Sleeper Picks: Travelers Championship

Andrew Yun shot a second-round 72 to remain at 5-under par and in contention at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic on Friday. He was quick to credit his wife, former Symetra Tour player Luci. "She's the real MVP," Yun said. Luci, back home in Scottsdale, Arizona, delivered the couple's second child, Ezra, at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Her mother, Kelly, acted as videographer, sending the live feed through her phone to Yun who was watching via FaceTime some 2,750 miles away. They hadn't planned it this way; Ezra was due March 31. But they knew it was a possibility when Yun, a 29-year-old pro who played collegiately for Stanford, Monday-qualified for the Corales Puntacana at The Preserve at Ironhorse, in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 8. The tournament was going to be March 25-28; he'd be cutting it close. "She definitely understands how tough it is," said Yun, who in 2018, his only year on the PGA TOUR, made three cuts in 22 starts. "I mean, it would be probably - it would be a whole different scenario if I had status and I could play in whatever events and whatnot, but the fact that I played maybe 60, 70 Monday qualifiers in my career and this is the first one I actually got through, these opportunities don’t come too often, right? "And her being a professional golfer," he continued, "she totally understands that, yeah." Yun held the second-round lead but two late bogeys dropped him two behind early clubhouse leader Rafa Campos (69). One of Yun's playing partners, Eric Cole, another Monday qualifier who survived a 10-for-1 playoff, also will make the cut after a 70 (2 under total). A First Team All-American as a sophomore at Stanford, Yun has had mixed results since turning pro in 2013. He lost his confidence and, briefly, his love of the game in his lone stint on TOUR in 2018. And after finding moderate success on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada in 2019 - two top-10s in 12 starts - he has mostly struggled to find playing opportunities since the pandemic began last year. "Yeah, the only status I have is Mackenzie," he said, "so that’s still up in the air, we don’t know exactly if we have a season or not. In the meantime, because I had PGA TOUR status in 2018, I’m able to play in these Monday qualifiers. That’s what I’ve been doing this past year and a half, just playing all these Mondays." Skipping the trip to the Dominican Republic would have been a tough give-up, all things considered. He's thankful for his mother-in-law, thankful for technology - "I was there, somewhat" - and thankful he was not signed up for the Wednesday pro-am. "I had a late tee time Thursday," he said, "so slept in a little bit and practiced in the afternoon, so it worked out great. Other than the fact that I wasn’t there, you know, everything worked out." He plans on meeting his second son live and in person back in Arizona next week.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – In back-to-back groups Thursday afternoon, an amateur named Steve Green, and a two-time champion of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am named Brandt Snedeker were forced onto the beach to the left of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Errant tee shots and mad scrambles led to an improbable par by Green and an all-world birdie by Snedeker. That they barely avoided the crashing waves in Stillwater Cove to stay dry and even get to their golf balls was a larger layer of good fortune. But like the rest of their competitors in this iconic tournament, they probably aren’t holding out too much hope for the days ahead, because the forecast is turbulent. Tee times for Friday’s second round have been pushed up to 7 a.m. local time, which means the first groups will be teeing off just as the sun rises. Heavy downpours are forecast to start late morning and, well, now is the time to embrace a positive attitude – and Roberto Castro is helping to set the tone. “It’s not going to prevent me from enjoying my favorite golf course in a tournament I love,� said Castro, who opened with a 4-under 68 to get into a share of 18th. He made those four birdies and 14 pars in relatively gentle conditions at Pebble Beach Golf Links and knows that everyone is now going to speculate about where in the three-course rota will it be worse Friday. Monterey Peninsula Country Club, which is probably the most exposed of the three courses? Spyglass Hills, which is longer and arguably the toughest of the three? Or Pebble Beach, which presents some severely challenging holes along the water and might offer the fiercest winds? “I don’t think it really matters,� said Castro, who will move over to MPCC Friday. “Monterey is probably tougher in worse weather, but it is wide open.� Instead of analyzing which course presents what sort of challenge, Castro prefers to put his arms around the mental challenge that awaits. “To me, tough conditions help me turn my brain off,� he said. “When I was in college and playing in the rain, I was more likely to play on instincts, no analysis.� Nick Watney, who shot 73 at Pebble Beach, always falls back on a memory of something he read as a kid, “how Tom Watson said it was all about attitude, that if you complain about it or fret about it, you were in trouble.� Watson was famous for playing well in adverse conditions and Watney said players need to think that way. Branden Grace, last week’s runner-up at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and a player who prides himself on an ability to handle tough conditions, opened with a 5-under 67 at Pebble Beach and approaches Friday’s round at MPCC with enthusiasm. “It’ll be on my mind, just grind, be patient, be patient.� No worries, either, about what to wear. “A shipment (of clothes) arrived yesterday,� laughed the South African. “I’m all stuffed up.� Castro said he’s prepared, too. “In both directions,� he laughed. “Yesterday I had two layers on and I was too hot. The next few days I’ll have enough clothes on to go skiing.�

