Biggest takeaways and results to ignore from a wild and longer-than-normal week at the Players

SILVIS, Ill. – Andrew Landry came into the John Deere Classic ranked 175th in Strokes Gained: Putting, a big reason why he was languishing at 170th in the FedExCup.  You wouldn’t know it through two rounds at TPC Deere Run, where Landry has shot 65-65 to get to 12 under and just one shot off the lead of Jhonattan Vegas. He has made just under 152 feet of putts through 36 holes, and is in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. “One hundred percent,â€� Landry said, when asked if the flatstick has been the difference between this year and last, when he won the Valero Texas Open and finished 37th in the FedExCup. “I’ve been hitting the ball very, very well all year long,â€� he said. “I’m top 10 in driving accuracy right now, and that’s a good stat to be in. Like I said, the putter has just kind of been letting me down all year long, and it seems to be working pretty good the last two days.â€� Coming into the Deere, Landry had just two top-25 finishes and 12 made cuts in 21 starts. Related: Tee times | Vegas opens up lead with 62 | Projected FedExCup standings Playing in a threesome with Troy Merritt (69, MC) and Kyle Stanley (66, 8 under), and starting on the back nine, Landry birdied seven of his first 12 holes, including three straight to start the front nine. He ran into tree trouble right of the sixth fairway and made his only bogey. His tee-to-green stats were solid, as he hit 10 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, but that’s been his usual game. It was the short game that stood out. He needed just 27 putts Friday, and is six for seven in scrambling through the first two rounds.   Landry came into the Deere at 190th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.  “I’m hitting good chip shots, which has kind of been unusual for the last four or five weeks,â€� he said. “I haven’t really been chipping the ball that great. But I don’t know, just every week is a little bit different. It’s a funny game. Who knows what could happen?â€�

