Winner’s Bag: Brooks Koepka, Waste Management Phoenix Open

Click here to read the full article…

Using a combination of strong iron play and clutch putting, Dustin Johnson came from five shots back during the final round to defeat 54-leader Jordan Spieth on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at THE NORTHERN TRUST GOLF. Unhappy with his putting coming into the week, Johnson removed his TaylorMade Spider Tour Black mallet and replaced it with the company’s TP Collection Juno blade. Made from 303 stainless steel, the 35.75-inch Anser-style blade freed Johnson up and improved his feel — something he noted was a key difference between the two putters. “I got a little bit more feel with the putter, instead of the Spider I was using,” Johnson said, “I was getting a little bit too mechanical and a little bit too — I was worrying about too many things when I was putting instead of just putting.” The high-MOI mallet is designed to increase forgiveness and features an 80/20 PureRoll insert that offers a different overall feel from the milled blade Johnson had in the bag. Johnson ranked 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting during the final round and made several critical putts with the new flatstick, beginning with a 17-footer for birdie on the 15th that pulled him level with Spieth. He would then go on to bury a must-make par putt from 17 feet on the last to extend the tournament. During the playoff, Johnson took an improbable line off the tee with his TaylorMade ’17 M1 460 driver and hammered the shot 341 yards, setting up an approach from 95 yards that nestled 3 feet from the hole for birdie. Johnson led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to green (plus 14.810) and proximity to the hole (24 feet 10 inches) with an all-TaylorMade setup. Here’s a look at Johnson’s entire bag. Driver: TaylorMade ’17 M1 460 (Fujikura Speeder Evolution 2.0 Tour Spec 661X shaft), 11 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade ’17 M1 3HL (Project X HZRDUS Black 95X shaft), 17 degrees 5-wood: TaylorMade ’17 M1 (Project X HZRDUS Black 95X shaft), 19 degrees Irons: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB ’14 (3-PW; True Temper DG Tour Issue X100 shafts) Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52 and 60 degrees; KBS Tour 130X Black Nickel shafts) Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Juno Prototype Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Click here to read the full article…

THE OVERVIEW Dustin Johnson leads the PGA TOUR in driving distance with a 312.7-yard average. This week at the RBC Heritage, he takes on a course that doesn’t require much distance off the tee. In fact, of the 50 courses on the PGA TOUR last season, Harbour Town produced the shortest driving distance average and the fewest percentage of 300-yard drives. So, is DJ worried that his most recognizable weapon will be marginalized? Uh, no. “You’ve still got to hit good golf shots, no matter what you’re hitting off the tee,” said Johnson, the South Carolina native making his first start in Hilton Head since 2009. “I like this golf course. I like tight, tree-lined golf courses. It’s what I grew up playing. It’s not like it’s anything new.” Johnson estimates that’ll he still be able to use driver a handful of times each round, depending on wind conditions. There are three par 5s, but he doesn’t expect it to use it on all those holes. Of course, anybody who has seen DJ’s rise to world No. 1 knows that his game is much more well-rounded than just hitting it long off the tee. His strength gives him an advantage anywhere from tee to green, and his short game is ranked inside the top 15 on TOUR. He was pleased with his ball-striking last week at the Masters, but his putter didn’t cooperate, rendering him a non-factor down the stretch while finishing tied for 10th. This week, his putting will be tested on Harbour Town’s small greens. But even though Johnson hasn’t played this course in a while and won’t pull driver very often from his bag, he’s still one of the heavy favorites. “Last time I checked, he’s the No. 1 golfer in the world,” said defending champ Wesley Bryan, paired with DJ in the first two rounds. “He’s the best golfer on the planet. So as long as we’re playing the game of golf, I think that he’s got a good chance of winning anywhere he tees it up. “There’s a lot of holes he doesn’t have to hit his driver. He can hit his 2-irong and be out there with a lot of guys that are hitting driver. It’s an advantage of have that length, especially on this golfer course.” Bryan was asked what it would be like if Dustin tried to win this week without putting a driver in his bag. “That would kind of be like telling me to take putter out of the bag,” Bryan said. “That’s the best weapon he’s got. He definitely has to use it. He drives it plenty straight enough, he hits it far, but he hits it plenty straight. So he can still be able to use it a fair number of times out here.” How would DJ respond to that request? “Well, no,” he said, drawing a laugh. “I have a hard time beating guys with all my clubs, without taking one out.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Dustin Johnson The best news for DJ coming out of the Masters? He didn’t slip on any stairs and injure his back. Luke Donald If ever a player was overdue to win an event, it’d be Donald, a five-time runner-up at the RBC Heritage. Matt Kuchar Won here in 2014 – hard to believe that was his last win on the PGA TOUR. He’s had 32 top-10 finishes since then. THE FLYOVER The 472-yard par-4 18th was easier in 2017 than it was the previous year, but it remains one of the PGA TOUR’s most difficult closing holes. A year ago, the stroke average was 4.151, which tied for 12th among the toughest closest holes. In 2016, the average was 4.415, ranking it third most difficult. Despite the difficulty of the hole, player can take solace in the fact that they will likely hit the fairway – last season, 94.27 percent of all players found the fairway at 18, the highest percentage of any single hole on TOUR. THE LANDING ZONE The drivable 332-yard ninth ranked among the 20 easiest par 4s on the PGA TOUR last season, with a scoring average of 3.771. That made it easier than the par-5 15th. Nearly 28 percent of all players went for the green last year, with four eagles and 128 birdies recorded. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “High pressure building from the west will provide mostly sunny skies on Wednesday with highs in the 60s. The high will shift east Thursday into Friday allowing a warming trend to occur with highs in the 70s each day under sunny skies. The warmest day will be Saturday with highs in the upper 70s before an approaching cold front brings a good chance for showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon into the evening hours.â€� For the latest weather news from Hilton Head, South Carolina check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK You have to do everything well. You can’t just say the long hitters or iron players will do well. All aspects of the game. You have to hit it in the fairway, you have to be in the proper position in the fairway to be able to attack the flag. And you obviously have to putt well. But you look at the players that have won here, it’s not one style of player. BY THE NUMBERS 3,700 – The average green size, in square feet, at Harbour Town. The course is regarded as having the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR. 273.4 – Average drive, in yards, by the field last year. That’s the lowest of any tournament on TOUR. 69.28 – Stroke average by Jim Furyk at the RBC Heritage, the best stroke average of any player at the event (minimum 18 rounds) since 2003. Luke Donald is second at 69.38. SCATTERSHOTS Of the top 30 players in FedExCup points, 14 will be in action at Harbour Town, led by Patton Kizzire (2), Dustin Johnson (7) and Paul Casey (10). Kizzire trails No. 1 Justin Thomas by 440 points – that’s the largest separation between No. 1 and No. 2 the week after the Masters since 2009. Luke Donald’s five runner-up finishes at the RBC Heritage ties for the third most by any player at any official PGA TOUR event since 1934. The only players who exceed it – Jack Nicklaus at the RBC Canadian Open (7) and Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open (6). Saturday is Plain Nation Day at RBC Heritage, with all fans encouraged to wear plaid. It’s appropriate since the winner receives a plaid jacket. In addition, to honor the 50 years of the RBC Heritage, the historic lighthouse behind the 18th hole will be wrapped in plaid.

Click here to read the full article…