‘Bones’ now a rookie again

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We kept a close eye on the practice green and driving range prior to this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic from the Detroit Golf Club. What do the pros have in their bags as they prepare for liftoff? What unique practice aids were employed? And perhaps most importantly, who is the shoe game king of the PGA TOUR? Read on to see. Jimmy Walker has prototype next-generation Titleist T100 and 620 MB irons in a black finish in the bag. “All black everything” is a good look! Speaking of contextually appropriate club ornamentation, Max Homa’s Vokey SM8 wedges feature stampings well-suited for the 4th of July. A look at the Cobra King Forged One Length irons and prototype Artisan Golf wedges of defending champion Bryson DeChambeau. Bubba Watson’s pink driver shaft stands out, especially in contrast to his black Jordan 5s. Also wearing some fiery footwear, Patrick Reed is working with both an alignment mirror and string on the putting green to get his setup and stroke dialed. Here’s our first look at the next generation of Titleist T200 irons, this one spotted in the bag of Charles Howell III. LPGA star Lexi Thompson teed it up in the Rocket Mortgage Classic pro-am. Here’s a look at a few of her irons and wedges.

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There are plenty of perks that come with winning a PGA TOUR event. Lanto Griffin has experienced one unexpected downside: lack of sleep. Griffin has been up at night dreaming of all the benefits that are headed his way after his Houston Open win. RELATED: Griffin’s incredible journey leads to emotional win | Numbers to know from Griffin’s win He’s the early leader in the FedExCup and doesn’t have to worry about keeping his card. Trips to the Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship and the Masters are all on his docket. “The Sentry Tournament of Champions is something that I’ve always watched, so it’s been fun,â€� Griffin said. “Just the outpouring of support from friends, family, people I don’t even know. The players, getting a lot of congrats from players, peers has been really cool. it’s something that you always dreamed about and never really knew if it would happen, so now that it’s happened, it’s been a pretty fun experience.â€� Griffin played his first PGA TOUR season two years ago. He finished 171st in the FedExCup with just one top-25. This season, he’s finished in the top 20 in all five of his starts. “Coming into the fall two years ago, I got off to a really bad start, I made one cut in the first five and … I reshuffled back. So I really wanted to play smart and just try and stack some nice finishes,â€� Griffin said. “I didn’t expect that (five) top-20s to start, but I knew my game was trending to be able to do that.â€� He also leads the Birdies Fore Love campaign, which will conclude at The RSM Classic. The player with the most birdies or better in the fall portion of the schedule earns a $300,000 donation to the charity of his choice. Griffin added this week’s Bermuda Championship to his schedule in hopes of maintaining his lead. He has 96 birdies or better, one more than reigning Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im.  Griffin would like to start his own foundation. Winning the Birdies Fore Love competition would get that charitable endeavor off to a strong start. He’d like to give financial support to children who can’t afford youth sports and families who need financial help while fighting an illness. Both of those causes are close to his heart, as he had to rely on others’ help to compete in junior golf and his mother had to support their family after Griffin’s father, Michael, died of a brain tumor when Lanto was 12. “My mom went through that and it was tough to see that,â€� Griffin said. “She had to go back to work. As soon as my dad passed away, she had to go back to work. She went from being a stay-at-home mom with four kids to working.â€� Even though he’s early in his PGA TOUR career, Griffin already has made it a priority to help others. He gave a $20,000 scholarship to Charleston Southern golfer Ben Carroll, whose mother died two years ago of breast cancer. “I know he’s going to do the right things on the course and if he ever makes it on the PGA TOUR or wins, it would be cool that I had not a big part at all, but I supported him, because I had a lot of people that helped me out,â€� Griffin said.

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