Si Woo Remains Right At Home On Big Stage

KBS CT Tour Putter Shaft While still a steel shaft, many pros opt for the black PVD finish on this shaft instead of the traditional chrome. The KBS CT Tour putter shaft was constructed for players seeking greater feel. The CT features a firm profile with a particularly stiff tip and structure. The firmer profile allows players to have greater control of the putter. Stability Shaft Billed as “the fastest-growing putter shaft across all tours,” the Stability Shaft utilizes eight layers of high modulus carbon fiber. These layers are wrapped and widened with a no-taper design to aid in reducing torsional rotation. The shaft has the same weight as a traditional steel putter shaft but without being too stiff. It features a low-density 22-gram aluminum insert to reinforce flexural rigidity. In addition, a 7075 aluminum connector that is five times stiffer than a steel shaft helps to reinforce the putter and further stabilize the head for more consistent putts. Among notable players, Justin Rose used the Stability Shaft in 2018. So there you have it. When a player is on the putting green at a PGA TOUR event and you don’t see that familiar glimmer of steel when he’s rolling the rock, more than likely, he has one of the above shafts in his putter. The steel putter shaft has been around since the early 20th century. Times are changing, however, and a new craze has hit the PGA TOUR. Pros are now using a variety of materials in the shafts of their putters. Graphite shafts aren’t just for drivers anymore. FedExCup leader Bryson DeChambeau is no stranger to experimentation and is the highest-profile player to find success with a multi-material LA Golf shaft. The 27-year-old used the putter shaft on his way to victory at last year’s U.S. Open and continues to use it in his SIK Pro C. As more and more TOUR pros branch out and eschew steel shafts in their putters, we thought now was a good time to take a closer look at pros who are utilizing this new technology: LA Golf Shaft Along with DeChambeau, Kevin Na and Rickie Fowler have also experimented with the brand’s shafts in their putter over the past two seasons As with DeChambeau’s irons, his LA Golf C2L-180 shaft is made 100 percent from graphite, allowing engineers greater control over the shaft parameters. The other benefit to the graphite construction, in contrast to traditional steel, is that graphite has a much higher strength-to-weight ratio, which provides greater stability. The shaft, which helped deliver the Californian’s maiden major, also utilizes a proprietary internal laminate material that gives this extremely stiff, extremely low torque shaft a highly responsive feel at impact. Earlier this year, Rickie Fowler was experimenting with an LA Golf “TPZ One 35” shaft, which featured high-end materials strategically positioned to keep the head from twisting at impact. However, in recent weeks, Fowler has returned to a traditional steel shaft in the putter. Odyssey Stroke Lab Odyssey’s Stroke Lab shaft is another multi-material shaft that has been used recently on TOUR, including by Marc Leishman and 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari. Molinari switched to the shaft in 2019, which features graphite top sections and steel tips that are 40 grams lighter than a standard Odyssey steel shaft, with the heads made slightly heavier. The construction of the Stroke Lab shaft combines both graphite and steel to weigh in at just 75 grams. The latest iteration of the Stroke Lab shaft is red rather than black. Jon Rahm, who became a Callaway staffer this year, was spotted using the shaft earlier this year.

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America took a bold first step towards a first victory in Europe in 25 years with a brilliant morning session — but Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson are leading a home resurgence in foursomes.

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HOUSTON - Brooks Koepka's health is no longer an issue. His driver was a problem at the Vivint Houston Open, however. Koepka struggled to hit fairways in the first two rounds at Memorial Park after switching to a new driver. After barely making the cut, Koepka changed back to the old club and charged up the leaderboard. "The first two days that driver was terrible, just flat out. I don’t know why we switched," Koepka said. "It's a shame. I know I would have won it if I just would have stuck with it." Koepka shot 130 in the final two rounds of the Vivint Houston Open, the second-lowest weekend score of his career. A chip-in birdie on the 72nd hole gave him a second consecutive 65. He finished in fifth place at 8 under par, five shots back of winner Carlos Ortiz. RELATED: Final leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Carlos Ortiz, Vivint Houston Open Koepka isn't the only runner-up from last year's Masters who will head to Augusta National with some momentum after a close call in Houston. Dustin Johnson tied for second with Hideki Matsuyama despite struggling with his putter on the weekend. Johnson and Matsuyama finished two back of Ortiz, who birdied two of the final three holes. Like Koepka, Johnson made a run after a poor start at Memorial Park. Johnson, making his first start since the U.S. Open, made five bogeys on his first nine holes of the tournament en route to a first-round 72. He was 13 under par in the next three rounds, shooting 66-66-65. He will rue several missed birdie opportunities on the back nine Sunday. Johnson failed to birdie the drivable 13th and the par-5 16th, the latter after leaving himself just 208 yards for his second shot. He missed a 7-foot birdie putt on 17 and a 21-footer on the final hole. Johnson hit 16 greens Sunday but missed all but one of the seven putts he faced from 10-20 feet in the final round. Outside of the 60-foot birdie putt he made on the 11th hole Sunday, Johnson lost strokes on the greens over the weekend. Johnson, the reigning FedExCup champion and World No. 1, has now finished first or second in five of his last six starts. A sixth-place finish at the U.S. Open is his lone exception. Koepka was actually one shot outside the cut line with five holes left in the second round, but made two birdies to make the weekend. He played his final 27 holes in 9 under par, hitting 13 of 19 fairways in that span. "If you’re going to drive the ball in the fairway, you’re going to have a lot of scoring opportunities," Koepka said. Koepka started Sunday six shots off the lead but came out swinging. He made five birdies on the front nine to pull within one of the lead. He birdied the 13th hole to reach 9 under par, but bogeyed two of his next four holes before making birdie on 18. Koepka, who has struggled with injuries this year, still collected just his third top-10 of this calendar year. After withdrawing from the FedExCup Playoffs and U.S. Open because of his ailing hip, Koepka declared this week that he feels "as good as ever." Now he heads to Augusta National with his health, and his old driver back in the bag.

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