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KAPALUA, Hawaii – After giving the world a sneak peek at the Sentry Tournament of Champions through four of its star players, TaylorMade has officially released their new line of SIM drivers, fairway woods and rescue clubs. Looking to build on their driver innovation over the years the company invested heavily in aerodynamic research, including a state of the art wind tunnel, and have come up with a new shape and unconventional geometry to unlock more swing speed. The SIM line – short for Shape In Motion – promises to improve forgiveness while also increasing aerodynamics and clubhead speed at the most critical stage of the swing – the last three feet of the swing prior to impact. TaylorMade says this “speed generation zone� is where the most meaningful increase of clubhead speed occurs. At the PGA TOUR level, players commonly accelerate from 90mph to 120mph in that moment. Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolfe and Collin Morikawa all added the new equipment in the bag in Maui with others, including FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy, expected to follow suit. In each of the three driver models – the SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max D – a raised crown and sole is featured to reduce drag and improve airflow throughout the swing. While raising the crown and sole improves aerodynamics, it typically comes with a tradeoff in the form of higher center of gravity (CG) projection. TaylorMade says the SIM family of drivers counteract that with the “Inertia Generator� positioned low and back with a heavy steel weight at the rear of the club. This design element moves the CG projection very low, optimizing launch conditions and increasing the Moment of Inertia (MOI). This in turn provides additional forgiveness for the golfer. During aerodynamic testing, TaylorMade discovered the need to rotate the Inertia Generator to match the direction of airflow within the speed generation zone. The result is air that moves smoothly across the sole on the downswing and enhanced clubhead speeds in company tests. “The history of driver design has been about prioritizing tradeoffs,� Tomo Bystedt , TaylorMade’s Senior Director of Product Creation, says. “You could have great launch conditions, but poor forgiveness. You could have great forgiveness, but at the sacrifice of distance. You could have an aerodynamic shape, but with less than optimal launch conditions. “But through the use of multi-material technology, we’ve developed a new shape that optimizes performance in all three areas. It’s forgiving, fast and promotes the ideal launch conditions.� Plenty of familiar technology remains and in fact TaylorMade says the carbon composite material developed over the M series helped unlock the new geometry for SIM. By using carbon materials to construct the crown and sole paneling designers saved a considerable amount of weight, which was then redeployed into the new design. New for 2020 is an ultra-light weight chromium carbon crown with a chalk white topline that creates contrast with the black clubface to help frame the ball at address and improve alignment. The method of making “hot� drivers with “Speed Injected Twist Face� remains. Drivers are made above the legal limit and then injected with resin to bring it back to the legal limits. And the face curvature is designed to straighten ball flight. The SIM driver features a sliding weight that allows for up to 20 yards of draw or fade bias. It features a slightly smaller face than SIM Max and Sim Max D for players who place a premium on adjustability and control. The SIM Max driver is designed to deliver maximum forgiveness. The all-new Inertia Generator positions additional weight at the extreme rear of the club to further increase MOI, providing more forgiveness and slightly higher launch conditions than the SIM driver. The SIM Max D is engineered to help golfers avoid the right side of the course via a strategically placed heel-bias internal weight and divergent topline masking, which makes the driver look more open at address helping golfers close the face at impact. The draw-biased design promotes the highest launch and offers the largest, most forgiving face in the SIM lineup. All three models allow for two degrees adjustment of the loft, lie angle and face angle of the driver. SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max D will be available for pre-order on January 10 and at retail on February 7, 2020. SIM has an MSRP of $549.99 and will be offered in 8, 9 and 10.5 degree lofts. Stock shaft offerings include Mitsubishi Diamana S Limited 60 and Project X’s HZRDUS Smoke Green 70, with numerous custom shaft options available at no additional cost. They come stock with a new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g). SIM Max and Max D have an MSRP of $499.99 and will be offered in 9, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts. SIM Max stock shaft offerings include Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 and Ventus Red 5, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost. SIM Max D stock shaft offering is the UST Mamiya Helium, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost. Both models also come stock with the new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g).The