Equipment
Report: Lydia Ko to sign equipment deal with PXG
Lydia Ko is going to be playing PXG golf clubs in 2017, according to a report by Jaime Diaz in Golf World. PXG is said to be “offering a sweeter financial deal” than Ko’s current equipment sponsor, Callaway.
PXG, an upscale golf equipment manufacturer founded in September 2014 by GoDaddy Founder and billionaire Bob Parsons, was able to quickly established a presence on the PGA Tour by signing endorsement deals with a slew of PGA Tour winners (James Hahn, Billy Horschel, Charles Howell III, Chris Kirk, Ryan Moore and Rocco Mediate), as well as major champions Zach Johnson and Charl Scwartzel. PXG has also signed LPGA Tour players Chritie Kerr, Alison Lee, Gerina Piller and Beatriz Recari to endorsement deals, but none of them have the resume or potential of Ko.
Related: What makes PXG irons and wedges so different?
Ko, 19, is the No. 1-ranked golfer in the Official Rolex Golf Rankings. She’s won two major championships and 12 other LPGA Tour events since her first LPGA Tour win at the age of 14, when she become the youngest-ever to win a professional tour event. There’s a consensus among golf experts that she could become one of the all-time great on the LPGA Tour.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.
From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.
Specs/ Additional Details
-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)
-Original Anser Design
-PING PP58 Grip
-Putter is built to standard specs.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.
The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.
On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.
Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.
At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.
“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.
Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.
“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.
“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.”
In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.
On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.
“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.”
See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
View this post on Instagram
According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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mark mckeown
Nov 24, 2016 at 8:50 pm
looks like celeb friends George Lopez and Don Cheadle got into her head about them, or maybe they let her hit their clubs and she liked ’em, but anycase, they love their clubs, and may have told her about them in some way… maybe.
Deadeye
Nov 24, 2016 at 3:28 pm
Some thoughts: Lydia can play well with any club. But not necessarily better. You can’t buy a game is true at any level.
Leadbetter bashers: his A swing is a game saver if you are like me; getting older and struggling with shots you used to hit easily.
It seems odd at first but after some practice it all comes together. It is a huge positive for golf. But then, you still have to putt.
moneypowerrespect
Nov 23, 2016 at 3:13 pm
Why do people care so much about price? I feel like golfwrx is overrun by people on a budget. where my country club peeps at? seriously – the 500k initiation fee and the +10k I probably spend on annual dues and that’s just for 1 club.
how can something be overrated if you never had it? It’s like saying a bentley is overrated.
don’t hate just cause you can’t afford
aspire
Lester Diamond
Nov 24, 2016 at 5:44 am
Good grief. At least Smizzle is amusing most of the time. The whole “I am awesome because I am rich” schtick was tiresome in the 80’s, and even more so today. Get some new material.
Chris Washington
Nov 23, 2016 at 2:50 pm
I like this move! For PXG, signing the #1 woman in the world (who happens to be Korean) will help them grow in Asia. Asian markets love LPGA/KLPGA/JLPGA. For Lydia Ko, she gets the best clubs in the game (my opinion) and signs with a smaller company that can give her more time and attention.
Alfredo Smith
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:57 pm
Here come the haters, hahaha. Is it the arrow or the Indian, that’s a debate that people who don’t game PXG will have to answer.
Bob Chepeska
Nov 23, 2016 at 6:06 am
Absolutely.
People who have dropped 3K on a set of PXG’s know for certain that it is indeed the Indian.
Clay
Nov 22, 2016 at 9:28 pm
Sorry to see her leave Callaway. If she picks up some yardage, daunting! If not, so what. It’s all about the “money.”!!
Sometimes a smizzle
Nov 22, 2016 at 8:44 pm
I hope part of the contract is that she kick leadbetter out the door so he can’t ruin her anymore.
Alfredo Smith
Nov 22, 2016 at 7:34 pm
Here comes the PXG hate club hahaha. Are they expensive, hell yeah! Do they live up to the hype, darn tuttin! Is it the arrow or the Indian (lmao) who the ‘F’ cares. Personally since I started bagging the 0311’s my GIR is up, and my handicap has gone down. So phooey to the haters and good luck to L. Ko 😉
Chris Washington
Nov 23, 2016 at 2:38 pm
The “indian or arrow” comments are strange to me. Clubs are more like the bow in that scenario. For those of us who are into archery (bow hunting), we know the bow is incredibly important.
Tom
Nov 22, 2016 at 1:18 pm
Lydia wouldn’t make the move if she felt/saw that it will benefit her career. PXG isn’t employing any new technique to woo players that haven’t already existed.
Dat
Nov 22, 2016 at 1:15 pm
Kinda surprised she didn’t go with Honma. But it is all the same when it comes to uber high end clubs. They perform no differently other than how much they lighten your wallet.
