Jordan Spieth ready to kick off rebound season in Las Vegas

On a day to remember in Atlanta, Patrick Cantlay captured the FedEx Cup in dramatic fashion at the Tour Championship Sunday, a victory that is worth $15 million for the 29-year-old Californian.

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With driver faces nearing the limits in terms of thickness, engineers have shifted the focus to other areas of the club head to pick up speed, boost forgiveness and decrease weight. For Cobra’s new F9 Speedback driver and fairway woods, that meant taking a different look at crown shaping — an integral piece of the design equation that not only dictates aerodynamic properties but the center of gravity position and Moment of Inertia (MOI) as well. Aerodynamic heads typically designed for speed require the perimeter skirt, tail and leading edges to be rounded and raised to reduce drag. But those design alterations have historically come at a cost to overall forgiveness due to a center of gravity location that can’t be positioned low and back in the head. Cobra is attempting to break aerodynamic design constraints with the help of the company’s new Speedback Technology. The design begins with an aerodynamic shape that comes from a raised perimeter skirt, aft, crown and rounded leading edges designed to reduce drag and improve overall stability and clubhead speed. The perimeter skirt on the back of the head is meant to mimic the diffusers found on the underbody of a car that redirect airflow upward, improving downforce. With a similar design to that of an airplane wing, the new overall shaping is 17 percent more aerodynamically efficient than Cobra’s King F7 driver from two years ago; it’s 5 percent more efficient than last year’s King F8. Polymer trips were added to the front portion of the crown — similar to what’s currently found on King F8 — to further improve airflow and overall efficiency. The trips are one-tenth the weight of titanium and allow the air to glide around the head. Discussions regarding the aerodynamic shaping led to ideas about ways to lower the center of gravity position within the head to increase forgiveness. The first part of the equation is a carbon fiber crown that wraps around the perimeter of the head, further reducing the amount of titanium used in the overall design. By increasing the carbon fiber area by 12 percent, engineers were able to save 10 grams of discretionary weight. Weight savings in the crown led to the addition of an adjustable port in the back of the head housing a 14-gram weight. The design of the port pushes the weight deeper in the head, lowering the club’s overall center of gravity. For players who want to reduce launch and spin, the 14-gram weight can be positioned closer to the face. The driver also features other technologies from previous versions, including strategically placed PWR Ridges designed to add rigidity to the carbon crown for a more efficient energy return. According to Rickie Fowler, the ridges serve another purpose, framing the ball at address. “I realize that was not their intended purpose, but it’s nice to be able to get some confirmation that I’m aligned correctly before I hit the shot,” Fowler said. Cobra’s proprietary CNC milled face returns with King F9. The eight-step milling process, which takes roughly 25 minutes, produces a product that’s more exact than what’s been offered in the past. The face is also 3 percent lighter and 10 percent thinner than its predecessor, which allows the face to flex more effectively at impact. The face also features, for the first time, an optimized bulge-and-roll curvature for different lofts and swing speeds. With more roll on the top half of the face and less on the bottom half, launch conditions are improved, regardless of where the ball is struck at impact. The driver will be offered in three standard lofts (9, 10.5 and 12 degrees) with an adjustable sleeve that can go up and down in loft by 1.5 degrees. Instead of offering standard and plus versions, Cobra will only offer a single F9 head; the 9-degree head is the best option for those looking to reduce launch and spin. Cobra’s Connect sensor is concealed in the butt-end of the grip. The sensor weighs 4.6 grams and doesn’t affect the overall swing weight of the club. Once the sensor is paired with Arccos’ app, golfers are able to log distance and statistics during their round. Cobra King F9 Speedback fairway woods and hybrids For the first time, Cobra’s King F9 Speedback fairway woods will feature a CNC milled face insert (475 steel) designed to produce similar ball speed properties to that of the driver face. According to test results, the CNC face saw an increase in ball speed by 2.5 miles per hour, compared to traditional hand polished fairway wood faces. Due to the fairway wood shaping, the bulge curvature tilts diagonally from the high heel to low toe to account for the slight tilt in the head at impact. The same Baffler rail technology on the sole of King F8 can be found on King F9, however, the rails were re-engineered so the lower lofts have a shallower version and the higher lofts a steeper version for different attack angles and turf interaction. Taking another page from the driver design, the fairway wood utilizes a low, back tungsten weight for higher launch characteristics and improved forgiveness in the standard model. Along with the standard head, a more compact TOUR model has the weight situated closer to the front of the sole for less spin and a penetrating ball flight. The King F9 Speedback hybrids offer the same dual rail design in the sole with a progressive height design to account for attack angle and turf interaction. The head utilizes a 455 stainless steel face insert and tungsten weight positioned in the rear portion of the sole. Cobra’s King F9 Speedback driver will be available at retail January 18, 2019 and retails for $450. The two fairway woods go for $270 while the hybrid is priced at $220. BUY EQUIPMENT HERE: PGA TOUR Superstore

