Players welcome sight of spectators at Vivint Houston Open

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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The Round of 16 of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play takes place Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Live scoring Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Television: Wednesday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Wednesday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Matches). Thursday-Friday, 10:15 a.m.-8 p.m. ET (Featured Matches). Saturday, 8:15 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Matches). Radio: Wednesday, noon-6 p.m. ET. Thursday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. ET. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED MATCHES Saturday 9:19 a.m. ET: Ian Poulter vs. Scottie Scheffler 9:52 a.m. ET: Jordan Spieth vs. Matt Kuchar MUST READS Match recaps: Day 3 Things you might have missed Poulter’s new putter has him back in Round of 16 CALL OF THE DAY

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LAS VEGAS - They might not be competing on their native soil, but Sungjae Im and the strong South Korean contingent at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK are as determined as ever to claim the trophy. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the tournament to move to Las Vegas for a year after three successful stagings of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES on South Korea's Jeju Island. South Korea is scheduled to resume hosting THE CJ CUP next year. Though not being held in its host country, this year's CJ CUP still features a strong group of South Korean players gathered at one of the United States' most exclusive clubs, Shadow Creek. Sungjae Im leads the 11 men from South Korea in the 78-man field. Danny Lee, who plays under the New Zealand flag, and Kevin Na, who identifies as American, were born in South Korea, as well. The impact of the South Korean players on the PGA TOUR continues to grow after former PLAYERS champion K.J. Choi blazed the trail. "K.J. (Choi) always used to say that he used to feel somewhat lonely after tournaments because he would have no fellow Koreans to eat with or talk with," said two-time PGA TOUR winner Si Woo Kim, who also won at TPC Sawgrass. "But this week for me it’s really special because there’s not only Korean players who currently play on the PGA TOUR, but also players who are invited from Korea, so we’re kind of able to gather and eat and talk and hopefully we all can work together and have good results. Im's age (22) is lower than his Official World Golf Ranking (23), a testament to the impressive trajectory of his career. He was the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year in 2018 and the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year the following season. He picked up his first PGA TOUR win earlier this year, at The Honda Classic. "If I were to win (the CJ CUP) as my second victory, (and) at a sponsor event, I think my happiness would be twofold," Im said. "I hope that I can do my best this week and produce the best result that I can." He's back in the top 30 of the FedExCup standings early in this season after three top-30 results, including a T13 at last week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Like Im, Kim arrives at Shadow Creek after a strong finish at the Shriners. Kim finished eighth last week. "In Korea, (the CJ CUP) felt like a home competition but this year is a special opportunity and it’s really cool to see a Korean tournament being played in America," Kim said. Byeong Hun An also is a star on the world stage. Like Im and Kim, he's played in an International Presidents Cup team and while he's still searching for a first TOUR win (he has four top-3 finishes in the last three seasons) he has broken through on the European Tour. Rounding out the PGA TOUR regulars are Sung Kang, who was a winner at the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2019, and K.H. Lee, who has made the FedExCup Playoffs in his first two seasons. Six more Korean players are in the field this week off of their performance on the Korean and Asian tours. Tournament organizers have brought a Korean feel to Las Vegas, as well. Bibigo's Korean barbeque and dumplings are among the options in player dining. Even the Americans are getting in on the Korean theme. Defending champion Justin Thomas made sure to get some Korean barbecue for his lunch on Monday and he wasn't alone. Thomas has been a staunch supporter of what is usually the Asian Swing of the TOUR. "The game of golf is growing so much across the world and it’s so big in Korea and all of Asia," Thomas said. "And that is what’s unfortunate about not being there this week. We always get a huge following out there and it’s really cool to see." Here is a closer look at the other Korean players in the field for the CJ CUP: • Jeongwoo Ham: He has a Korean Tour win to his name (2019 SK telecom OPEN) and was T67 at the 2019 CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in his lone PGA TOUR start. • Hanbyeol Kim: He won back-to-back starts at the 2020 Hedges KPGA Open and the 2020 Shinhan Donghae Open on the Korean Tour. He currently leads the Order of Merit. • Seonghyun Kim: He became the first Monday qualifier to win on the Korean PGA Tour, capturing the 2020 Korean PGA Championship. • Jaekyeong Lee: He won the 2019 Busan Open en route to securing the Rookie of the Year award on the Korean PGA Tour. • Tae Hee Lee: The 36-year-old has five previous PGA TOUR starts. His best finish is a T55 at the 2018 CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. • Joohyung (Tom) Kim: The teenager is a star in the making. He won the 2019 Panasonic Open India as a 17-year-old to become the second-youngest professional to win on the Asian Tour. Also has a Korean Tour win and has played three TOUR events in recent months. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship, was T67 at the season opening Safeway Open and T33 at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

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