Equipment
WM Phoenix Open Tour Report: Adam Scott speaks, CHIII talks putter testing, and custom “party” covers
Every year, the Waste Management Phoenix Open is home to the “Greatest Party on Grass,” and event-goers celebrate with a couple of adult beverages. The stadium atmosphere on the 16th hole is one of the most raucous scenes in sports, and most certainly the rowdiest in golf.
TPC Scottsdale – site of the WM Phoenix Open – is also known for having some of the smoothest and truest rolling greens on Tour. Players often find the WM Phoenix Open to be a great spot for putter testing.
So, in this edition of our weekly Tour Report, we focus mostly on new and custom putters as well as festive custom putter covers we spotted inside the ropes this week.
Let’s dive right into the Tour Report from the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. Here are 10 things we spotted.
Check out all of our photos from TPC Scottsdale here!
1) Adam Scott’s Mezz.1 putter and new bag
Being that Adam Scott is no longer a full Titleist staffer, I was curious to see what he’d have in the bag this week. While he does still have 13-of-14 Titleist clubs in the bag, he’s using a new L.A.B. Mezz.1 Proto broomstick-style putter.
He spoke with GolfWRX about the new head:
“I think they’ve refined their design with this new head,” Scott said. “The original head, that Directed Force, maybe was hard for a lot of people to adjust to the size of the head, and this new [Mezz.1 Proto] is smaller, but has the same benefits…I thought the technology in the original was good, but now with the new head design, it feels, looks, does all the things better than the original head for me…I’m looking forward to a week on pure greens to see what happens.”
He’s also made a bag switch-up for this year. He’s now carrying an all-red leather staff bag with “UNIQLO” logos on the front and side panels. Scott is a brand ambassador for the global apparel retailer.
2) New Scotty Cameron putters
Scotty Cameron began tour seeding of two new putter models this week: Phantom X 9 and X 9.5.
Click here for more photos, speculation and information about the launch.
3) Charles Howell III does putter testing, as always
Ahead of his 600th start this week, Charles Howell III was conducting some extensive putter testing. As he explained to GolfWRX, he enjoys doing putter testing just to keep things interesting since he’s happy with the rest of the 13 clubs in his bag.
“I don’t switch anything else…I’ve played the same driver and driver shaft forever now. I’ve played the same 3 wood, etc., so you have to switch something. There’s also part of it, too, that it keeps it interesting and exciting. When you’ve played golf as long as I have, sometimes it’s just part of the fun of it to look at something else. It’s why we’re all gear heads, right? You don’t need any more reason to it than that. I’m not a guy that can look at the same putter forever. I’m just not.”
4) New Ping putters
Ping unveiled a number of new PLD (Putting Lab Design) putters this week, and Ping has confirmed that a retail offering is on the way. According to a Ping representative, the “PLD Milled” putters will come available in four models – Anser, Anser2, Prime Tyne 4 and DS72 – starting the second week in March.
5) Custom party covers
Seemingly every year, Bettinardi creates a new custom “Party On” headcover made of festive colors. This year, the company is back again with a new design, featuring stick figures partying with solo cups. A few artistic liberties aside, I’d say they capture Arizona’s Phoenix Open party scene quite well.
Swag Golf, a company that makes custom covers and putters, got in on the fun as well with its Cactus party covers.
6) Aaron Rodgers’ TaylorMade putter
With hair down to his shoulders, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers showed up at the Wednesday Pro-Am with a bag full of TaylorMade equipment. His setup included a brand new Stealth Plus driver and a custom TaylorMade Spider putter with an “A12” logo on the sole; as a reminder, Rodgers wears No. 12 on the football field.
7) Tom Hoge’s custom Pebble-winner
I don’t want to sell you on it too hard, but the story behind Tom Hoge’s winning Odyssey White Hot OG 2-ball putter is an all-timer. What started as a simple request for a custom putter turned into so much more.
Check out the full inside scoop on Hoge’s ultra-custom 2-ball putter here.
8) Brooks Koepka’s Cleveland-Srixon setup
As of November 2021, Brooks Koepka is officially a Cleveland-Srixon staffer, and he’s carrying a Srixon staff bag. Speaking with the media, Koepka went deep into his experiences with the company’s clubs over the past year. To summarize, he’s extremely happy with the V-sole construction of his irons, he loves the stability that his Srixon Z-Star golf ball offers in the wind, and he worked hard with the company on the grind of his Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges – especially the lob wedge (pictured above).
For a much deeper dive into Koepka’s new setup, click here.
9) C.C. Sabathia’s Eastside Jordans
Former left-handed pitcher of the New York Yankees, C.C. Sabathia, played in the Wednesday Pro-Am wearing a pair of custom Jordan 4’s. In speaking with GolfWRX, he revealed they’re a limited-edition collab between Jordan and Eastside Golf.
Eastside Golf was developed as a lifestyle brand, raising awareness to the sport among the youth and non-golfers: “We want to inspire the culture, promote diversity and continue to be authentic,” says their website.
10) A proto Toulon blade
While this putter wasn’t designed for any pros in particular, the Odyssey Toulon SSM Proto is a bullseye-style putter that can be used by lefties and righties.
Xander Schauffele, a right-handed player, had some fun on the practice green, hitting a few putts from the left-handed side. Don’t worry, he’s sticking with his right-handed stroke come competition time, but the Toulon blade was a big hit on the greens given its updated take on an old-school design.
And that’ll do it for this week’s putter-heavy Tour Report, and don’t forget to check out all of our photos from the week here. We’ll see you next week for the 2022 Genesis Invitational.
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Whats in the Bag
Team McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
Rory McIlroy WITB
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
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Shane Lowry WITB
- Shane Lowry what’s in the bag accurate as of the Cognizant Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (8.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Irons: Srixon ZX Utility (3, 20 degrees) Buy here, Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5) Buy here, Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW) Buy here.
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X (3), KBS Tour 130 X (4-PW)
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID) Buy here, Cleveland RTX Full Face (58-8) Buy here.
Shafts: KBS Tour Wedge X Black
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Z Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV Buy here.
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Whats in the Bag
Steve Stricker WITB 2024 (April)
- Steve Stricker WITB accurate as of the Zurich Classic. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, C4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 7.2 X
3-wood: Titleist 915F (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist 816 H1 (17 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (46-10F @55), Titleist Vokey SM10 (54-10S @53), Titleist Vokey SM4 (60 @59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 w/Sensicore
Putter: Odyssey White Hot No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Grip Rite
Check out more in-hand photos of Steve Stricker’s clubs here.
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Whats in the Bag
Alex Fitzpatrick WITB 2024 (April)
- Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 TX
Irons: Ping iCrossover (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 9 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 56-12D, 60-08M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Bettinardi SS16 Dass
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Alex Fitzpatrick’s clubs here.
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Ed Settle
Feb 12, 2022 at 7:19 pm
I’m sure you noticed it also, Aaron Rodgers logo on the bottom of his putter is not just 12, but “a R”
PJM
Feb 11, 2022 at 1:44 am
“Ping unveiled a number of new PLD (Ping Lab Design) …”
Hmmm – pretty sure PLD is an initialism of Putting Lab Design, as it appears on the putter shown.