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Given that THE PLAYERS Championship is “our Super Bowl,� said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, the decision to cancel the event Thursday night was not made lightly. But Monahan said on Friday that he has no doubt it was the proper call, as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic. The PGA TOUR not only canceled THE PLAYERS Championship (which had played one round), it also canceled the next three events on the schedule: the Valspar Championship, the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, and the Valero Texas Open. Events on other tours also were canceled. RELATED: Official statement from TOUR | FAQ for PLAYERS ticket refunds | The Masters postponed “Our goal now is to focus on a plan for the near and long-term and maintain the strength we’ve built through our organization over the past 51 years, and I’m confident we’ll do exactly that,� Monahan said in a Friday morning news conference. Here are a few more topics the Commissioner touched on: WHAT PROMPTED THE DECISION? There were several factors, including two big ones. Some players after finishing their rounds Thursday had questions, particularly the international players in regard to the travel bans announced by President Trump. “A lot of uncertainly, trying to figure out what they do with their family, how they get home, how they get their families here,� Monahan said, adding, “There were some players that were concerned. That’s something that we took into consideration and took very seriously.� Various feedback from other players, including defending champion Rory McIlroy, also voiced concern that maybe it was not the right time to play. “The fact that everybody is questioning, or asking questions like that, is something you have to take very seriously, and we did,� Monahan said. The news that Walt Disney World and Universal theme parks in Orlando, Florida – approximately 150 miles from TPC Sawgrass – are temporarily shutting down became the final straw. “That was the final thing that we had heard that said, you know what, even though we feel like we have a safe environment and we’ve done all the right things, we can’t proceed, and it’s not right to proceed,� Monahan said.  “And when you’re doing the right thing as the litmus test, to me … those two things together were really the things that drove the decision.� Earlier in the day, the TOUR had announced it would not allow fans into TPC Sawgrass for the final three rounds but “as the situation continued to escalate and there seemed to be more unknowns, it ultimately became a matter of when, and not if, we would need to call it a day,� Monahan said. HOW DID THE TITLE SPONSORS RESPOND? “They’re fully supportive of the decision we made,� Monahan said. “They had proper input into the decision we made. And now it’s on to, how do we address and help the communities that we vacated? Hold us accountable to that because we’re going to do some great things.� One thing already being worked on at TPC Sawgrass was utilizing the food supplies for the tournament in a proper manner. The tournament is working with former FedExCup champ and local resident Billy Horschel, who is an ambassador for Feeding Northeast Florida, to put those supplies to use locally. “That’s something we’re going to do immediately,� Monahan said. WHEN WILL PLAY RESUME? That’s one of the big questions, of course. With the PGA TOUR suspending play through the Valero Texas Open, that left the Masters as the next tournament on the schedule. On Friday, Augusta National announced it would postpone the Masters until “some later date,� according to club chairman Fred Ridley. That leaves the next event on the schedule as the RBC Heritage starting the week of April 12, followed by the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and its unique team-event format. Given how fluid things are unfolding, the TOUR will continue to monitor the situation, work with necessary health and local officials, and adjust if necessary. “We need to continue to understand what’s happening on the ground in the markets where we would be returning to play, continue to work with our partners in those markets, continue to understand what’s happening with the CDC and the World Health Organization, and then ultimately that will guide our decision. We’re going to make sure that we protect the safety and well-being of all of our constituents as we make that decision.� HAVE ANY PLAYERS, CADDIES OR STAFFERS TESTED OR CONTRACTED THE VIRUS? No, said Monahan, who noted that the PGA TOUR has a business unit specifically focusing on the issue. “Right now there aren’t enough tests out there,� Monahan said. “And so the responsible things to do is to make certain that the tests are being used appropriately, and if we wanted to test everybody out here … we might be taking away from that. … “If anybody in our ecosystem – our players, our employees – anybody is feeling like they’re in any way compromised, we’d certainly recommend and help them do anything we can to help them get tested. But right now, that’s certainly not the case.� WILL THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP BE RESCHEDULED? Said Monahan: “It’s not a possibility. As you look into the rest of the season, tournaments in every market are well on their way towards playing their events, to fundraising. You’ve got charities just like we have here that are counting on those events. … We’re going to continue to go forward with the schedule that we’ve outlined and hopefully we can get back and play as soon as possible.� WILL THE FIELD RECEIVE PRIZE MONEY? Yes. PGA TOUR regulations stipulate that “if you complete one round of a championship, we pay 50% of the purse,� said Monahan. Although four players had yet to complete the first round, the TOUR will pay the 50%, equally distributed among the players. That means a half purse of $7.5 million for 144 players, or $52,083.33 per player. The earnings will be considered unofficial. Per rule, any player withdrawing prior to teeing off is not considered part of the field and will not be paid. WILL STATISTICS FROM THURSDAY’S FIRST ROUND BE COUNTED? No. All results will be wiped out of the record books and from players’ statistics. For instance, Hideki Matsuyama will not be credited with a course-record tying 63. THE NEXT MONTH. Even though there are no TOUR events to attend or follow, Monahan hopes that fans who play the sport will continue to be active. “Golf is the greatest game on the planet,� Monahan said. “There are a lot of people that are in this business, in this industry that make their living through this game, and I hope that everybody as they go through this uncertain time gets an opportunity to get out, play golf, be outside, support their PGA of America profession, support this game, be inspired by this game. “Of course, everybody needs to think about what’s happening in their local marketplace, but I want to make sure that not only are we inspiring the communities where we play, but hopefully people are inspired to continue to use this game to get through a challenging time, and that’s what we’re going to encourage people to do.� For more on the coronavirus disease, please visit the Center for Disease Control’s information page.

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