women’s offering for both SIM Max and SIM Max D include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g). FAIRWAY WOODS The V Steel design has been reinvented as advanced shaping combines with a V Steel sole to improve turf interaction and playability from various lies. A more rounded leading edge improves the club’s initial contact with the turf, while the V Steel sole further raises heel and toe sections of the sole away from the ground and improves versatility. TaylorMade says these design features combine to significantly reduce turf contact area reducing ground friction which can positively influence both clubhead speed and ball speed. Matching the aesthetics of the SIM driver family, the chromium carbon crown and contrasting chalk white color help frame the ball at address and improve alignment. The fairway metals all have Twist Face technology and the Speed Pocket technology. The SIM fairway is a 180cc titanium head that combines a lightweight carbon construction with a new ZATECH titanium face and a heavy 80g steel sole weight. The strategically positioned weight creates an extremely low CG that allows for increased ball speed, higher launch and improved forgiveness on low-face hits. According to the company the ZATECH titanium face enables engineers to push the limits of speed in a titanium fairway wood. It’s the first time TaylorMade has used this rare and ultra-strong material in the construction of a metal wood. It is made in small batches using a unique process that allows engineers to improve the strength of the face while maintaining a high level of ductility. TaylorMade says this results in extreme distance with adjustability via the loft sleeve. The 185cc SIM Max steel fairway woods are constructed using strong and durable C300 face material. Also featuring the reinvented V Steel, the SIM Max is designed for higher launch and peak trajectories, with extremely long distance and improved playability. The oversized 190cc SIM Max D has been optimized for forgiveness and golfers seeking a draw-bias design. Like SIM drivers, the fairway woods feature progressive head sizes to provide greater forgiveness to the players who need it the most. “For many golfers V Steel will trigger memories of an iconic product we released more than a decade ago,� Bystedt says. “As we reviewed the research used to develop the original technology, we discovered a massive benefit to having a fairway metal with significantly less turf drag through impact. By pairing V Steel with our technologically advanced materials, we’ve created fairways that are extremely playable, forgiving and provide explosive distance.� SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max D fairways will be available for preorder on January 10 and at retail on February 7, 2020. SIM has an MSRP of $399.99 and will be offered in Rocket 3/14, 3/15 and 5/19 degree lofts. It will be offered in the Mitsubishi Diamana FW Limited 75 stock shaft, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost. It comes stock with the new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g). SIM Max and Max D have an MSRP of $299.99. SIM Max will be offered in lofts of Rocket 3/14, 3/15, 5/18 ,7/21 and 9/24 degrees. Shaft offerings include Fujikura Ventus Blue FW 5 (R and A flexes) and Ventus Blue FW 6 (S and X flexes), with additional custom shaft options available at no additional cost. SIM Max D will be offered in lofts of 3/16, 5/19 and 7/22 degrees. UST Mamiya’s Helium FW is the stock shaft offering with numerous custom options available at no additional cost. Both models also come stock with the new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g). Women’s offerings for SIM Max and SIM Max D fairways include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g). RESCUE CLUBS The new SIM Max Rescue club has proven itself versatile enough that Dustin Johnson introduced it in his bag – the first time he says he has used a rescue club since early in his PGA TOUR career. Johnson was particularly pleased to eliminate a left miss he says has always been an issue with rescue clubs. TaylorMade has incorporated V Steel technology into a hybrid for the first time in the company’s history. The clubhead is engineered to deliver improved turf interaction and reduced friction when playing from various lies. A reshaped leading edge works in conjunction with V Steel to further improve playability and strike conditions. Designers rounded the toe and adjusted the face angle to give SIM Max Rescue a more confidence-inspiring shape at address for all levels of golfers. It utilizes the same C300 Steel face used in the SIM MAX fairway woods to help improve ball speed, durability and overall performance. The corrective technologies of Twist Face and Speed Pocket offer improved performance and forgiveness on mis-hits on the toe, heel and low on the face. The SIM Max Rescue will be available for preorder on January 10 and at retail on February 7, 2020. It has an MSRP of $249.99 and will be offered in lofts of 3/19, 4/22, 5/25, 6/28 and 7/31 degrees. It has the Fujikura Ventus Blue stock shaft, with numerous custom shaft options available at no additional cost. It comes stock with the Lamkin’s Crossline 360 grip (47g). Women’s offerings include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g).

