Click here to read the full article…
| For slot machine lovers: discover all the different types of slots available ta Bovada Casino! |
Jordan Spieth leads Matt Kuchar and the field after three rounds at the Open Championship, and he migt be at his best when ahead.
Throughout his professional career, Tiger Woods has always used prototype irons that have a different design than retail releases. That is about to change, however, because TaylorMade is releasing replicas of Tiger Woods’ P-7TW Milled Grind irons to the general public. “Consumers have never had the opportunity to play irons like mine…until now,â€� Tiger Woods said in a press release. The P-7TW prototype irons that Woods started using in 2019 are the second versions of TaylorMade irons that he’s used since becoming a company staffer in 2017. The first TaylorMade irons that Woods used were called “TW Phase1.â€� He used those prototype irons throughout 2018, and he used them to win the 2018 TOUR Championship. In 2019, however, Woods switched to the P-7TW prototype irons that had TaylorMade’s Milled Grind soles, showcased by the ridges in their soles. Much like with the Milled Grind wedges that Woods uses, the Milled-Grind-process allows TaylorMade to construct each iron to exact specifications without the need for hand grinding. This means that Woods can change irons more often, and know that he’s getting irons that are identical to his previous set. “The first step with Phase 1 was creating an iron for Tiger that met his needs and what he had been used to and was giving him exactly what he wanted,â€� Bovee explains. “Phase 2 is taking that foundation, the knowledge of the Phase 1, and improving upon it and adding in features like the Milled Grind sole, where we can repeat Tiger’s grind every single time he wants a new set of irons… we knew he was in love with the Milled Grind in his wedges and being able to get a new wedge every week if he wanted. That was something we wanted to bring to him in the irons, as well. He usually goes through two [iron] sets a year, and now there’s no hesitation.â€� The retail P-7TW irons made available to the public will match Woods’ prototype P-7TW irons “in every way that really matters,â€� according to TaylorMade’s manufacturing engineer Matt Bovee, which includes the head shapes, sole grinds, sole geometries, offset, bounce, grooves and stampings. Woods prefers a very specific look from his irons, a look that differs from TaylorMade’s other retail blade irons: the P-730. “His irons have a very distinct look and shape, and that’s what the P-7TWs really embody,â€� Bovee told PGATOUR.COM. “So if you were to look down at those and really compare them to the 730, you notice right away that they have a longer blade length than the 730, and they actually get longer as they transition into the shorter irons. So that’s different compared to a normal blade iron where the stay the same length. They have a shorter face height in the long irons, and a taller face height in the short irons, in a way that’s a bit more than you would typically see in a set as well. His offsets aren’t necessarily progressive… you don’t see a consistent trend for offset for his gamers. So it’s all very specific to Tiger and what he likes to see.â€� Woods’ irons, and the retail P-7TW irons, also have flatter sole radii, flatter lie angles, thinner toplines, more bounce, more grooves, narrower score-line widths, and grooves that go higher on the face, according to Bovee. The iron numbers stamped on the soles are also larger than the P-730 irons, at Woods’ request. Forged from 1025 steel – a different metal than the irons that Woods uses — the P-7TW retail irons have Tungsten plugs in the heads, just like Woods’ irons. The inclusion of Tungsten helps to get the CG (center of gravity) in every head exactly where Woods wants it, and it offers a feel Woods prefers. “The real golf gear heads, the Tiger fans, have speculated that he has Tungsten in his irons for some time, and that’s absolutely correct,â€� Bovee told PGATOUR.COM. “That’s really developed into a feel story for him, and we’re excited to be able to have that Tungsten in the production model.â€� The TaylorMade P-7TW irons will be available through custom order and in select retail stores. While Woods’ set is equipped with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord grips, the production sets will come stock with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Tour Issue shafts, but additional shafts and grips will be available through custom. TaylorMade is also offering a special packaging experience along with purchase of a set, although the company is staying tight-lipped about exactly what that entails. “When you receive this box, when you receive your Tiger irons, and you open that box for the first time, I really think golfers are going to be blown away in terms of the overall packaging experience,â€� Bovee said. “I don’t want to give too much away because it is something special, but let’s just say it’s a premium packaging level that we’ve never offered, and I don’t think the industry has ever offered to be honest.â€� Available on May 1, the P-7TW irons (3-PW, right-hand only) for $1,999.99.
The Masters expanded its reach to elite amateurs on Thursday when it offered a special invitation to NCAA champion Gordon Sargent, the first time in more than 20 years an amateur received such an invitation. Augusta National also awarded a special invitation to Kazuki Higa, who won four times on the Japan Golf Tour and captured the money list last year. “The Masters Tournament prioritizes opportunities to elevate both amateur and professional golf around the world,” Chairman Fred Ridley said. “Whether on the international stage or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talent in the past year. We look forward to hosting them at Augusta National in April.” Sargent is the No. 3 player in the world amateur ranking and among the growing list of young American college stars. As a freshman at Vanderbilt, he won the NCAA individual title last year with a birdie on the first hole in a four-man playoff over Eugenio Chacarra, Parker Coody and Ryan Burnett. He also was chosen for the Palmer Cup, matches between college players from the U.S. and Europe. The Masters has a history of looking after elite amateurs, once inviting the Walker Cup team until the late 1980s. It currently invites the U.S. Amateur champion and runner-up, the British Amateur champion, the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and winners of the Asia-Pacific and Latin American amateur events it helped create. The last amateur to earn a special invitation was Aaron Baddeley of Australia in 2000, who was 18 when he beat a field that included Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie to win the Australian Open. The invitations bring the current field to 80 players. The only way to qualify now before the April 6-9 tournament is to win a PGA TOUR event that offers full FedExCup points or be in the top 50 in the world ranking a week before the Masters. Higa’s invitation was expected. The Masters has a history of inviting international players who have had sterling seasons without having regular access to the PGA TOUR. The last special invitation went to Shigo Imahira of Japan in 2019. Higa is No. 68 in the world and his four wins on the Japan Golf Tour include the Dunlop Phoenix in November, one of the strongest fields of the year in Japan.
