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Sean Crocker on signing with Srixon/Cleveland, his testing process and new clubs

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6 years ago

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Former University of Southern California standout Sean Crocker has signed with Srixon and Cleveland Golf for a multi-year deal. Crocker will play a Srixon Z-Star XV golf ball, Srixon Z-U65 Utility 2-iron, Srixon Z-765 irons (4-5), Srixon Z-945 irons (6-PW), and Cleveland RTX wedges (50, 54 and 60 degrees).

Crocker, one of the world’s top-10 amateurs, turned pro after three years at USC. During his time as a Trojan, the now 21-year-old helped his team to the NCAA Championship Match Play all three seasons. Crocker was an All-American, the 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and a three-time All-Pac-12 selection.

He won the Monroe Invitational in the summer of 2016. Crocker finished second in the Northeast Amateur, and in 2015 he reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur, losing to eventual champion, Bryson DeChambeau.

Crocker spoke with GolfWRX about the signing.

The adoptive Californian indicated there’s a great deal of similarity between forged irons and wedges–similarly spec’d and shafted–from OEM to OEM. Thus, he told us the golf ball was his primary concern in choosing a sponsor.

“That was the biggest thing. That’s what I sat on TrackMan with. I made sure I hit it in Europe when I was playing in windy conditions. If your golf ball doesn’t fly right, it doesn’t matter how hard or how solid you hit it; it’s not going to go where you want it.”

Crocker didn’t play a Srixon ball in college, and really hadn’t given anything from the Z-Star line much consideration as he assessed his options. However, he was surprised to find the Z-Star XV “held up perfectly,” performing particularly better than anything he tested in the wind.

Crocker, who had played TaylorMade equipment and balls from the time he was 14, tested equipment extensively last year. He tested woods from multiple manufacturers (and eventually returned to his TaylorMade woods), planning on locking in his irons and wedges last.

After the U.S. Amateur, he decided to broaden his ball search to include Srixon.

“The week before I signed, I played the first stage of (Web.com) Q-School in Nevada. It was blowing 15-25 mph all week, and the ball was amazing,” he said. Crocker tied for seventh (-9/279) at First Stage Qualifying in Dayton, Nevada. “Everything settled into place after that.”

He said the testing process included both range time on TrackMan and on-course work with the ball, and both facets are important.

“You’re always manipulating a little something when you’re on the range. But when you get on the golf course, all you think about is the pin. Especially when you’re practicing. That’s when you start to hit different shots: You’ll pinch one a little bit, you’ll skank one a little bit to see how it spins. That’s when you’re going to get a lot of your feedback. But you do need to see your numbers on TrackMan.”

With respect to his irons, Crocker sang the praises of the Z-945’s dual Tour V.T. Sole: “I’m a little steeper at impact, so they go through the ground a little better.”

He said the split set (Z-765 irons (4-5), Srixon Z-945 irons (6-P)), represented a change for him. “Putting the (4 and 5-iron) in play has been another game changer,” he said. “I’m hitting my long irons so much higher, so they’re landing a lot softer, and it’s easier to hit those closer.”

Speaking to the trend toward combo sets on Tour, Crocker said, “The game’s hard enough. So now you have this butter knife 4-iron. It still looks good to your eye, but guess what, you have an extra three centimeters on the clubface to hit with.”

Crocker is playing a second stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying event at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, starting November 7. He’s hoping to make it to the Final Stage, December 7.

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13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Trevor James

    Jan 2, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    This guy is a STUD!
    I grew up playing competitive with him in juniors and high school.
    He is going to make some noise next year.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Tomdick

    Nov 6, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    All the local clowns have been talking trash about this kid from the beginning. He just keeps proving them wrong. That’s what makes this kid great. The hush in this area is comical. They still can’t believe he was on tv in the semi’s against Bryson. He tied Jimmy Walker in Europe last month and has made the cut in most of his tour starts.

    I’m not saying he’s going to take down majors, but wait until his short game and putting take off.