Click here to read the full article…

story), Callaway also announced a number of new products for 2019 on Thursday. The new products include Apex 19 hybrids, Apex 19 and Apex Pro 19 irons, PM grind wedges, Odyssey Stroke Lab putters, Odyssey Toulon putters, ERC Soft golf balls, Supersoft and Supersoft Magna golf balls. Below, we take a look at all of the new Callaway clubs, technologies, pricing and release dates. Apex 19 hybrid The Apex 19 hybrid, described as a “players hybridâ€� due to its compact shape and design, now comes with Jailbreak technology. That means along with offering workability and spin control similar to an iron, compared to larger hybrid shapes, the Apex 19 also has the benefits of two stiffening bars behind the face for increased ball speed. The heads are made from 455 carpenter steel and come with a dark PVD finish. They come stock with True Temper Catalyst shafts, will sell for $269.99 apiece, and they hit retail on January 25. Apex 19 irons Occupying the space between a true players iron and a game-improvement iron, Callaway looks to combine feel and distance in its Apex irons. For the Apex 19, Callaway injects urethane microspheres, which contain air pockets, into the cavities of the multi-piece iron heads to dampen vibrations of the flexible faces, thus enhancing sound and feel. The long irons have 360 Face Cups for higher ball speeds, while the short irons have VFT (variable face thickness) faces for increased control. The bodies of the irons are made from 1025 forged mild carbon steel, and each of the irons is also infused with Tungsten in order to control center of gravity (CG) of the iron heads. The Apex 19 irons have a platinum chrome finish and come stock with True Temper Elevate 95 shafts. They will sell for $1,399 steel and $1,499 graphite, and will be available at retail on January 25. Apex Pro 19 irons Leaning more toward the players category than the standard Apex 19 irons, the Apex Pro 19 irons have a more compact shape with thinner soles and toplines. But, as with the standard Apex 19 irons, the Apex Pro 19 irons also have 1025 forged mild carbon steel bodies with urethane microspheres for enhanced feel and sound. Additionally, the long irons have 360 Face Cups while the short irons have VFT faces, and Tungsten is infused into the iron heads to help with CG locations. They have an “Apexâ€� finish, and will sell for $1,399 with steel shafts starting on January 25. PM Grind wedges The next iteration of PM Grind wedges, which were originally co-created by Phil Mickelson in 2014, have the high-toe look with grooves that extend across the entire face. For 2019, Mickelson worked with legendary wedge designer Roger Cleveland in order to build a wedge that can execute both low-spinners and high flops shots, for which Mickelson is known. To execute those demands, the new PM grind wedges have Callaway’s familiar groove-in-groove faces that have ridges between each groove; this results in more points of contact between the ball and the face, and greater spin, according to the company. The new 20-degree angle of those ridges makes them sit close to perpendicular with an open face to achieve more spin on flop shots, says Callaway. Also, the new PM 19 wedges have more offset, making it easier to hit a knockdown with the ball back in your stance, and they have an even higher toe, to raise CG for a lower ball flight. The PM Grind 19 wedges (54-14, 56-14, 58-12, 60-12 and 64-10 degrees) have C-grind soles and come stock with KBS Hi-Rev shafts. They will be available in either a Platinum Chrome or Tour Gray finish, each selling for $159.99 starting on February 15. Odyssey Stroke Lab putters Odyssey seeks to improve the dynamics of golfer’s putting strokes with a new weight distribution system. The new multi-material Stroke Lab shafts, which have graphite top sections and steel tips, are 40-grams lighter than standard steel Odyssey shaft. Overall, the shafts weigh 75 grams. To adjust for the weight reduction in a large portion of the shafts, Odyssey has added 30 grams to the grips, and 10 grams of weight to the putter heads via sole plates. According to the company, the new weighting system leads to more consistent backswing time, face angle at impact, ball speed and ball direction, compared to a standard Odyssey #7 model. The new Stroke Lab line of putters includes 10 different models – four blades and six mallets – each of which come with White Hot Microhinge face inserts. The models available are #7, #7S, Marxman, Marxman S, 2-ball Fang, 2-Ball Fang S, Red Ball, Red Ball S, Tuttle, Tuttle Flow, V-Line, V-Line Fang, V-Line CS, #2, #3, #9 Double Wide and #9 Double Wide Flow. The Odyssey Stroke Lab putters will sell for $249.99 apiece starting on February 8. Odyssey EXO Stroke Lab The new EXO putters, which have multi-material head designs made with 6061 milled aluminum bodies and steel perimeters for higher MOI (moment of inertia), now come with Odyssey’s new Stroke Lab weighting system. They also have White Hot Microhinge faces. They will sell for $349.99 starting on March 29. Odyssey Toulon with Stroke Lab Odyssey’s new Toulon putters, which emphasize craftsmenship with their milled designs, now come with the Stroke Lab weighting system, as well. As always, the Toulon putters will have Diamond Mill faces that have cross hatches to channel vibrations and improve roll, according to the company. The new offerings have a Charcoal Smoke finish, and they will sell for $449.99 starting on March 1. ERC Soft golf balls Callaway says the ERC Soft golf balls – named after Ely Reeves Callaway — are its longest golf balls, and they come with a new look, too. For both distance and greenside performance, the ERC Soft golf balls have a multi-material Hybrid Cover that is said to produce faster ball speeds on long distance shots, and “noticeablyâ€� higher spin around the greens. The balls also have Graphene-infused DualFast Cores, which are said to maximize energy and promote low spin with the driver and high launch. The covers are designed with what Callaway calls “Triple Trackâ€� technology that uses Vernier Acuity Precision, a visual technology that Callaway says helps land planes on aircraft carriers. For golfers, the technology is used on golf balls to help with alignment. ERC Soft golf balls will sell for $39.99 a dozen starting on February 8. Supersoft and Supersoft Magna golf balls Made for “straight distance,â€� according to the company, the 2019 versions of Callaway’s familiar Supersoft standard golf balls have a softer cover and “optimizedâ€� HEX Aerodynamics for less drag. The softer Trionomer cover, according to the company, also helps to promote “greater shot-stopping spin.â€� The new Supersoft Magna golf balls, as their names suggest, are actually larger in size. The USGA-legal golf balls, according to Callaway, are designed for golfers “who struggle with consistent solid contact, and those looking for more distance and easy launch.â€� Due to a higher center of gravity, Callaways says the golf balls are more forgiving. Both the Supersoft and Supersoft Magna golf balls will be available for $22.99 per dozen starting on February 8.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…