Todd matches Johnson’s 61 to take the lead at Travelers

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Sam Burns, the defending champion at this week’s Valspar Championship, certainly wasn’t hurting for PGA TOUR wins in 2021. Not only did he win the Valspar Championship in May, but he also won the Sanderson Farms Championship in October. During the offseason, however, Burns and his coach Brad Pullin noticed that his mid-range approach play with his wedges could use improvement. Burns, like most golfers, was using a gap wedge that had a “traditional” wedge look and design. As pictured below on the left, his traditional Jaws MD5 50-degree wedge had a low-bounce design, thinner topline, blade-like cavity and a more rounded shape than his Callaway Apex TCB cavity-back irons (on the right). Interestingly, Burns was also using a 46-degree pitching wedge that had a traditional wedge shape, rather than using a pitching wedge (PW) that was part of his iron set. At the 2021 Valspar Championship, Burns won with four traditional Jaws MD5 wedges in the bag: 46, 50, 56 and 60 degrees. Now, at the 2022 Valspar Championship, Burns has just two Jaws MD5 wedges (56 and 60 degrees) in the bag. After thorough equipment testing during the offseason, Burns switched out his 46- and 50-degree Jaws MD5 wedges for two Apex TCB irons (PW and AW) that matched his iron set. “Sam (Burns) called me and said he was struggling from 125-135 yards,” said Dean Teykl, Manager of Tour Operations and Player Performance at Callaway. “So we looked at some options and I told him the gap wedge that goes with the iron set is going to be more forgiving than what he was playing. From a design aspect, it’s more of a cavity back, and it has a little more bounce and a wider sole.” Lofts and shafts being equal, as Burns found out, the Apex TCB irons (PW and AW) provided greater forgiveness on off-center hits, helping to reduce the negative impact of mishits on full shots. Due to the wider sole with more bounce, he also found the Apex TCB gap wedge to provide enhanced turf interaction since it doesn’t dig as easily into the turf. “I think it was just a better transition from the irons into the wedges, and also the A-wedge is just a little bit better through the turf,” Burns told GolfWRX. “I was looking for a little more consistency, and those clubs provide that very well … I think there’s more forgiveness in those for sure than with the other wedges.” Apparently, the switch has worked. In the 2020-21 season, Burns ranked 25th on the PGA TOUR from 100-125 yards (17 feet, 9 inches) and 115th from 125-150 yards (23 feet, 6 inches). Thus far in 2021-22, he ranks ninth (15 feet, 4 inches) from 100-125 yards and 47th (21 feet, 6 inches) from 125-150 yards. “He can (control the flight) with either option, but we noticed his distance control got better,” Tekyl explained. “It’s probably because it’s a little more forgiving. It’s blade versus cavity back, basically.” Generally speaking, due to the increased perimeter weighting of a cavity-back iron versus a traditional wedge, an iron shape will tend to offer more forgiveness on full shots. Although traditional wedge shapes may offer greater versatility on chips and pitches around the green, gap wedges and pitching wedges are mostly used for full shots. So why do most amateur and professional golfers opt for traditional wedges rather than high-lofted irons? “It’s basically habit,” Tekyl said. “I don’t know that there’s a thought process there.” For amateurs who are currently struggling with their wedge play, it could be time to try out a gap wedge that’s part of their iron set, rather than one that has a traditional wedge shape. It has worked so far for Burns, at least.

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For Morgan Stanley, it’s more than just golf competition at THE PLAYERS Championship. As a Proud Partner of the PGA TOUR’s flagship event, the company believes in furthering their impact beyond the tournament. This week, Morgan Stanley took that impact beyond the ropes, educating young women on the professional sport and their future endeavors. On Tuesday, Morgan Stanley hosted 25 girls from the local First Tee chapter at their No. 18 hole hospitality venue. During their visit, the girls had the chance to listen to a panel discussion with LPGA Tour professional, Cheyenne Woods. Woods, who currently plays on the Ladies European Tour, was part of her local First Tee chapter in Phoenix, Arizona, growing up. At the event, Woods offered her personal and professional advice to the participants attending. Through her Q&A, she spoke about her experience as a woman in golf and how the First Tee was a critical part to her career. “I think that it’s important to embrace women and girls in golf,â€� Woods said. “It is a very male-dominated sport, and for women to connect through it, we can push and support each other. Being involved with the First Tee growing up helped with my career because I had mentors to look up to and that helped me along the way. Even if you don’t play professionally, there are a lot of characteristics you can take away from the sport.â€�  Morgan Stanley brought out several other guests to the panel, including Cynthia Howard, with the PGA TOUR and a First Tee of Metropolitan New York board member; Taylor Strick, with Aon; Jen Weiler, from the First Tee; and Valerie Wong Fountain, from the Morgan Stanley local branch. Together, those on the panel represented several industries to help educate the girls with career advice. Before the networking event, Morgan Stanley had one more surprise for some of the First Tee participants. Five of the girls each received a $1,000 scholarship, which funds an internship for each to be mentors in their local area. Isabel, who is a senior in high school, was one of the recipients of the scholarship. She will be attending Southern Westland to play on their Division II golf team, and will be majoring in communications. “I have been a First Tee participant for 10 yearsâ€� Isabel said, “and the mentors in the organization have become family to me. It is an honor to receive this scholarship to be able to give back. I have had so many mentors growing up, and to become one is amazing for me.â€� Taking it inside the ropes, 2018 FedExCup Champion Justin Rose serves as an ambassador for Morgan Stanley. In partnership with THE PLAYERS, Rose and Morgan Stanley will again be implementing their Eagles for Impact Challenge for the fourth consecutive year. With the 24th eagle made during competition, Morgan Stanley will reach a milestone of donating $1 million through the challenge. While on the course, Rose will be sporting a Book Trust pin on his hat for the entirety of the tournament to help raise awareness for the charity and the Eagles for Impact program. Through the challenge, celebrations of great shots are made by giving back to communities and future generations. About Morgan Stanley and Eagles for Impact At Morgan Stanley, giving back is one of our core values and we are committed to helping children succeed. As a proud partner of THE PLAYERS® Championship, we created the Eagles for Impact Challenge. For every eagle made at the tournament, we donate $5,000, the equivalent of 1,500 books to Book Trust, which supports youth literacy. Ten-time PGA TOUR champion Justin Rose joined the Morgan Stanley team as our brand ambassador in 2017, a relationship rooted in our shared set of values and commitment to helping children around the world. Says Rose, “Morgan Stanley as a company embodies many of the traits that I pride myself on: focus, integrity and giving back.â€� We also both strive to find solutions to challenges, whether on and off the course. For more information, visit https://www.morganstanley.com/golf. About Book Trust Book Trust empowers students from low-income communities to choose and love their own books. When children can choose and own what they want to read, they are building a lifetime love of reading and learning. Last year, Morgan Stanley donated 93,000 books to children in need across the country thanks to the 62 eagles made during the tournament. For more information, visit https://www.booktrust.org/.

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