    Reply Report comment

  3. mM

    Nov 5, 2017 at 2:06 am

    A Taylormade driver though. lol

    Reply Report comment

  4. Mark

    Nov 5, 2017 at 12:53 am

    Are Cleveland Precision Forged wedges and Cleveland RTX wedges one and the same model of wedge? I always thought they were different wedge models.

    Reply Report comment

  5. 2putttom

    Nov 4, 2017 at 11:25 am

    this will be a great pairing for success

    Reply Report comment

  6. SK

    Nov 3, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    Cleveland’s “Precision Forged” is the same as “Coining” explained here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coining_(metalworking)
    The clubhead is not hot forged from a red hot billet of steel; it is cast and then stamped to harden the surface while it is cold.
    Gullible golfers don’t know or care about what they are buying because they only buy brand and bling.

    Reply Report comment

    • etc.

      Nov 4, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      So the precision forged clubs are only forged skin deep? Mizuno’s are fully hot forged, not ‘coined’.

      Reply Report comment

  7. Phil

    Nov 3, 2017 at 11:02 am

    I wish someone would actually praise (and USE) Srixon’s driver and fairway woods!!!

    Reply Report comment

    • Gilles

      Nov 5, 2017 at 11:44 am

      Why do you wish Srixon clubs deserve ‘praise’? What is so exceptional about them to make your wishes come true?

      Reply Report comment

  8. Nick

    Nov 3, 2017 at 10:59 am

    This kid is going to be really good.

    Reply Report comment

    • 2putttom

      Nov 4, 2017 at 11:24 am

      I agree

      Reply Report comment

    • Gilles

      Nov 5, 2017 at 11:47 am

      I disagree. All he has done is capitalized on his amateur record with an equipment deal for Chinese clubs.

      Reply Report comment

      • Anthony

        Nov 7, 2017 at 5:39 pm

        Chinese clubs? A little bit to the right and lower on the map?

        Reply Report comment

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Masters 2024: Reduced-scale clubhouse trophy and green jacket to Scottie Scheffler

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21 hours ago

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Apr 15, 2024

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In the world of golf, there is Scotty and there is Scottie. Scotty Cameron gave the world of golf a nickname for a prestigious putter line, and Scottie Scheffler has now given the golf world a blueprint for how to negotiate one of the toughest tournaments to win. Sunday, Scheffler won the Masters tournament for the second time in three years. He separated from the field around the turn, making a trio of birdies at holes eight through 10. On the long walk home, he added three more birdie at 13, 14, and 16, to secure a four-shot win over Masters and major-championship rookie Ludvig Åberg.

As the final group moved along the ninth hole, a quadrilateral stood at 7 under par, tied for the lead. Scheffler, playing partner Collin Morikawa, and penultimate pairing Max Homa and Åberg advanced equally toward Amen Corner, with the resolution of the competition well in doubt. Morikawa flinched first, getting too greedy (his words) at nine and 11. Double bogey at each dropped him farther back than he wished, and he ultimately made a 10-foot putt for bogey at the last, to tie for third position.

Ludvig Åberg made the next mistake. Whether he knew the Ben Hogan story about the approach into 11 or not, he bit off way more than he should have. His approach was never hopeful, and ended short and right in White Dogwood’s pond. Åberg finished the hole in six shots. To his credit, he played the remaining seven holes in two-under figures. Finally, Max Homa was the victim of the finicky winds over Golden Bell, the short, par-3 12th hole. His disbelief was evident, as his tee shot flew everything and landed in azaleas behind the putting surface. After two pitch shots and two putts, Homa also had a double bogey, losing shots that he could not surrender.

Why? At the ninth hole, Scottie Scheffler hit one of the finest approach shots of all time, into the final green of the first nine. Scheffler had six inches for birdie and he converted. At the 10th, he lasered another approach shot into a tricky hole location, then made another fine putt for birdie. Within the space of 30 minutes, Scheffler had seized complete control of the tournament, but Amen Corner still lurked.

