Equipment
McIlroy, Koepka spotted testing Scotty Cameron putters at The Barclays
After Nike announced that it’s getting out of the golf equipment space and sticking with shoes and apparel, the natural question on the minds of GolfWRXers was “What equipment will the golfers under contract with Nike play going forward?”
Nike athletes such as world-ranked No. 5 golfer Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka (No. 18) were at the forefront of that speculation. While we still don’t have concrete answers, we did spot both McIlroy and Koepka testing putters from Scotty Cameron at The Barclays.
McIlroy, who was most recently bagging a Nike Method Origin B2-01 prototype, was seen testing multiple Cameron putters including a mallet-style putter (pictured above). See more photos and join the conversation here.
Koepka, on the other hand, was spotted testing a familiar Scotty Cameron Tour Only Newport 2 putter he has gamed in the past. Click to see more photos of Koepka’s Cameron.
As always, we will update you with more information as it becomes available.
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- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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To old to matter
Aug 24, 2016 at 12:43 pm
Why are these guys playing knock off clubs. In this case a putter that was copied from the best putter ever made. Ping, if there is something wrong with the Ping Putter, I don’t know what it would be because Scotty Cameron is nothing but a copy, tell the original, the people that started all of it. The putter has nothing to do with the irons or woods they make. I play the irons but I play Taylor Made woods. But that putter, I bought it at the 68 PGA Championship, they were still brand new, I have had it in my bag since that day. By the way, Raymond Floyd was the winner that year. Play the real thing,, putter that is, PING.
David Labbe
Aug 25, 2016 at 10:26 am
Actually Scotty got his start from Tad Moore. Tad Moore and Maxfli where the first to introduce the milled putter back in the early 90’s.
SNBD
Aug 31, 2016 at 12:33 am
Another get off my lawn guy on here….even your handle (which has a typo in it) implies that you are old. We’ve all heard it before….everything was better back in my day. You can keep rolling the rock with your putter from ’68, why don’t you wash your clothes by hand, use a rotary telephone, and drive a car without power steering while you’re at it.
golfraven
Aug 24, 2016 at 4:50 am
Rory will pull out his old trusty GSS Scotty he was practicing with in his back garden. What you see on the range is just show for the media and showing some interest for his future sponsor to build some hype around their equipment.
Scott
Aug 23, 2016 at 9:26 pm
Rory was throwing his Nike clubs in the ponds way before Nike bailed. He couldn’t wait to get back to Titleist and start winning again.
lsf_21
Aug 24, 2016 at 10:03 pm
Other than the fact he won more majors with Nike than he did Titleist. But thats none of my business.
Jack
Aug 25, 2016 at 8:46 pm
Rory won 2 with Titleist and 2 with Nike.
Which 2 is more Isf?
Jwall34943
Aug 26, 2016 at 3:02 am
Your “fact” is incorrect. He won 2 majors with each company. Maybe you should start researching your “facts” before posting them here, because your ignorance becomes all of our business.
SB
Aug 23, 2016 at 3:52 pm
I predicted a shift back of both Rory and Koepka to Titleist and haters commented hardly… you re welcome.
Tom
Aug 24, 2016 at 11:34 am
Ya get a package of baby wipes with that prediction.
Buford T Justice
Aug 23, 2016 at 11:56 am
Which one of them is rockin’ the ‘British Knights’ stamped putter?
freowho
Aug 23, 2016 at 6:03 am
Rory would have been over the moon when NIKE said they wouldn’t produce clubs anymore. He’s been fighting a hook ever since he switched. Watch out Day, Dustin and Speith. Rory is back.
Realist
Aug 23, 2016 at 11:17 am
If you think this is because of equipment, you’re a hacker. These start tweaking their swing and then start falling apart. See Tiger. The equipment has nothing to do with it. He will lose money by Nike closing.
