Azinger: Players see pain meds ‘problem’ for Woods

Tim Tucker, the caddie for Bryson DeChambeau, is working with Lexi Thompson this week.

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Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland have teamed up this week at the 2022 Zurich Classic in New Orleans. The young superstars combine for only 49 total years of age (Morikawa is 25 years old, and Hovland is 24 years old), but they already have eight PGA TOUR victories between them (Morikawa has five, and Hovland has three). With Morikawa currently ranked No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and Hovland ranked No. 5, the Morikawa-Hovland duo is sure to be both a fan favorite — and a betting favorite to win the event, too. While neither player has made any major changes to their equipment setups in the last few months, each have recently made one minor tweak: Hovland has changed into a modified Ping G425 LST driver, and Morikawa changed the weight of his TaylorMade TP Collection Juno putter. Ahead of the 2022 Zurich Classic, GolfWRX.com spoke to both players to gain further insight about why they made their respective gear changes. Viktor Hovland Leading up to the Masters, Hovland was using a Ping G425 LST 9-degree driver head, which has a relatively flat lie angle to influence a fade bias. Hovland, however, who already plays a natural cut shot, noticed he was struggling to draw the ball. To help combat the issue, Hovland and Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates experimented with different loft and lie angle settings. The two eventually settled on a setting in his Ping G425 LST 9-degree head that shifted the lie angle upright by 2 degrees. All things being equal, a more upright lie angle will typically help golfers draw the ball, whereas a flat lie angle will influence a fade. According to Hovland, the upright driver setting also matched up better with the lie angles on his Ping i210 irons, helping him achieve more consistency throughout the set. ”We had a hard time drawing the driver, because it was too flat,” Hovland told GolfWRX.com at the 2022 Zurich Classic on Tuesday. “I have pretty low hands at impact, so we figured it’d be easier to make it more upright so I didn’t have to work as hard to draw it. When I do draw it, with that current setting, I tend to draw my irons too much. We just kind of matched it up to the rest of the set.” While many PGA TOUR players would be concerned using an upright driver, since they tend to guard against a left miss, Hovland doesn’t worry as much about missing to the left. “Most of the time when I’m playing well, it’s not going left too much,” Hovland said. Collin Morikawa You may not think five grams is a lot of weight, but for Morikawa, it can make a huge difference in feel on the greens. Typically, Morikawa uses a TaylorMade TP Collection Juno putter with 2.5-gram weights in the heel and toe portions of the sole. When he plays on relatively slower green complexes, however, he says he wants something a bit heavier. Ahead of The 2021 Open Championship, which Morikawa won, he replaced the 2.5-gram weights on his putter with 7.5-gram weights. Ahead of the Zurich Classic, he’s doing something similar by replacing the 2.5-gram weights with 5-gram weights. Although the change only equates to 5 grams of additional overall head weight, it’s significant for Morikawa, who’s going from the lightning fast Augusta National greens to the relatively slower TPC Louisiana surfaces. “I just added a little more weight to the putter,” Morikawa said on Monday at the 2022 Zurich Classic. “For me, it’s what I do on slower greens, like what I did at The Open. Instead of trying to hit it harder, or do something different, it just matches my feel a little better, and helps me work my way from fast greens to slow greens.” For amateur golfers, take this as a lesson to not underestimate the power of just a few grams. Adding or subtracting weight, especially in certain areas, can drastically change both performance and feel. If you’re using a putter that has interchangeable weights, we recommend messing around with different configurations to see what feels best for you, or consult with a professional fitter to get dialed in.

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HONOLULU – Entering its 20th year as title sponsor of the Sony Open in Hawaii, Sony Corporation has agreed to extend its partnership with the PGA TOUR by another four years, through 2022, as announced Monday by Sony, the PGA TOUR and tournament host organization Friends of Hawaii Charities. The new agreement will commence following the 2018 tournament in January. The upcoming Sony Open in Hawaii will mark the 20th year of Sony’s sponsorship, tying it for the third-longest tenured title sponsor on the PGA TOUR. “2018 will be the momentous 20th anniversary of the Sony Open in Hawaii,� said Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation. “I am proud to announce that Sony has decided to renew its sponsorship once again, until 2022. To us, the Sony Open is not just a golf tournament; it has allowed us to provide continuous support to the local Hawaiian community. Together with everyone involved in organizing the tournament and our charitable partners at The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, we hope to continue contributing to the people of Hawaii.�      “As we approach the 20th anniversary of Sony’s sponsorship of the Sony Open in Hawaii, it’s important to recognize the impact Sony has had on the tournament’s stability, success and growth since 1999,� said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We congratulate Sony for reaching this milestone in 2018 as one of our longest continuous tournament sponsors, and we thank them for extending this outstanding partnership for another four years.� The tournament has been held at Waialae Country Club since its debut in 1965. In 1999, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc., became the host organization and Sony became title sponsor. The following year, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., became the Sony Open’s charity partner. Since 1999, $17 million has been distributed to more than 350 Hawaii not-for-profit organizations. More than $1 million has been raised annually since 2005. “Sony’s support of Hawaii’s PGA TOUR event will continue to be a conduit of blessing to thousands of individuals among Hawaii’s not-for-profit and tourism sectors, as it has for the past 20 years,� said Corbett Kalama, President, Friends of Hawaii Charities. “This generous sponsorship commitment of Sony Corporation and of charity partner The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., coupled with the steadfast support of Waialae Country Club and over 1,500 world-class volunteers, is the recipe that makes Hawaii charities the biggest winners each year at the Sony Open. “Additionally, the valuable support of the State of Hawaii and Hawaii Tourism Authority for the Sony Open in Hawaii, gives the world a window into our tropical paradise during the winter months, ultimately benefitting the tourism industry,� Kalama continued. “Working together, we are committed to increasing annual charitable giving to over $1.2 million to support Hawaii’s children, women, elderly, and impoverished.� The 2018 Sony Open in Hawaii will be held January 8-14 and will be televised on Golf Channel. Broadcast times are 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m.-10 p.m. ET on Sunday. “Sony Corporation has been a wonderful partner of the PGA TOUR and Friends of Hawaii Charities for two decades,� said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Sponsorship and Partnership. “Beyond its ongoing support of the Friends of Hawaii’s charitable endeavors, Sony has used the tournament to showcase new products and technologies, as well as adding features such as a movie premier at the Draw Party and an Awards Gala featuring celebrity chefs and musical entertainment to further enhance the overall tournament experience. We are excited to announce the continuation of this special relationship for another four years.� Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas won the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii, riding an opening 59 to a seven-stroke victory and a PGA TOUR scoring record of 27-under-par 253, breaking the 72-hole record by one. At age 23, Thomas became the youngest TOUR player ever to break 60, and he did so by making eagle-3 on the final hole, his second eagle of the day. The victory followed Thomas’ win the previous week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and gave him three early wins for the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season. Toward the end of the season, Thomas captured two more titles – his first major at the PGA Championship and the Dell Technologies Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs – to lock up the FedExCup and earn Player of the Year honors.

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