At the 11th, Scheffler played safely right with his approach. His chip shot was a wee bit too brave and left him a seven-foot comeback putt for par. He missed on the right side and gave one shot back to the course and field. His tee ball on 12 was safely aboard, and he took two putts for par. On 13, the 2022 champion drove slightly through the fairway, then reached the green, with his first two shots. His seventy-foot-plus putt for eagle eased up, four feet past the hole. His second putt went down, and he was back in the birdie zone. As on nine, his approach to 14 green finished brilliantly within six inches. His final birdie came at the 16th, where he negotiated a nine-foot putt for a deuce.

Scheffler reached 11 under par and stood four shots clear of Ludvig Åberg when he reached the 18th tee. His drive found the lower fairway bunker on the left, and his approach settled in a vale, short and right of the green. With dexterous hands, Scheffler pitched to three feet and made the putt for par. With a big smile, he embraced caddie Ted Scott, who won for the fourth time at Augusta National, and the second with Scheffler. Ludvig Åberg finished alone in second spot, four back of the winner. Not a bad performance for the first-time major championship participant Åberg, and not a bad finish for the world No. 1 and second-time Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler.

 

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5 Things We Learned: Saturday at the Masters

Published

2 days ago

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Apr 13, 2024

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Just as the honorary starters broke our hearts with the reality of ageing, so too, did Saturday, with the revelation that third-round Tiger Woods is not yet (if ever) what he once was. The great champion struggled mightily to an 82, tied with three others for high round of the day. Among the top ten, the worst score posted was DeChambeau’s 75, but the large Californian remains in the hunt. Day four will see 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler pair with Collin Morikawa in the final game. In front of them will be Max Homa and Ludwig Åberg. The antipenultimate pairing will feature DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele.

If you look at the one-off major winners, most took advantage of their only chance at grand slam glory. For golfers like Homa, Schauffele, and others, Sunday the 14th might represent their best and only chance at claiming a major title. For Scheffler, Morikawa, and DeChambeau, the ability to join the two-time and three-time, major winners club holds great appeal. Finally, a young’un like Åberg seeks to jump-start a more-than-tour-winner career with a major title. Many of the greats won them early, and the Swede from Texas Tech would love nothing more than a chance to join that company.

Sunday at Augusta, as always, will be riveting. It will provide hope throughout the first nine holes, then gut many a competitor’s heart coming home, rewarding just one with a new item for the wardrobe. Plan your menu and choose your outfit. Masters 2024 is about to conclude. Until then, let’s reveal five things that we learned on day three of the year’s first men’s major.

1. The three most critical holes on the first nine are …

numbers four through six. You might make some birdies at the first and last trios of holes, but the middle triumvirate of fairways and greens determines your day. Play them even par or better, and you’ll lose zero shots to the field. Get on a downward spiral of slightly-wayward shots, and recovery will be nigh impossible. Anyone who makes three at the fifth, as Tiger Woods did on Saturday, will get giddy.

2. The three most important holes on the second nine are …

ten through twelve. We realize that we commit heresy by omitting one of Herbert Warren Wind’s Amen Corner traces, but par or better is critical at 10. Dry landings at 11 and 12 set the competitor up for two par fives in three holes, sandwiched around a straightforward, par-four hole. Remember when Ben Crenshaw began his march to glory in 1995? It all started with birdie at the 10th.

3. The most interesting and efficient round of day three came from …

Collin Morikawa. Birdies at the first three holes, followed by bogey-birdie at six and eight, then ten consecutive pars to finish off the second-low round of the day. Morikawa has improved each day, from 71 to 70 to 69. He has won majors in England and California. He has the temperment for this sort of day, but will certainly be in the hottest of all cauldrons around 3 pm on Sunday.

4. The guy who lost the most ground on day three was …

Nikolai Hojgaard. The dude failed to make par from the seventh green to the 16th. After three consecutive birdies around the turn (8 through 10), the Great Dane tumbled to earth with five consecutive bogeys. 11 and 12, we understand, but 13 and 15 are par-five holes, for goodness sake! No matter where he finds himself on day four’s back nine, it will be hard to put that stretch of golf out of his mind.

