McIlroy: ‘Freedom’ tops golf league’s big money

Editor’s note: The quotes in this story were acquired via email and have been edited for grammar due to Japanese-to-English translations. At the 2019 Hero World Challenge, Patrick Reed unveiled a mysterious set of self-named irons, but he remained oddly tight-lipped about who designed them. He told PGATOUR.com that he worked with “a companyâ€� for 12-14 months on the custom-made irons, but that he “can’t say yetâ€� what company it was. Kiyonari Niimi, the CEO of Grindworks Co. in Japan, has confirmed to PGATOUR.com that his company designed and made Patrick Reed’s irons. While Niimi says the Grindworks company is “small and unknown,â€� he says, “we are the strongest team for club making.â€� The Grindworks team is comprised of Niimi, Kenji Kobayashi and Tario Cham. Niimi himself is a 40-year golf industry veteran who was admitted into the International Club Makers Guild (ICG) Hall of Fame as a designer and fitter in 2014, according to the company. He is also acting as the Head of Product Development and Global Sales for Grindworks. One of his partners, Kobayashi, was previously the President of Endo Manufacturing Company – a legendary Japanese golf club forging house — and he has been designing and manufacturing forged golf clubs for over 40 years, according to Grindworks. Kobayashi was also the founder of Epon Golf, a Japanese golf club company that has a cult-like following across the world. Grindworks says Kobayashi is known in Japan’s golf industry as the “father of Forged Titanium drivers,â€� and he now works for Grindworks as the Lead Technical Advisor. Cham, another partner in the company, is an 11-year industry veteran, according to Grindworks, who has worked with “top industry Japanese golf brands and industry experts,â€� and he is now tasked with developing technologies and manufacturing processes as the Lead Designer for Grindworks products. As discussed in PGATOUR.COM’s initial article on Reed’s mystery irons, the USGA Conforming List noted that Reed’s irons were manufactured by Emery Japan Co. Niimi clarified that confusion by saying that Emery Japan Co. was a previous company name for the new Grindworks Co., and that the USGA and R&A websites use the Emery name for approval of its products because the USGA and R&A “still have not changed the name of our account.â€� While the Grindworks company has a number of different products available on its website, Niimi says Reed’s irons were a completely original design because of Reed’s needs. “About one year ago, Patrick contacted me asking to try one of our products, but I preferred to offer him an original designed iron set. His iron lie angle is very flat, which would change the total design concept of the iron if we bent an existing head 4 degrees more flat!â€� Niimi told PGATOUR.COM. “He also wanted a head with CG (center of gravity) at the exact center of the head for every iron. It was a hard job, hence we have to spend a lot of time and make a lot of prototypes.â€� Reed previously told PGATOUR.COM that due to the CG placement on the new irons, “the ball does what it’s supposed to do.â€� Niimi said that he doesn’t know how Reed actually found out about the Grindworks company. Patrick contacted me through email,â€� Niimi explained. “I don’t know how he could find me. Kobayashi and I were working with many USA brands and OEMs once ago — before China took our place — such as Ben Hogan, Titleist, Callaway, Cleveland etc.â€� While Grindworks may be relatively small and unknown, Niimi and Kobayshi have had their hands in designing and forging popular golf clubs for top U.S. brands for years. Now, with the help of Reed’s custom set, it’s likely that golf equipment fans will start to recognize the Grindworks name, too. As Reed told PGATOUR.COM at the Hero World Challenge, he will reveal more about the irons on Jan 1. We will be sure to keep you updated on any new information once it’s made available.

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ATLANTA – Paul Casey’s plan from 248 yards away at the par-5 18th Friday at the TOUR Championship was to use 4-iron. Land it 234 yards and let it run toward the pin. A fan wearing a red shirt standing behind the green was a perfect aiming target. He then made his swing. Solid contact. Casey kept track of the ball flight. All good. “It couldn’t have been any better-looking,� he said. But after his ball one-hopped over the green into the primary rough, Casey wondered: Had caddie John McLaren given him the wrong yardage? McLaren – nicknamed Johnny Longsocks – put his hand over his mouth, biting his tongue. He had no words. Casey then looked down at his club and realized what happened. Casey had mistakenly pulled the 3-iron out of his bag instead of the 4. “Because, you know, we’re not playing for much this week and it’s not important,� Casey said later, laughing at himself. Related: Leaderboard | Who is most likely to win the TOUR Championship? | Rookie of the Year voters face interesting dilemma The Englishman ended up with par to finish with a 67 and a two-day total of 9 under in the new Starting Strokes format. That leaves him in solo fifth, just four shots off the lead heading into the weekend at East Lake, and gives him a great opportunity to make a run at his first FedExCup title. Of course, he hopes pulling the wrong club doesn’t come back to haunt him. “It’s all on me,� Casey said. “It’s 100 percent. I hold my head.� It’s not the first time it’s happened to the Englishman this year. He said there was one other tournament in which he pulled the 3 instead of the 4. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. “My 3-iron and 4-iron, they’re actually the same head,� Casey said. “One is bent stronger than the other. Clearly, I can’t tell the difference when I put them down. One’s got a little 4 on it, and the 3’s got nothing on it.� With his ball hanging slightly left on a downslope, he couldn’t tell the difference between the length and the lie. All he knew is that he thought the shot, once struck, was on target. “To hit what was not an easy long iron from 248 yards exactly at the gentleman I was aiming at in the red shirt,� Casey said, “I was pretty proud of myself.� Until he looked down his club. Whoops. “It’s criminal isn’t it?� Casey said to a group of reporters. “And you can have fun writing about it. “You’re welcome.�  

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McIlroy to miss Euro Tour’s BMW PGA event

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