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Patrick Reed’s driver saga continues, spotted testing Ping G400 LST

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Since moving on from his Callaway club deal, Patrick Reed has made a number of changes to his setup. According to our WITB photos, he’s put in a Nike VR Pro fairway wood, a Titleist T-MB driving iron, Nike blades and Artisan wedges. He’s also stuck with his old Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter.

It seems Reed has yet to settle on a driver, however.

Just last week, ahead of the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open, Reed was testing a TaylorMade M3 460 driver (8.5 degrees). The way he had the weights configured, it appeared he was searching for a bit of extra forgiveness. Here’s a look at it…

The thing is, during the actual Farmers Insurance event, Reed actually used a Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond driver that he used back in 2016. Or at least that’s what I can tell from this photo during round 2…

A bit odd, since the DBD is a notoriously unforgiving, low-spin driver, and he went with a high-MOI setup in the TaylorMade M3.

But anyway. This week, ahead of the 2018 WM Phoenix Open, we spotted Reed testing a Ping G400 LST driver (10 degrees), which is the low-spin, fade-biased model in the G400 line.

This switch could make sense, especially if he had the DBD in a fade-biased setting, and he’s now searching for a low-spin, fade-biased driver that has more forgiveness (ala Ping G400 LST). Or, maybe he’s just trying to test every driver that’s on the market until he finds the right fit. What do you think?

Update from an Insider Source: “Reed is looking for a driver that doesn’t go low left when he tries to hit his normal draw, or so he doesn’t feel like he has to hang on so he doesn’t hook it too much, and then end up hitting a high block. He can hit his normal draw with the old Callaway driver, but can’t hit it with the new TM drivers; or at least not with the shafts they have tested so far. That’s why the Ping driver is being tested, to see if he can draw it and not snap hook it.”

Here’s a look at Patrick Reed’s 2018 WITB as of the Farmers Insurance Open on Wednesday.

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. HDTVMAN

    Feb 2, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Not a Reed fan. Just don’t like the guy.

  2. Thomas Murphy

    Feb 2, 2018 at 11:41 am

    I would expect a lot of experimentation, especially on practice days and like last week, a shift back to something he knows well. Given that he is playing old Nike gear you can see that he likes going back to what is comfortable. I like when guys aren’t playing full bag deals but I would expect that when he gets the driver wired, he will be looking at an 11+ club deal, it is too lucrative.

  3. Benny

    Feb 2, 2018 at 4:54 am

    Nice work as always WRX. Great insight as well as pics!

  4. TeeBone

    Feb 1, 2018 at 3:05 pm

    So Reed hasn’t found that “magic” club yet either, huh?

  5. cdj

    Feb 1, 2018 at 7:18 am

    I would test everything under the sun if I were him…no big deal. His Cup play was unmatched…one of my faves.

  6. Mat

    Feb 1, 2018 at 3:25 am

    That’s because I just got mine, and he’s now aware of how awesome they are. 🙂

  7. Jerry

    Jan 31, 2018 at 10:32 pm

    Sounds as if the Ping LST is in the right direction; Now he needs a TPT Golf shaft.

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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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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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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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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Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

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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.”

 

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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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