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The Farmers Insurance Open returns to Torrey Pines’ two courses this week, with world No. 1 Jon Rahm coming in as one to watch after having won the Farmers in 2017 – his first of six PGA TOUR wins and counting – and the U.S. Open last summer at Torrey’s South Course. Patrick Reed is defending after a five-shot win at last year’s Farmers. Both the South and North courses at Torrey Pines are used for the TOUR’s annual trip to this municipal facility perched on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Torrey Pines has hosted the Farmers every year since 1968. Players play one round apiece on each course before the 36-hole cut, with the final two rounds taking place on the famous South Course, which has been host to many memorable moments. Torrey Pines may be best known for Tiger Woods’ success here – it is where he won the Junior World championship and eight PGA TOUR titles, including his dramatic playoff win over Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open – and the three Farmers wins by San Diego’s native son, Phil Mickelson. But one could argue that the biggest star is the venue itself, with its sumptuous, sweeping views that mark the TOUR’s return to network television each year and stoke the passions of snowed-in golf fans during the dead of winter. The cornerstone of San Diego-area golf, Torrey Pines has hosted the San Diego City Amateur, Junior World, U.S. Amateur Public Links, California State Amateur, Farmers Insurance Open, and last summer, for the second time, the U.S. Open. In a twist that’s new this year, the Farmers will begin on Wednesday and end on Saturday, making room for the APGA Tour, which is dedicated to diversity in golf, to stage its own final round at Torrey South on Sunday. It will be the first APGA event televised on Golf Channel. Here are Five Things to Know about Torrey Pines. 1. WHAT’S IN A NAME? The Torrey pine – which is featured in the Farmers Insurance Open’s trophy – is native only to this 36-hole golf complex, the neighboring Torrey Pines State Reserve and Santa Rosa Island, located up the California coast near Santa Barbara. The tree features clusters of five pine needles and, because it is protected, when some 30 Torrey pines were removed during a renovation of the South Course, they were simply relocated and transplanted. Although early Spanish explorers certainly knew of the tree, Dr. Charles Christopher Parry, a botanist for the U.S.-Mexico Boundary Survey, officially discovered it. He named it for his mentor, Dr. John Torrey, who had co-written “A Flora of North America” and was the solo author of “A Flora of New York State.” Torrey never visited the region, but Parry sent him samples of the tree. 2. TRAINING GROUNDS Camp Callan opened on what is now Torrey Pines Golf Course in 1941, just prior to the Pearl Harbor invasion. It was used for anti-aircraft artillery replenishment, and roughly 15,000 people lived on site. There were movie theaters and chapels, among other conveniences. After World War II, the government sold the land and buildings back to the city of San Diego. Lumber from the buildings was used to build housing for veterans. 3. RE-DEFINING ‘DRIVER’ The term ‘driver’ once meant something completely different at Torrey Pines. After Camp Callan, the land was repurposed to build a grand prix racecourse, hosting car-racing contests that included some of the biggest names in driving. Among them were Carroll Shelby, who was played by Matt Damon in the movie “Ford vs. Ferrari.” The last race was held in 1956. 4. A FATHER-SON TEAM Torrey Pines was designed by a father-son team that was named “California’s First Family of Golf Course Design.” William P. Bell, who was born in 1886 and apprenticed under Willie Watson and George C. Thomas, Jr., was a turf consultant for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, and shortly after that was joined by son William F. Bell in the family golf course design business. A special city election in 1956 led to the dedication of roughly 100 acres of the former Camp Callan being set aside for the creation of a golf course. William P. had the original vision for Torrey Pines, but he had died by the time Torrey Pines was built. His son, William F., oversaw its creation in the late 1950s. William P. also worked with Thomas on the Bel-Air, Riviera and Los Angeles country clubs, and William F. was involved in the building of Sandpiper and Industry Hills golf clubs, and Bermuda Dunes Country Club. Riviera is the annual host of the Genesis Invitational, which is hosted by Woods, while LACC is slated to host next year’s U.S. Open. 5. A WORK IN PROGRESS In the spring of 1999, the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation began a