Winner’s Bag: Webb Simpson, 2018 THE PLAYERS Championship

If there’s one thing you need to tame TPC Sawgrass, it’s a well-rounded game. That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Webb Simpson excelled in every area during his four-shot victory at THE PLAYERS Championship. Simpson led the field in driving accuracy (82 percent) with five metalwoods in the bag, including a Titleist 917D2 driver that replaced his 917D3 during the Honda Classic. Simpson tried Graphite Design’s Tour AD 125 TX that week before eventually settling on the shaft manufacturer’s Tour AD IZ 5 X model at the WGC-Mexico Championship. “His driver was worn over the last few months and one of the most important things was finding a shaft and head combination that maximized distance and control,” said Titleist Tour rep J.J. VanWezenbeeck. “The Titleist 917D2 driver and [TourAD] IZ 5 shaft allowed him to get a little longer and still have the control he was seeking.” Another unique nugget regarding Simpson’s setup is that he employs two hybrids with different shaft materials. His 20-degree Titleist 913Hd has a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105X Hybrid graphite shaft, while the 23.5-degree 915Hd features True Temper’s Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 — the same steel shaft he employs in his irons. “The biggest thing for Webb is that he doesn’t mind how many headcovers are in his bag,” said Titleist Tour rep J.J. VanWezenbeeck. “He knows his ball flight and hitting his number matters most.” The 32-year-old also led the field in strokes gained: putting (plus 9.368) with Odyssey’s Tank Cruiser V Line Long putter. The former anchor user was forced to give up his belly putter at the beginning of 2016 and spent time working with a conventional-length model before settling on the 44-inch long model. With a claw grip that was suggested by former anchored putting user Tim Clark, Simpson rests the Odyssey Arm Lock grip against his forearm — a setup that was popularized by Matt Kuchar and remains legal under the anchor ban. Here’s a look at Simpson’s entire equipment setup.   Driver: Titleist 917D2 (Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 5X shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade (Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro 70TX shaft), 15 degrees 5-wood: Titleist 913Fd (UST Mamiya Proforce VTS 8TX shaft), 18 degrees Hybrid: Titleist 913Hd (Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105X Hybrid shaft), 20 degrees, Titleist 915Hd (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), 23.5 degrees Irons: Titleist 718 MB (5-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (54-14F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft), Titleist Vokey Design 2017 Prototype (60-06K degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft) Putter: Odyssey Tank Cruiser V Line Long (44 inches) Ball: Titleist Pro V1  

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