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Titleist has officially launched its T-series (T100, T200 and T300), 620 MB and 620 CB irons to the public, after recently launching its new U500 and U510 irons), as well as its TS hybrids. The T100, 620 MB and 620 CB irons first launched on the PGA TOUR at the 2019 U.S. Open, while the T200 and T300 irons first appeared at the 2019 Travelers Championship. PGA TOUR players have been using Titleist’s new irons since they launched, but until now, Titleist has remained quiet about retail dates, design details and pricing. With today’s announcement from Titleist, all of those details are now public. According to Titleist, the 620-series nomenclature is a nod to former 600-series forged blades released in the early-to-mid 2000’s. The T-series, on the other hand, is a separation from the past. After 11 years, Titleist is replacing the AP-series with the T-series. “The T-Series represents a revolutionary step forward in Titleist iron design and technology,� said Josh Talge, Titleist’s Vice President of Golf Club Marketing, in a press release. “Our Club R&D team is nearly six times the size it was when the first AP iron was introduced 11 years ago. It’s because of that ongoing investment that we’ve been able to make such significant breakthroughs in materials and construction, and learn how to package those technologies into constructions that offer the look, sound and feel that players expect from a Titleist iron.� Below, we take a look at what’s different with all of the new iron designs. The T100, T200, T300, 620 MB and 620 CB irons will all be available for fittings on August 8, and they will hit golf shops on August 30; read on for further information about each of the irons. T100 The T100 irons were developed based on direct feedback from TOUR players, including Jordan Spieth. They have a fully forged, dual-cavity construction, and they have an average of 66 grams of Tungsten in each head that’s placed in the heel and toe sections of the iron heads for added stability. Compared to the previous AP2 irons, the T100 faces are constructed thinner for higher ball speed across the face. Since these irons are made with TOUR players in mind, they have thin toplines, minimal offset, and camber on the sole to improve turf interaction. Throughout the sets (3-PW, W50), there are progressive blade lengths, sole widths and hosel lengths to ensure CG (center of gravity) is in the right spot for each head. “With T100 we wanted to build an iron that delivers incredible performance and perfectly suits the player’s eye,� said Marni Ines, Director of Titleist Irons Development, Golf Club R&D, in a press release. “This is a precision product. It’s not about hitting it the furthest, it’s about hitting it that exact distance each and every time, being able to work the ball when necessary and having that pure look and feel that the best players in the world demand.� The T100 irons come stock with True Temper AMT Tour White steel shafts, or Mitsubishi Tensei White AM2 graphite shafts. They will sell for $175 per club in steel ($1,399 for a set of 8 clubs), or $187.50 per club in graphite ($1,499 for a set of 8). T200 and T300 Both the T200 and T300 irons are made with what the company is calling “Max Impact� technology, which is a design that was developed in partnership with Titleist Golf Ball R&D. To increase speed across the faces without sacrificing sound or feel, Titleist is putting polymer cores behind the faces, allowing them to be constructed thinner; this allows for more speed, consistent distances, and higher launch angles, according to Ines. “Max Impact allows us to make thinner, faster faces that push the limits of iron ball speed,� Ines said. “With this system in place, we’re able to take our materials and make them thinner and faster to maximize speed across the face, and help give us the launch angle we need to deliver more consistent distances on every swing.� The T200 irons are “player’s distance irons,� according to Titleist, while the T300 irons are a “player’s improvement iron.� Made for players who want distance without sacrificing looks, feel, trajectory or stopping power, the T200 irons have thin toplines and camber on the soles for better turf interaction. The also have SUP-10 L-Face inserts, and they use an average of 90 grams of Tungsten in each head to lower CG for higher launch. The T300 irons, which have a larger profile than the T200 irons, are made for maximum distance and forgiveness. They have an average of 52 grams of Tungsten in each head to lower CG. Both the T200 (4-PW, W48) and T300 (4-PW, W48, W53) iron sets have progressive blade lengths, sole widths and hosel lengths. The T200 irons will sell for $175 per club in steel ($1,399 for a set of 8 clubs), or $187.50 per club in graphite ($1,499 for a set of 8). Stock shaft offerings will be True Temper AMT Black steel shafts or Mitsubishi Tensei Blue AM2 graphite shafts. The T300 irons will sell for $125 per club ($999 for a set of 8) in steel or $137.50 per club in graphite ($1,099 per set of 8). Stock shafts will be True Temper AMT Red steel shafts and Mitsubishi Tensei Red AM2 graphite shafts. 620 MB and 620 CB Due to the increased number of players switching into mixed irons sets, Titleist has matched the head profiles of the 620 MB and 620 CB irons, and each of the sets have progressive designs; the blade lengths are shorter in the short irons and longer in the long irons. The 3- and 4-irons of the CB sets, however, use Tungsten to improve ball speed and forgiveness.   “Our ability to use co-forged high-density tungsten in such a compact blade size like 620 CB is extremely powerful, especially at the long end of the set where players need the most help with launch and forgiveness,� said Marni Ines, Director, Titleist Irons Development. “We’ve seen many MB players gravitate toward mixed sets particularly because that combination of performance and workability in the CB 3- and 4- irons is so compelling. At the same time, with mixed sets becoming so common, we matched the profiles and blade lengths of 620 CB and MB so that players can start blending at any point in the set without making any sacrifices.� The MB heads, on the other hand, are all one-piece forgings made from 1025 carbon steel. They have a brushed chrome finish, and the labeling on the irons was kept intentionally simple based on TOUR feedback. “One request we started to hear over and over from both pros and amateurs was to make MB as clean as possible,� Talge said. “Really the only way to do that was to remove any ‘MB’ graphic, leaving only the Titleist script on the back of the club head. MB players know what an MB is, so that’s what we did.� The 620 CB irons (3-PW) will come stock with Project X LZ steel shafts, while the 620 MB irons (3-PW) will come stock with Project X steel shafts; both offerings will come stock with Mitsubishi Tensei White AM2 graphite shafts. They will sell for $175 per club ($1,399 for a set of 8) in steel and $187.50 per club in graphite ($1,499). Related: See more photos of each iron here.

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