5. Our pick for the green jacket is …

impossible to nail. We suspect that certain players should and could perform on Sunday. We remember when Retief Goosen, a great US Open winner until round four of 2005, lost his mojo. We recall days when Rich Beam and Y.E. Yang pulled major titles away from Tiger Woods. Things go wrong on Sunday, and they go wrong super-quick at Augusta.

We’ve decided to ascend Mount Olympus for our Sunday selection. Who better than the 2021 Olympic champion to add a long-awaited, first major title. It’s Professor X for us: Xander Schauffele.

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5 Things We Learned: Friday at the Masters

Published

3 days ago

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Apr 13, 2024

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You don’t see leaves on the ground at Augusta National. The grounds crew and superintendent’s staff take care of those sorts of things, so that both course appearance and consistency of play are preserved at the top tier. We saw leaves on the ground today and, given the force and perseverance of the wind, we’re lucky that we didn’t see tree trunks along the fairways. We did see higher scores than secured in round one, and some of the three- and four-hole stretches were downright inconceivable. The cut after 36 holes came at six over par, and five dozen golfers reached the weekend of play. Numbers always define the story of a tournament, and we’ll let them define the five things we learned on day two of the 2024 Masters tournament.

One: 60 + 10

Sixty golfers posted scores of 148 or better through 36 holes, to reach weekend play. Ten more golfers posted 149 and missed the cut by a single stroke. The ones who missed the cut by a stroke included former champions Mike Weir, Zach Johnson, and Sergio Garcia. Also among the brood were current US Open champion Wyndham Clark, and Nick Dunlap, who won on the PGA Tour as an amateur in January, and subsequently turned professional. Of the ones who survived by the slimmest of margins, surviving to the weekend were former champions Jose Maria Olazabal, Hideki Matsuyama, and Adam Scott, along with Rickie Fowler and Tom Kim. Golf’s cut is a cruel and unconcerned blade, and each Masters tournament reminds us of this fact.

Two: One

The number of amateurs to make the cut in the 2024 Masters is solitary. His name is Neil Shipley, and most folks love him. He wears his hair to the shoulder, and appears to have the proper balance of intensity and chill. Shipley opened with 71, then held on for 76 on day two. He made the cut by three shots, and will collect his share of hardware on Sunday. It’s safe to say that Shipley will turn his attention to learning the course, as well as his own self under pressure.

Three: 23

For most sorts fans, 23 recalls the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan. For Justin Thomas, it’s a number that will haunt him for a long time. Thomas reached tee number fifteen on Friday at even par. The two-time PGA Champion played the subsequent, four-hole stretch in 23 shots, missing the cut by a shot. On fifteen, he went for the green in two, in some sort of halfhearted manner. He got wet with shot number two, went long with his pitch, and three-putted from the fringe. On sixteen, he played away from safety and found elevated sand. His blast went down the hill, and he missed his approach putt in the wrong place. On seventeen, he missed his drive right and his approach long, and lost another shot to par. The coup de grace took place on the home hole: drive so horribly left that he had to pitch out to the fairway and hit three metal into the green. His third double bogey in four holes dropped him all the way to 151 and plus seven. Among the many questions, the foremost one was why he dropped his longtime caddy on the eve of a major championship. Surely Bones would have saved him one of those shots, and perhaps more.

Four: Forty-Nine divided by five or six

Tiger Woods cannot possibly win title number six at Augusta in his 49th year, can he? Not on this broken body, and not from seven strokes behind, right? Not with so few competitive rounds over the most recent months, and not one year removed from a third-round withdrawal from this very tournament. Well, if he cannnot possibly win, allow us to dream and hope a bit, and hold on to a fantasy.

Five: 3 that we like

We like Scottie Scheffler, of course. He seems to have a sense of Augusta National, and he was able to hold on in 2023 for the championship. We like Nikolai Hojgaard, because he might have just the proper combination of naivete and experience for a first-time winner. Finally, we like Collin Morikawa, a winner of two separate major titles. Winning at Augusta National requires a certain amount of length, unless you putt lights out. Morikawa might be embedded in one of those putting weeks.

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