event in Orlando, Fla. where major champions compete alongside a member of their family. This year’s PNC Championship is scheduled for December 15-18.

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