Featured Groups: THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES

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Jordan Spieth is not known to tinker with his equipment much, but he’s made a few significant changes in the past two weeks. Ahead of the 2019 PGA Championship, Spieth switched out of his Titleist 915F fairway wood, which he’s used for about 4 years, into a new Titleist TS2 fairway wood. Then this week at the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge, Spieth switched out of the driver shaft that he’d been using in his Titleist TS3 driver throughout 2019, into a new Fujikura Ventus 6X shaft; he’s still using the same Titleist TS3 driver head model, at 10.5 degrees. Related: DJ using a Fujikura Ventus prototype shaft | Bettinardi’s military inspired putters | Equipment Q&A: Ping designer Marty Jertson Coming into the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge, Jordan Spieth was ranked 204 on the PGA TOUR in driving accuracy off the tee, hitting just 51.94 percent of fairways. The Ventus shaft Spieth changed into, however, is designed to reduce twisting at impact with a multi-material bias core, which Fujikura calls “VeloCore,â€� or “Velocity at its Core.â€� The core of the shaft is made with Pitch 70 Ton carbon fiber material that’s “three times stiffer than your standard mod,â€� according to Fujikura’s Fitting and TOUR representative Marshall Thompson. Back in February, PGATOUR.COM went in-depth with Thompson about the shaft, and Thompson said that “upwards of 80-to-90 percent of people had an easier time hitting the center of the faceâ€� with the Ventus shaft, due its twist reduction qualities through impact. According to Fujikura, Spieth also found the center of the face more often using the Ventus shaft. Ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge, Fujikura said: “The increased tip stiffness moved his toe impact locations to more center face with Ventus. His ball speed was similar at 170-172 (mph), but the misses were better so he decided to put it in play.â€� Although Spieth shot 65 (5-under) in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on Thursday, he hit just half of his fairways, missing 6-of-his-7 missed fairway to the left.   “I still had some scar tissue on shots today where I’ve had some foul balls to the right this year where that’s been my miss,â€� Spieth told PGATOUR.COM. “… I played away from that shot because of the potential of what’s been there this year.â€� If Spieth can heal the mental scar tissue off the tee and continue hitting the center of the face more often with his new driver setup, his driving accuracy could begin trending up.

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Prairie View A&M University has announced a $40,000 donation from the Cameron Champ Foundation and Chevron Corporation to establish two scholarship funds for student-athletes on its men's and women's golf teams. The donation follows Augusta National's announcement that it is honoring Lee Elder, the first African American to compete in the tournament, with a scholarship in his name and by making him an honorary starter for the 2021 Masters. "When Lee Elder walked on the Augusta grounds," said Champ, a two-time PGA TOUR winner, "it sent a message: ‘We belong.'" Inspired by Elder and Augusta National's actions, the scholarship fund, established by the Cameron Champ Foundation and Chevron, will be named in memory of Cameron Champ's grandfather, Mack "Pops" Champ. Mack Champ, an African American, taught Cameron Champ how to play golf and, like Elder, inspired his grandson and other minority golfers to pursue competitive golf. "My grandfather had such an incredible influence on my life and always inspired me in many ways," Cameron Champ said. "I'm so grateful for Pops introducing me to the game of golf, but also for teaching me that there's so much more to life than golf. He always stressed the importance of giving back and paying it forward. Last week, Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley addressed how access and opportunities are still barriers to the game, and he hit the nail on the head when he said that the time to do more is now. That really sparked this idea, and I thought, what better way to honor PaPa Champ than to take up the challenge to do more, right now." The Cameron Champ Foundation's investment in PVAMU is a part of the foundation's work to improve education and access to golf in underserved and underrepresented communities. "Mack Champ was born in Columbus, Texas, in a segregated neighborhood with limited resources. His determination to fight against systemic racism and discrimination fuels our work," said Cameron Champ Foundation Board Chair, Glenn Weckerlin. "We recognize that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color and has placed a heavy burden on the university and its already stretched funding. We are thankful that we can collaborate with such a historic institution to provide deserving student-athletes from diverse backgrounds opportunities that they might not otherwise have. We are delighted to contribute to student dreams and hope our actions will inspire others to follow suit—the time is now."

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