five-year capital improvement program for the courses. Rees Jones moved four green structures and added 10 new tees to stretch the course from 7,000 to nearly 7,600 yards. He made smaller changes in 2019, and as a result is the architect most responsible for transforming the South. But he’s not the only one. Billy Casper and architect David Rainville oversaw the first redesign in the mid-1970s. Stephen Halsey and Jack Daray, Jr., redid it in ’88. Tom Weiskopf, who won what would become the Farmers in its first year using Torrey South in 1968 – the tournament had mostly been at Stardust C.C. – redesigned the North Course in 2016. As for changes to the South, a new tee and two new bunkers down the left side have added a new wrinkle to the 612-yard, par-5 13th hole. A new tee has added 37 yards to the par-4 15th hole, as has a new low chipping area front-left of the green, which will collect errant shots. A new tee has been added to the left of the previous tee on 17, creating a new angle that favors a draw into the fairway. The hole features the shallowest par-4 green, 26 yards. The fairways and rough are still mostly kikuyu, the greens poa annua. Devlin’s Billabong, the small pond fronting the 18th green, is still the only water hazard (other than the Pacific Ocean). The 387-yard second hole is still the only par 4 under 400 yards. Additionally, the picturesque, 195-yard third hole, which plays downhill into the prevailing wind, is still the signature par 3. With multiple teeing areas and wind directions, it can call for anything from a pitching wedge to a long iron. The dogleg-right sixth hole, a par 4 for the U.S. Open, plays as a 560-yard par 5 for the Farmers. The easiest hole is usually the 568-yard, par-5 18th, the site of Tiger Woods’ do-or-die putt at the 2008 U.S. Open, and Dan Hicks’ call: “Expect anything different?” It often decides the tournament, too – just ask Jon Rahm. He holed a long eagle putt on the 72nd hole to win the Farmers in 2017 and birdied both 17 and 18 last summer to win his first major.

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Luke Donald has been named Team Europe captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup, to be contested September 29 – October 1, 2023 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. Donald represented Europe in the Ryder Cup four times as a player, being part of a winning team on all four occasions and compiling a 10-4-1 overall record. He also has served as a vice captain in the last two editions of the biennial contest, under Thomas Bjørn in 2018 and Pádraig Harrington last year. The 44-year-old Englishman held the No. 1 spot on the Official World Golf Ranking for a total of 56 weeks, and in 2011 he became the first player in history to win both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR money lists in the same year. “I am incredibly proud to be named European Ryder Cup captain for 2023,” Donald said. “It is truly one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon a golfer, to lead a team of your peers and be an ambassador for an entire continent. “I feel extremely privileged to have been given that responsibility and it is a responsibility I do not take lightly. Some of my best experiences in golf have been in the Ryder Cup and I would not swap those for anything. It is an event like no other, and I cannot wait to create more special memories in Italy next year. “I love everything the Ryder Cup embodies, from the camaraderie and companionship of being part of a team, to the history of the contest, but most of all playing for something bigger than yourself. “Rome will be a fantastic host city, and I have always enjoyed spending time there. It is a city rich in history and hopefully we can create some of our own in 14 months’ time.” Donald has confirmed that both existing vice captains – Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari – will continue in their respective positions. “In my opinion, it was essential that Thomas and Edoardo remained part of the team,” Donald said. “They were the first two calls I made once I got the nod to be captain and I’m delighted that they are fully on-board. “Nobody needs any explanation of how important Thomas is to the Ryder Cup – one glance at the history books will show you that. He has lived and breathed European golf for the past 30 years and having his know-how behind me, not least as a winning captain, will be vital. “Furthermore, Edoardo has blazed an impressive trail for himself in the world of stats and his knowledge in this area with the players who will be on the team, in addition to extra-special Italian element he will bring to the entire occasion, is an extra bonus for Team Europe.”

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