Watson: ‘Common sense’ for majors to invite LIV

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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Brooks Koepka shot a final-round 68 to win the U.S. Open for the second straight year on Sunday, becoming just the seventh golfer in 115 years to go back-to-back.

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The PGA TOUR visits the historic Houston Open this week. The Golf Club of Houston has embraced its identity as the perfect place to prepare for the year’s first major. Many players in the field have one eye on Augusta National, while others are trying to earn the final invitation to this year’s Masters. There’s also 500 FedExCup points available this week for the winner of the Houston Open. PGA TOUR LIVE brings you star-studded Featured Groups this week from the Lone Star State. Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose are all slated to be shown in the LIVE’s coverage. Click here to subscribe to PGA TOUR Live. PGA TOUR LIVE will broadcast from 8:30 a.m. Eastern until 7 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday. It can be viewed free on Twitter from 8:30 a.m. Eastern until approximately 9:30 a.m. Featured Holes coverage of the back nine’s two par-3s, Nos. 14 and 16, will begin at approximately 4 p.m. each day. Here’s a closer look at this week’s Featured Groups (Note: all times Eastern; FedExCup ranking in parentheses): THURSDAY Chris Stroud (135), Jhonattan Vegas (77), Jordan Spieth (57): The Texas ties run deep in this group. Spieth and Vegas both played for the University of Texas, while Stroud is an alumnus of Lamar. Vegas lived in Houston after moving from Venezuela and Monday qualified for the 2003 Houston Open as an 18-year-old. Spieth, of Dallas, lost a playoff at the 2015 Houston Open before winning the following week’s Masters. Stroud, 36, won his first PGA TOUR title at last year’s Barracuda Championship. The Houston resident has played a large role in the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Tee times: 9 a.m. off No. 10 on Thursday; 1:50 p.m. off No. 1 on Friday Henrik Stenson (53), Rickie Fowler (28), Martin Kaymer (224): Three former PLAYERS champions are in this group. Fowler won the 2015 PLAYERS with a scintillating finish before beating Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia in a playoff. Stenson’s big wins include the 2009 PLAYERS, 2013 FedExCup and the 2016 Open Championship. Kaymer owns the 2014 PLAYERS, as well as two majors (2014 U.S. Open, 2010 PGA). Fowler was runner-up to Kaymer at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Tee times: 9:10 a.m. off No. 10 on Thursday; 2 p.m. off No. 1 on Friday FRIDAY Daniel Berger (67), Matt Kuchar (81), Steve Stricker (144): It’s an intergenerational tussle in this threesome. Berger, 24, has finished fifth in the past two Houston Opens. Kuchar, 39, was the runner-up at the 2014 Houston Open. Stricker, 51, has finished T2-1-1 in three PGA TOUR Champions starts this season. His most recent win came at last week’s Rapiscan Systems Classic. Tee times: 1:50 p.m. off No. 1 on Thursday; 9 a.m. off No. 10 on Friday Phil Mickelson (3), Justin Rose (7), Russell Henley (103): The defending champion is playing alongside two players inside the top 10 of the FedExCup standings. Mickelson, the 2011 Houston Open champion, recently won the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Rose also won a World Golf Championship this season, at the HSBC Champions. He’s finished in the top five in his past two stroke-play starts. Tee times: 2 p.m. off No. 1 on Thursday; 9:10 a.m. off No. 10 on Friday

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