Brooks Koepka denies there was any skirmish between himself and Dustin Johnson, but he’s “heartbroken” over the woman who lost her eye at the Ryder Cup.
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Tourney favorite Jon Rahm heads a star-studded event at Riviera Country Club. Here are our best bets for the event.
A lot has changed in Brooks Koepka’s equipment setup since he won last year’s WM Phoenix Open. He was a free agent at last year’s event, meaning he had the flexibility to play any clubs he wanted. This year, he is as an official staffer of Cleveland-Srixon after signing a deal with the company in November 2021. A black-white-and-red Srixon staff bag with his name on it is the most immediate proof. His bag at last year’s WM Phoenix Open did include Srixon ZX7 irons (more on the development of Srixon ZX7 irons here), and that hasn’t changed. He switched to those irons in January 2021, and given the way he still talks about those irons and their unique V-sole designs, it doesn’t seem like that will change anytime soon. “The irons have been probably the easiest transition I have ever made,” Koepka said in Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference. “(The V-sole), … I’d never even heard of it, didn’t know it existed. But going through the turf, every once in a while, because I’m very steep on it, I felt like the club would grab a little bit and kind of drag it left. I haven’t seen that once with these irons. They went in the bag immediately.” He’s added more Cleveland-Srixon clubs to the bag since becoming a staffer. Koepka has the new Cleveland RTX ZipCore Tour Rack Raw wedges in play. Having played Cleveland wedges when he was a kid, the biggest part about getting comfortable with his new wedges was figuring out the right sole grind for his turf interaction. “The wedges, I’ve played Cleveland wedges growing up as a kid,” Koepka said. “It’s all about getting the grind work done for me. My lob wedge is probably a little difficult to get the grind right. Takes a few tries. Once we got that done, everything else, you know, you just match your specs.” At the top end of the bag, Koepka has a new Srixon ZX7 driver at 10.75 degrees, equipped with a Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 70 TX shaft that he’s used for years. Like Koepka said, he matched up his previous specs, so it makes sense he didn’t switch up his driver shaft even though he switched the heads. It’s the golf ball switch, though, that seemingly has Koepka most excited. As of November 2021, Koepka has been using a Srixon Z-Star prototype that offers him more height and stopping power with the irons, which is an advantage on the faster and firmer greens on the PGA TOUR. Despite the added height, Keopka says the ball provides ample stability in the wind. “The ball has been crazy actually to me,” Koepka said. “The ball doesn’t move that much in the wind, which I think is the craziest thing. So a little bit of adjustment there. But, I mean, it goes probably, like if I was hitting 7-iron, ball goes 15 feet higher, the Srixon ball, and it’s got the same amount of spin. So to me it’s only going to help me. This place, the greens are kind of firm so I can hold greens a lot better. Then it’s just been very easy transition, something I have been very, very pleased with. We have been working at it for probably six, eight months. So I have been very pleased.” Filling out his bag, Koepka continues to use a TaylorMade M2 Tour 3HL fairway wood and a Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron, each of which has been in his bag for years. He also has a Scotty Cameron Teryllium TNP2 putter, which is a new and slightly different version of the T10 Select Newport 2 proto he used to win last year. Check out the full specs below on Koepka’s bag for this week as he defends his title at the WM Phoenix Open. Driver: Srixon ZX7 (10.75 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour 3HL (16.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 80 TX Driving iron: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Shaft: Fujikura Pro Tour Spec 95 X Irons: Srixon ZX7 (4-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore Tour Rack Raw (52 Mid, 56 Mid and 60 Low) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Teryllium TNP2 Golf Ball: Srixon Z-Star proto Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord (midsize)
Kyle Stanley got up-and-down for par on the 18th hole to beat Charles Howell III and cap a wild Sunday at the Quicken Loans National.
