Equipment
Steven Bowditch goes back to… golf clubs from last decade?
For struggling golfers, a trip to your basement can often be as beneficial as a trip to your local pro shop. Case in point: Two-time PGA Tour winner Steven Bowditch.
Dating back to the Frys.com Open in October of 2015, Bowditch has played in 30 PGA Tour sanctioned events. He’s missed the cut 19 times over that span, and is currently on a streak of nine-straight MCs. His best finish was T10 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, a tournament he qualified for by winning the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson.
By all accounts, Bowditch is in a slump. And based on his Tweets over the past year or so, he fully recognizes that fact. While some professional golfers won’t let the media or the public in on their lack of confidence, Bowditch is outspoken on the state of his game, often making jokes at his own expense. He keeps it light, and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.
Check out some of our favorite tweets from the past few months.
My daughter goes through nappies like I go through prov 1’s…
— stevenbowditch (@bowdo83) January 18, 2017
Hey @BeefGolf me and @booweekley challenge you and your partner to a birdie, beer and beef triathlon next year..let’s c if u da real deal ????????
— stevenbowditch (@bowdo83) December 14, 2016
Party time. 18 holes with the same ball.
— stevenbowditch (@bowdo83) November 5, 2016
Not a good sign when you have to get your ball retriever regripped
— stevenbowditch (@bowdo83) September 15, 2016
My trainer says to me “dude you need a balanced diet” I said “does a beer in each hand count?” That cost me another 25 push ups
— stevenbowditch (@bowdo83) September 6, 2016
Man I hate running!!! twice yesterday! I ran out of beer and then I had to run to the store… Knackered! ????????
— stevenbowditch (@bowdo83) August 31, 2016
WITB
With that in mind, look at the clubs we photographed in Bowditch’s bag at this week’s CareerBuilder Challenge.
Among them are clubs that were released in the mid-2000s, including a TaylorMade R7 Quad Draw fairway wood and set Callaway Big Bertha Fusion irons. Surely Bowditch didn’t buy these off eBay, so he must have gamed these around the time of their release. He also has a Cobra AMP Cell hybrid in the bag, which was released a few years ago but looks like it has spent the last 10 years in his garage without a headcover on it.
The point here is that for a struggling golfer, sometimes it may be best to bring back clubs from your past that give you good feelings, rather than trying the latest technology. Best of luck to Bowditch this week at the CareerBuilder Challenge, and to any golfer looking to climb out of a slump.
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.
Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.
We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.
Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).
See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here
Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge
Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.
View this post on Instagram
A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.
See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here
Turning Back the clock
Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.
But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.
For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.
Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.
The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.
The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.
Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter
Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.
Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.
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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.
If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.
Brilliant.
See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here
Stricker’s unrecognizable putter
Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.
Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.
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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates
Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.
Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.
It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.
Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines
Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.
Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.
FitzMagic teams back up
Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.
See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here
And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.
We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!
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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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Pingback: Steven Bowditch makes radical change with decade-old clubs in bag – Australian Golf Digest
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jgpl001
Jan 22, 2017 at 4:37 pm
My God, he must have found that bag in a ditch after a night out wit Robert Allenby ????
Pingback: Steven Bowditch makes radical change with decade-old clubs in bag | Golf
Jun
Jan 20, 2017 at 1:38 am
Are those fusion irons have legal grooves ?
Pingback: Steven Bowditch switches to decade-old clubs at CareerBuilder Challenge | GOLF URGE
Pingback: Steven Bowditch switches to decade-old clubs at CareerBuilder Challenge | Golfweek
Jason
Jan 19, 2017 at 2:36 pm
Are those fusions even legal?
RayJD
Jan 19, 2017 at 7:43 pm
Not unless they were regrooved, no.
Kromulous
Jan 19, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Dont get down on yourself ! It will come back, loosen up, and swing free !
Jam
Jan 19, 2017 at 10:44 am
He’s got to be the worst multiple winner on tour right now, except for Tiger.
John
Jan 19, 2017 at 9:10 am
Bowditch has become one of my favorite golfers to root for. The guy has an incredible sense of humor and realizes although it is his job, it’s just a game.
mitch
Jan 19, 2017 at 8:48 am
The pro’s are just like us! You gotta go with w/e works! Props to Steven!
Jay
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:54 am
No, no they’re not. He’s trying to keep his tour card, you’re just looking for a bargain so you can beat Jim on Saturday and avoid having to pay for the Coors Light.
Mikee
Jan 19, 2017 at 8:27 am
I always have two full sets of clubs…..one full set of Titleist AP2/915 woods/Vokey wedges and my old “gamer” Ping Eye 2 BeCu to pull out to “clear my brain” when I’m striking it poorly.
Tiger
Jan 19, 2017 at 12:43 pm
That’s not a full set…just saying