Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas go 4-0-0 for U.S. Team

Although mostly known for its irons in the equipment world, Mizuno has launched two new drivers that have each gotten play on the PGA TOUR prior to this official launch. Mizuno staffers Luke Donald and Keith Mitchell have put the new ST190G and ST190 drivers in the bag, respectively. For Luke Donald, the change into Mizuno’s new, adjustable ST190G was immediate. After more than a 7-month hiatus from the PGA TOUR for health reasons, Donald returned to competition at the 2018 QBE Shootout with the ST190G driver in the bag.  For Mitchell, the change into Mizuno’s ST190 driver was unexpected. “Driving was my best category last year – I walked into testing to do ‘Cookie’ (Mizuno’s PGA TOUR Manager Jeff Cook) a favor, give him some numbers and leave,â€� Mitchell said, according to Mizuno press release. “It turned out to be the easiest change I’ve ever made – on the one club I never thought I would switch. The ST190 was faster, straighter and more forgiving than what I was playing. I’ve used it ever since and haven’t considered taking it out.â€� The ST190 and ST190G drivers are each designed with new Forged SP700 Ti faces that now have lighter “Cortechâ€� structures, which deliver higher ball speeds, according to Mizuno. Mizuno says the faces are 10 percent stronger than 6-4 Titanium faces and are made from fine grains that allow for a more complex geometry; the new heads include re-designed internal ribs behind the face that are said to help with sound qualities. A new carbon-composite crown from Mizuno weighs 12 grams, thus saving 7 grams of weight from its predecessor’s crown. The weight savings allowed Mizuno to reposition weight to increase ball speeds and lower spin rates, according to the company. Additionally, the “Amplified Wave Soleâ€� — featuring ripples in the sole behind the face — has a redesigned structure compared to previous drivers that Mizuno says helps expand the COR (coefficient of restitution) area, thus raising ball speeds across the face. Mizuno’s ST190 driver, which has a fixed 6-gram weight in the rear portion of the sole, is said to favor a “more downward angle of attack,â€� according to a Mizuno press release. The ST190G driver, on the other hand, favors golfers with a “more level angle of attack.â€� The CG-adjustable ST190G has two sliding weight tracks in the sole that house two 7-gram weights; the weights can slide back-to-front to influence spin rates by up to 200 rpm, says Mizuno, and they can be placed into one of the tracks to achieve a draw or fade bias. Put both weight in the toe track for fade bias, or put both weights in the heel track for a draw-bias. The ST190 driver (9.5 and 10.5 degrees) will sell for $400, while the ST190G driver (9 degrees) will sell for $500. Mizuno ST190 and ST190 TS (Tour Spoon) fairway woods The ST190 fairway woods also have carbon composite crown and wave technology in the soles, but instead of SP700 faces, they’re made from HT1770 Maraging steel faces. With the new crowns, Mizuno says it was able to save 4 grams of weight compared to its predecessors, allowing the company to move weight lower in the club head. Mizuno’s ST190 fairway woods have a fixed hosel (15 and 18 degrees), while the ST190 TS model is adjustable between 13-and-17 degrees. The standard fairway woods will sell for $250, and the adjustable version will sell for $300. All of the Mizuno ST190 products will be available in February 2019.

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PGA TOUR statement We have been working since March to develop a comprehensive health and safety plan that would be considered a best practice among professional sports leagues. While we have been thorough in building and implementing a program that mitigates as much risk as possible, we knew it would be impossible to eliminate all risk – as evidenced by the three positive tests this week. We need to use these developments as a stark reminder for everyone involved as we continue to learn from an operational standpoint; we are making several adjustments to our health and safety plan, as noted in the memo sent to players this morning, and we will continuously reinforce to all players, caddies, staff members and support personnel on property at PGA TOUR events to adhere to social distancing and other safety protocols that further minimize risk. Positive COVID-19 cases with arrival testing complete (2,757 total in-market tournament tests over three weeks; 7 positives): This week: Travelers Championship • Cameron Champ (PGA TOUR player) • Ken Comboy (caddie for Graeme McDowell) • Ricky Elliott (caddie for Brooks Koepka) Utah Championship • No positives Overview of withdrawals from the Travelers Championship field (chronological order): Cameron Champ • Withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. • “I feel great physically and I was obviously surprised and disappointed to learn of the test result,” said Champ. “It’s important now to take the necessary steps and measures to protect others, including my loved ones.” Graeme McDowell • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution after his caddie, Ken Comboy, tested positive for COVID-19. • “When I look at the last four to five days, I have experienced some fatigue and muscle soreness myself,” said McDowell. “I didn’t think of it as COVID related, but rather just the effect of being back on the road, back practicing, back playing and just a little tired after having a few months off. But now that Kenny has tested positive – and we’ve spent a lot of time together the last 10 days – I have to take those symptoms more seriously. That is why I am withdrawing this week. I want to do the responsible thing. “I’ve had two negative tests this week – Monday and Wednesday – but if there’s any chance that I could have it, I am not keen on risking the possibility that I could pass it onto anyone else this week in Hartford. I decided to drive back to Orlando today, versus flying and those risks as well. I’m just going to take the scenic route down the east coast of the USA for 17 hours and increase my knowledge of U.S. geography a bit.” Brooks Koepka • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution after his caddie, Ricky Elliott, tested positive for COVID-19. • “I haven’t tested positive for COVID-19, but as I’ve said all along, I’m taking this very seriously,” said Brooks Koepka. “I don’t want to do anything that might jeopardize the health of any player in the field or his ability to compete. I was planning to take the next two weeks off anyway, so the right thing to do right now is get home, support Ricky and feel confident that I’m doing what I can do protecting my fellow TOUR members, my PGA TOUR friends and everyone associated with the Travelers Championship this week.” Webb Simpson • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution; has been tested twice and has not tested positive for COVID-19 this week. • “In the last 24 hours, I had a family member test positive for COVID-19,” said Simpson. “While my tests this week were negative, I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of my family and protect my peers in the field by withdrawing from the Travelers Championship. I am going to return home to Charlotte and quarantine under CDC guidelines, and I look forward to returning to competition after that time period.” Chase Koepka • Withdrew out of an abundance of caution; neither he nor his caddie, Dan Gambil, have tested positive for COVID-19, but they played a practice round with McDowell (caddie positive) and Brooks Koepka (caddie positive). • “Despite being very excited about playing the Travelers Championship, I am electing to withdraw,” said Koepka. “My team and I have all tested negative for COVID-19; however, I was in close contact with someone who tested positive. I feel as if this is the best decision to keep all other players, caddies and volunteers safe. I wish everyone the best of luck this week.”

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DeChambeau wins John Deere for 1st tour title

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