A record round and three aces: The best and worst of Sawgrass

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Justin Thomas used a strong finish on Quail Hollow’s well-known Green Mile closing stretch to win the PGA Championship for the first major title of his career. Never one to make wholesale equipment changes the week of a major, Thomas kept the adjustments to a minimum, replacing a Titleist 718 T-MB 2-iron with a Titleist 915Fd 5-wood and adding a fresh Vokey SM6 60-degree to the bag. One change that likely flew under the radar was the addition of a SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour grip to his Scotty Cameron X5 Flow Neck Prototype. According to SuperStroke reps, Thomas tested the grip early in the week and liked the feel enough to make a change. SuperStroke’s smallest grip to date is currently used by Dustin Johnson on his TaylorMade Spider Tour putter. The grip is 10 percent smaller in the lower hand than Flatso 1.0 and comes in a classic pistol shape with SuperStroke’s no taper design that promotes even grip pressure. The grip came about through direct feedback from TOUR players who wanted to see a smaller grip with the same technology. Thomas, who ranked 60th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the season coming into the week, was fourth in the field at Quail Hollow (plus 7.228) and made a key birdie on the 17th hole that gave him a two-shot cushion.  Thomas also ranked first in driving distance (327.9 yards) using a Titleist 917D2 driver. The 24-year-old began the season with a 917D3 but transitioned into the pear-shaped D2 head that’s slightly more forgiving and offers an extra 20cc’s (460cc versus 440cc). Here’s a look at Thomas’ entire Titleist setup. Driver: Titleist 917D2 (Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana BF 60TX shaft), 8.5 degrees 3-wood: Titleist 917F2 (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Blue 80TX shaft), 15 degrees 5-wood: Titleist 915Fd (Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X shaft), 18 degrees Irons: Titleist 716 CB (4-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), Titleist 718 MB (5-9; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts), Titleist Vokey SM6 (46-10F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft) Wedges: Vokey SM5 (52-12F and 56-14F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts), Vokey SM6 (60K degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft) Putter: Scotty Cameron X5 Flow Neck Prototype (SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour grip) Ball: Titleist Pro V1x PGA TOUR Superstore: Buy equipment here

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South Africa’s Dean Burmester carded 65 to take the lead at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland on Friday.

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