Most expected the honor to go to Brooks Koepka, who’s in the midst of a dominant run in majors not seen since Tiger Woods was in his prime.
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It would be easy to assume PGA TOUR players are always using the latest and greatest gear. It makes sense since equipment manufacturers are theoretically updating, elevating, and pushing the limits of technology year-in and year-out. And, of course, the OEMs want their staffers to use the latest equipment lines. However, every now and then, there are clubs that just refuse to go away. Call it superstition, bad habit, nostalgia, or anything in between. Below are five clubs out on TOUR that simply refuse to take a knee and retire. Putters are exempt here (hence the exclusion of Tiger Woods' "Elder Wand" Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS). Kevin Na's Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver Granted, he’s not the only player on this list playing an older driver (defined as something four-plus years old), but Kevin Na's reluctance to switch is still something to notice. It's not necessarily a crime to keep something that works, but with all the progression Callaway has made since 2017, it's hard to fathom that the guy couldn't have picked up an extra 10 yards with a newer driver. Can't blame Na for being loyal — and winning doesn't help the case for a change either. Na's win at the recent Sony Open in Hawaii has given him wins in each of the last four seasons. Specs Driver: Callaway GBB Epic (9 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD GP 6 TX Tony Finau's and Brooks Koepka's Nike Vapor Pro 3-irons This is the one that still fascinates gearheads. Why do two of the best players in the world continue to stubbornly put this 3-iron back in the bag over and over again? Over the past 4-5 years, it has been benched a couple of times by both Finau and Koepka but like clockwork, both players had it in play last week at The American Express. WRX asked former Nike Tour Technician Ben Giunta for insight. "Players have positive vibes with that model," he said. "It doesn't have a ton of offset. It's consistent. It fits their eyes, and it is really hot." Hard to argue with that reasoning. Specs Brooks Koepka Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Shaft: Fujikura Pro 95 Tour Spec X-Flex Tony Finau Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 105 X Fred Couples' Callaway FT-i Squareway 3-wood "I haven't found anything I hit better." That's what Fred Couples told GolfWRX's Johnny Wunder on The Gear Dive Podcast back in 2019. The story of how Couples stuck this in his bag is perhaps one of the most Freddie Couples stories ever. The story goes that Freddie was on the range at the 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at SilverRock. The Harrison rep at the time was testing shafts with Fred and one of the samples was connected to this square-headed Callaway fairway wood. Remember, it's 2008 and shaft reps usually had test clubs built up to speed the process up. After hitting a few, Fred turned to the guy and said "I love it." The rep said, "Great so what head do want it in?" Fred replied, "Nope, I love the whole thing, thanks." Headcover went on. In the bag it went. Here we are today. Specs Callaway FTI Squareway (15 degrees) Shaft: Harrison Mugen Prototype 75 X (43-inches, D3) Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap 58R "Logo Down" Henrik Stenson's Callaway Legacy Black irons It's typically his old trusty Diablo Octane 3-wood that gets all the attention, but now that the trusty weapon has officially been put to rest, there is another section of Stenson's bag that stands out for its longevity — his irons. Keep in mind that his Callaway Legacy Black irons were never even sold in the United States. They were a Japanese-only offering that caught his eye back in 2013. Stenson has never shied away from forgiveness in his irons. He loved that the clubs had a blade profile at address while still giving him plenty of help down below. As one of the best ball strikers in recent memory, it's comforting to know that even someone like Henrik Stenson will take all the help he can get. Word on the street is that he has gone through 10-plus sets of the irons and the stock is getting thin. Specs Callaway Legacy Black (3-PW) Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
The latest comeback by Tiger Woods, this one following a 10-month absence from a fourth back surgery in three years, was sure to cause some disruption in the workforce with the weekday television coverage. That included the commissioner’s office at the PGA Tour. “I would consider myself to be among the highly distracted as Tiger played his first round,” Jay Monahan said Tuesday. Monahan was at the Hero World Challenge the day before it began and stayed for the pro-am dinner, where he said Woods spoke from the heart about his foundation, thanked the other 17 players for coming and reminded them they had a chance to compete against a player at No. 1,199 in the world ranking. “That broke up the
