Equipment
Video: Holly Sonders inks endorsement deal with Cobra-Puma Golf
Viewers of The Golf Channel’s “The Morning Drive” and “Playing Lessons from the Pros” may notice that something is different with co-host Holly Sonders.
Sonders has signed a deal with Cobra-Puma Golf, and will be dressed in Puma clothing and use Cobra equipment for her shows.
“(Puma is) really taking clothing to the next level,” Sonders said. “They are really fashion-forward, that’s their main thing. When you think of Puma, you think of loud colors and cool.”
Sonders said she will be wearing a lot of hot pink, golf dresses and a sequin Puma logo, something she hopes will become her identifying characteristic.
“It’s outfit-by-outfit now, but like I said, I want my thing to be the sequins,” she said.
Check out our exclusive video interview with Sonders below:
[youtube id=”CapwdgIYQTo” width=”620″ height=”360″]
Sonders’ “Playing Lessons from the Pros” show returns with new episodes next month. She said Rickie Fowler, Natalie Gulbis, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell have already shot episodes for the new season.
Morning Drive airs weekdays at 7 a.m. EST, while Playing Lessons starts its new season Feb. 5 at 11:30 a.m.
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT1
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
View this post on Instagram
OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
- LIKE33
- LEGIT3
- WOW1
- LOL2
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK3
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
19th Hole3 days ago
Report: LIV star turns down PGA Championship invite due to ‘personal commitments’
-
19th Hole1 week ago
Gary Player claims this is what ‘completely ruined’ Tiger Woods’ career
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks ago
Team McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
-
Equipment3 days ago
Details on Justin Thomas’ driver switch at the Wells Fargo Championship
-
Equipment1 week ago
Golf fans left surprised by LIV’s choice of course for its 2024 individual championship event
Gibby
Feb 12, 2013 at 9:59 am
Why is this a story? She is only 26 but looks 40. She has that used up & thrown away look to her.
[email protected]
Feb 13, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Gibby – like to see your g’friend – suspect you would be lucky to approach her.
DesertPlayer
Feb 11, 2013 at 11:10 pm
Why? She doesn’t play for a living.
Pingback: Cobra Puma Golf adds Jesper Parnevik to its team | Discount Apparel
Danny Hill
Feb 7, 2013 at 12:15 pm
how many times does he go within an inch of touching her chest…
VerMike
Feb 6, 2013 at 12:33 pm
She is a 4 hcp…not just good looking.
GMatt
Feb 1, 2013 at 12:14 pm
again who cares….
tommyboy
Jan 31, 2013 at 10:39 pm
Lauren Thompson-give me a break. Used to cover WWF wrestling. In case you didn’t notice, doesn’t even play golf!
GMatt
Feb 1, 2013 at 12:16 pm
so? not that I’d kick either one of them outta the sack for eating sardines but Lauren Thompson hands down
Ron
Jan 31, 2013 at 8:32 pm
I’m really tired of Holly Sanders. Too old, not that good looking. So now the morning GC is going to be a fashion show? The new format – Morning Show, etc – is a big waste.
Kyle
Feb 8, 2013 at 11:59 am
She’s only 26. I’d like to see your wife/girlfriend if Holly’s “not that good looking”.
Nick
Mar 6, 2014 at 7:18 am
agree… just too much of her on GC…. can’t watch it anymore….
Brian
Jan 31, 2013 at 7:28 pm
Way to much make up, she’s got a pretty mane though! Looks like silver charm with those chompers!
Andrew Mill
Jan 31, 2013 at 12:45 pm
who cares
Rem
Jan 31, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Greg Moore: “Holly first of all it’s always a pleasure to see you..”. Yes. Yes it is.
Joey5Picks
Jan 31, 2013 at 11:17 am
So now Golf Channel “talent” is becoming shills for equipment companies? We can now expect her to mention how “Rickie Fowler got up and down from the bunker, using his Cobra sand wedge and looking colorful in his orange Puma outfit, on his way to a top-15 finish. Oh, and Tiger Woods won by 8.”
She does seem to wear way too much make up.
+1 for Lauren Thompson.
Dale
Jan 31, 2013 at 9:45 am
What do you expect from a woman who shacks up with Erik Kuselias. Give me Lauren Thompson any day of the week. She is a true professional. Its funny how equipment companies are now throwing money at people that play golf for entertainment.
Phil
Jan 31, 2013 at 9:14 am
Nothing that a lit’l silicone, Botox and severe cover-up by Covergirl can’t fix!I know what she really looks and acts like, it’s not what you see on TV & Pic’s…!
Scott
Jan 31, 2013 at 9:04 am
Is anyone else tired of hearing about Holly. Who cares
Pingback: The LPGA needs Holly Sonders Part II - LPGA Tour Forum
Randall
Jan 30, 2013 at 6:46 pm
At least the bright, obnoxious colors of puma will match her bright, obnoxious makeup that she uses to cover her true face
Josh
Jan 30, 2013 at 6:07 pm
And you need to PROOFREAD YOUR comments.
bp29
Jan 31, 2013 at 9:00 am
This made my day!
Somaplr
Jan 31, 2013 at 10:47 am
It was a joke chief
DWilliams
Jan 30, 2013 at 5:36 pm
She’s not even good looking
Kccheadpro
Jan 30, 2013 at 10:54 pm
You gotta be kidding me!
Kccheadpro
Jan 30, 2013 at 10:56 pm
Holly has got it going on, I can’t believe their are males out there that don’t see it.
Billy
Jan 31, 2013 at 12:03 pm
there
lmao
LStevens
Jan 31, 2013 at 3:58 pm
You must not watch Golf Channel. This gal is F-I-N-E and she loves golf. She may be the perfect woman. Even if she’s not, she is perfectly F-I-N-E.
Somaplr
Jan 30, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Dang you all need to proof read you’re articles
J
Jan 31, 2013 at 9:52 am
*Your
Somaplr
Jan 31, 2013 at 10:46 am
It was a tongue and cheek comment playa…sarcasm
lol
Feb 1, 2013 at 3:38 am
Again? You mean “tongue-in-cheek”.