Equipment

Mizuno Golf selects GolfWRXer for new campaign

Published

11 years ago

Mar 11, 2013

Lee Baughman, who Mizuno described in a press release as an “absolutely average player” from Pittsburgh, has been named as the first member of Mizuno Golf’s “Play Famously” campaign team.

Baughman, 30, said he found out about the opportunity on a GolfWRX forum.

“I remember sitting there with my wife, on the laptop and actually showed her the contest,” he said. “Usually she doesn’t care too much about GolfWRX or golf in general, but I said ‘Look at this one. This would be a crazy contest to win,’ even though there wasn’t much information. So I entered on the site and didn’t expect to hear much out of it.”

When told of how Mizuno described him as an “absolutely average player,” Baughman chuckled. Baughman said he could be a better golfer if he had more time, but his job as a product manager in the mining industry and being a father of two children has limited the time he can play the game.

“The game is not very forgiving if you don’t give it a lot of time,” he said. “And I actually picked up the game very late. It was after college and I didn’t start taking it too seriously until a few years ago.”

Mizuno launched its Play Famously campaign to “champion the cause and determination of the ