Jordan Spieth confirms engagement

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Two drivers, no drivers, long drivers, mini drivers, Phrankenwoods, prototype wedges, game improvement irons, blade irons, blade putters, mallet putters, lots of lead tape, no lead tape, oversized putter grips (and gripping the putter in different manners), Lefty has tried it all. Accordingly, it was intriguing but not entirely shocking to see the six-time major champion rolling his Callaway Chrome Soft X ahead of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational with an armlock-style putter in his hand and, well, on his arm. In recent years, Mickelson has largely stuck to some version of his Odyssey “Phil Mickelson” blade putter. Sometimes, he uses a version with a milled face. Sometimes, it has an insert. Sometimes it has an abundance of lead tape, and sometimes it has none. For Phil, green speed and feel dictate the specific setup. In fact, he’s using a prototype version of the same 8802-style head with the 40.75-inch putter shaft, as you can see in the photos below, which are courtesy of Callaway’s Tour Content Creator, Johnny Wunder. So, what’s going on here? Most obviously, the longer shaft (roughly 5 inches longer than standard) and the armlock grip, which appears to be a SuperStroke WristLock, is intended to sit flush against the inside of the forearm to stabilize the putter face. In short, the objective is to make it easier to get the ball started on line. With respect to the putter head itself, Gerrit Pon, the man who builds all Mickelson’s equipment at Callaway told the company he made a prototype putter for Phil that features a center of gravity closer to the middle of the putter face, rather than the heel. Heel-shafted blade putters have the highest amount of toe hang of any flatstick. This means they are the easiest to open and close, as happens in an arcing (rather than straight back-straight putting stroke). The prototype putter, while still looking at address like Mickelson’s PM Blade, would rotate less on a similar stroke path than his club. In short, it’s a heel-shafted putter designed to play more like a medium or low toe-hang putter — a mid-mallet or mallet-style putter, for example. According to Pon, Mickelson tested the putter briefly last year in a non-armlock/traditional setup, but it wasn’t until last week when he decided to install a longer shaft and armlock grip. While Mickelson hasn’t explained the reasoning behind the putter switch, we can assume he’s looking for more stability, consistency, and a slightly less arcing stroke. As a final point, Mickelson utilizes a forward press (moving his hands toward the target prior to taking the putter back) as much as anyone on tour, so the armlock-style setup in which the hands are well ahead of the putter at address, ought to feel comfortable for him.

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CROMWELL, Conn. — It never entered Brooks Koepka’s mind to pull out of this week’s Travelers Championship. Despite the grind of winning his second consecutive U.S. Open, Koepka is back in action this week at TPC River Highlands. It’s the first time since Justin Rose in 2013 that the U.S. Open winner has played the following week. “If I say I’m going to do something, I’ll do it,â€� Koepka said Wednesday. “I’m not going to pull out just because of last week. “And we’re playing good, so you might as well ride the momentum.â€� A year ago when he won with a record-tying score of 16 under at Erin Hills, Koepka took a month off before resuming his schedule at the next major, the Open Championship. This year, he committed to Travelers before winning last week at Shinnecock Hills with a score of 1 over. His celebration Sunday night didn’t start until just before midnight. Several pizzas were ordered, with family and friends savoring the moment of their man becoming the first player since Curtis Strange in 1989 to successfully defend a U.S. Open title. He then rested the next two days and arrived at TPC River Highlands on Wednesday afternoon, where he promptly went to the range for a quick practice session to loosen up. He tees off at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday with the other two big winners this season — Webb Simpson (THE PLAYERS Championship) and Patrick Reed (Masters). When asked if he was rested, Koepka’s reply was simple. “I guess so,” he said. “I don’t really know. I’m still going on adrenaline.â€�

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