Jack Nash
Aug 23, 2016 at 11:28 am
$250 mill to the good though. In Rory’s case it’s more a switch to the Stocton method that’s caused him the most grief. As for his driving, a couple of weeks ago they said he was the most accurate long driver on Tour. Maybe he’ll smarten up and go back to Titleist.
Rob
Aug 24, 2016 at 4:47 am
He won all 4 of his majors with the “Stockton method”.
RedX
Aug 22, 2016 at 10:20 pm
Its a great game isn’t it. Rory would be tested and analysed within an inch of his life and have clear indicators as to which style of putter suited him best (ie mallet vs blade) but disregard that – “its always about the feel” trying different styles anyway in the search for a feeling. Arrow or Indian – whatever – would be nice if he found something …
Scott Francis
Aug 22, 2016 at 9:55 pm
Im sure with the Nike money he will get for clothes and shoes plus what he would make with an equipment co should be comparable. So my question is with TW, Rory and Koepka along with others do their existing contracts get re-negotiated? I asuume that big cash Tiggy and Rory were getting was for clothes and equipment.
Joseph
Aug 22, 2016 at 9:09 pm
Sure Titleist would love to have him back. He left because he idolized Tiger, wore NIKE as a 6 year old, they offered him a ton of money and he was involved with club design. His putting wasn’t fault of Nike it is between his ears. Question is why NIKE would want to pay him a bunch of money to wear nike hat, shirt and shoes if he is playing Titleist clubs and balls. Maybe I am not typical, but I care about what clubs and ball he plays, I don’t care about his shirt anymore than I care about Bubba’s shirt. Without the clubs and balls,not sure he sells more Nike soft goods.
Jackson Galaxy
Aug 23, 2016 at 11:29 am
Think Under Armour and Spieth. That’s what Nike wants to be with “the next Spieth”. Its the only thing people see when they watch golf on tv. You don’t really see the name on the clubs much.
Michal
Aug 23, 2016 at 9:17 pm
wow you are a moron, of course nike will sponsor him if he uses titleist clubs and ball you know why??? CASUE NIKE DOESNT MAKE BALLS OR CLUBS ANYMORE! thus evryone they sponsor willbe playing other non-nike clubs. You say you are not sure how he willhelp the nike clothing business, you may not have noticed but research the reports, Nike is #1 right now in golf apparel sales hence why they are not stopping that line of clothes and shoes, you moron.
Nike is smart and doesnt want to becomse adams, or clevelenad who should have bowed out years ago. all the current players will still have clothing contract till thier contract is up justnot clubs and balls. I can see rory going back to scotty and a prov1x. as far as driver and irons who knows.
Chris
Aug 26, 2016 at 1:35 pm
Hey bud maybe take a deep breath… Yikes
SNBD
Aug 31, 2016 at 12:42 am
I’ve never seen a comment so salty and calling a guy a moron that has more typos and terrible grammar than this one. You could get a redo and without getting help from someone, it probably won’t be that much better than the original.
Sam
Aug 22, 2016 at 5:51 pm
I wonder if Titleist would take him back after he left them the way he did.
William
Aug 22, 2016 at 7:12 pm
His Titliest contract was up when he left
Mike
Aug 22, 2016 at 8:17 pm
Probably won’t pay him Nike money but sure they would take him back
cgasucks
Aug 22, 2016 at 10:29 pm
Titleist will no doubt take him back…but will Rory be willing to take a pay cut to play their stuff???
Jam
Aug 23, 2016 at 3:35 pm
No one is going to pay him what Nike was, I bet he goes with Titleist because he’s familiar and it’s comfortable.
Mickyc
Aug 23, 2016 at 10:45 pm
If he goes back to Titleist, he might win enough money to make up the difference 😉
COGolfer
Aug 22, 2016 at 10:33 pm
This game is about money, not revenge.
Dj
Aug 22, 2016 at 5:34 pm
New putter for Rory certainly isn’t going to help his awful reads
Lee
Aug 24, 2016 at 4:11 am
Spot on DJ, Rory can’t read greens.