FedExCup Playoff spots go on the line this week at the Wyndham Championship and if you want success at Sedgefield Country Club you better be ready to go low. The ability to make birdies in bunches is critical when you look at the statistical history of the event and this new column, splintered off from Horses For Courses, will focus on the key statistics to success and the players who have them in their locker to compete and win this week The Par-70 of Sedgefield Country Club plays only 7,131 yards and has historically produced a shootout. Let’s take a look at what we know and who is likely to contend. Five Key Statistics Only players listed are competing this week; click stat headline for a full list of players. Rounds in the 60s Last season was the first in SIX YEARS that the tournament scoring record wasn’t tied or under threat with the winner posting 21 or 22 under from 2016-2020 but there’s still no time to figure it out. Even though last year’s winning total was only 15-under, 34 players still managed to post 10-under or lower. The worst total of players posting 10-under or lower is 2017 when the number was just 27. The halcyon days of 2019 saw 47 players hit that mark for the week. Strokes Gained: Approach the Green Defending champion Kevin Kisner (12th) was the first champ since Davis Love III in 2015 (12th) to not finish in the top 10 of this key stat. In fact all winners during this time frame came in fourth or better. I’ll point out that the other five guys in the playoff last year ranked second, third, fifth, 10th and 26th. More rules than exceptions! Par-5 Scoring Not picking on last year’s champ but Kisner is the only winner to not finish in the top 10 in this category. He was T11! The point stands as the Par-5 holes here are some of the easiest on TOUR and must be attacked and taken advantage of over four rounds to push that 20-under magical mark for contention. Putting: Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage Probably should have stuck this right underneath Strokes Gained: Approach the Green! I’m not breaking any news here that the key to contending and winning a shootout is to hit as many GIR as possible and hole as many putts for birdie as allowed. Recent winners all hover in and around the top 12 with the exception of J.T. Poston. He decided to lead the field in GIR so expecting him to hole everything is a bit silly. But he didn’t make a bogey all week so the putter was still pretty effective! Interestingly Keith Mitchell comes up in three of the four traditional stats categories as a leader this season. He is at +5000 with BetMGM to win the tournament, +1000 for a Top 5, +450 for a Top 10 and +200 for a Top 20. Russell Henley and Harold Varner III also find their place highlighted more than once… Henley is +2200 to win while Varner III is +4000. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM. The Bubble Boys One statistic not rooted as much in the golf clubs themselves is the trend of players making their way into the FedExCup Playoffs at the expense of others in a last-ditch push. The excitement of watching the points shuffle shot by shot is great for television but not so much for organizing lineups, fantasy and gaming. Since the points structure changed in 2009, an average of over 2.5 players per year have entered the final week of the FedExCup Regular Season outside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings and gone on to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. Three players did so last year. This is what we know. What we don’t know is who is or isn’t going to move into the top 125 this season. The last chance saloon applies to all in the field but below are the players on the outside of the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List and the minimum finish they need at Wyndham for a chance to move through. Which two / three players would you bank on? If you like Max McGreevy for example, currently one spot outside the mark, you can get +550 from BetMGM for a Top-40 this week. McGreevy enters Wyndham knowing he needs to be inside the top 46 at the bare minimum to have a chance to advance. Others: Top-seven finish: Garrick Higgo, Brice Garnett, Henrik Norlander Top-six finish: Jonathan Byrd Top-five finish: Austin Cook Top-four finish: Charley Hoffman, Ben Martin, Bill Haas, Andrew Landry, Ryan Armour, Satoshi Kodaira Top-three finish: Dylan Wu, Chase Seiffert, Paul Barjon, Cameron Percy, Luke Donald, Sung Kang, Joseph Bramlett, Scott Gutschewski, Seth Reeves, Roger Sloan, William McGirt, Vaughn Taylor, Ben Kohles, Kevin Chappell, Curtis Thompson, Camilo Villegas, Jim Knous Top-two finish: Richy Werenski, Brandon Hagy, Tommy Gainey, Scott Brown, Aaron Baddeley, David Skinns, Harris English, Ryan Moore, Brian Gay, Wesley Bryan, Bo Hoag, David Lingmerth, Robert Garrigus, Jared Wolfe, Dawie van der Walt, Jim Herman, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bo Van Pelt, Jason Dufner, Joshua Creel, Chris Stroud, Ricky Barnes, Brett Drewitt Win: Davis Love III