Mat
Nov 23, 2016 at 4:12 am
+1.
The Parsons / HoDaddy money must be off the charts.
moses
Nov 22, 2016 at 11:12 am
IMO PXG is the US version of Honma (Japanese super high end). There is no money to be made selling drivers and irons alongside Taylormade, Titleist, Ping etc price points.
Good for Lydia. She will be another great addition to the brand building that’s going on at PXG.
Weekend Duffer
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:59 am
Guess that means she is losing the Odyssey 2-ball too. Love seeing pros still using those things.
new stuff!!
Nov 22, 2016 at 1:02 pm
does not mean that – the majority of the pxg players don’t use pxg putters – in fact I do not think any LPGA pxg players use pxg putters. In fact many pxg players don’t even use pxg drivers –
surewin73
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:35 am
Doesn’t have the resume of Ko or go down as one of the greats on the LPGA? Christie Kerr doesn’t meet these standards. Please! Who writes this stuff?
PXG is way overpriced in my opinion. The law of diminishing returns. But if it floats your boat, go ahead and put down the money. I just think they are PING clubs with an inflated price.
Brandon
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:08 am
Who?
Chris
Nov 22, 2016 at 9:57 am
Good for her! I think it’ll do not only her but PXG a lot of good in the Pacific market. Between her popularity here in the US as well as in NZ and Asia, I think she’ll really get PXG a sweet portion of the market.
PC
Nov 22, 2016 at 4:22 am
Poor Callaway. Couldn’t figure out a way to hang on to her. Parsons got too much cash floating around
Ronald Montesano
Nov 21, 2016 at 11:05 pm
I hope that Lydia continues to play her game, continues to grow up as calmly as world fame allows, and doesn’t make drastic changes in lifestyle or golf swing. This past week, she seemed to have the CME in her grasp after 62, then closed poorly to lose the tournament and a few other baubles. Those losses are part of tour life. Perfection ain’t nothing but a noun.
Gopher
Nov 21, 2016 at 9:03 pm
Overrated!!! Not her, PXG!!!
Feel the Bern
Nov 21, 2016 at 7:52 pm
Epic!
Jake
Nov 21, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Would have loved to see her stay with Callaway. I think PXG is overrated…not many players winning with the clubs and they are way too expensive.
Don Quiote
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:51 am
I do not think PXG is overrated. I think most people know they are good golf clubs. Are they changing the game? No but people in the US pay up charges for things with a fancier name all the time. That is just how it works. They are trying out the boutique market of the golf industry. Why wouldn’t she change to PXG? They offered more money. People argue that they are inflated priced Ping clubs and they are not winning on tour…yet those same people argue its not the club its the player. People just want to argue for no reason. PXG is making good golf clubs. They are not winning a whole lot on the PGA tour because in reality they do not have the HUGE names signed. Is the price high? Yes. Do they care that you think the price is high? No. The market they are going for is not all of us that think the price is too high. Congrats to Lydia. She will be as good as ever and then all of you can come back and argue about how the clubs are still awful but she is so good the makes them look good or some garbage like that.
bogeypro
Dec 7, 2016 at 10:16 am
Nobody is saying they aren’t good clubs. We are saying that they aren’t worth the $350 per iron or $800 driver. That’s a heck of a lot more than an upgrade. That is snake oil and it is bad for golf.
Ron
Nov 21, 2016 at 3:52 pm
It isn’t the club, but the person swinging the club. I really hope this doesn’t adversely affect her game. Ledbetter has done enough of that!
Don Quiote
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:44 am
If it isn’t the club but the person swinging the club then the clubs will not hurt her game… Pick one and stick with it. Club either does or doesn’t have an affect.
Mike Honcho
Nov 21, 2016 at 3:10 pm
And we wondered who was going to take up Nike’s ‘slack’. Looks like PXG is taking up slack, market share and names!
RHowl
Nov 21, 2016 at 3:03 pm
From the Million Dollar mans entrance theme……
Money Money Money Money Moneyyyyyy.
B Hock
Nov 21, 2016 at 2:54 pm
There must be a lot of money being passed around to get a world #1 player to switch…
new stuff!!
Nov 21, 2016 at 2:54 pm
actually think this is a good move for Lydia – I hope she goes for the 0311 (not t) she’s always looking for distance and can use the jack up lofts with her slowish swing speed – As much as people hate on PXG – anyone who plays PXG knows that it is a great conversation starter.
setter02
Nov 21, 2016 at 2:50 pm
Lol, desperate for more validation. Aren’t they suppose to be the best performing clubs in the world? Now they have to throw more money at people.
Gmatt
Nov 21, 2016 at 3:16 pm
Well they sure haven’t set the world on fire winning with “superior” clubs
Michael
Nov 21, 2016 at 4:33 pm
Oh, relax, Ken.
HOP
Nov 21, 2016 at 2:34 pm
fat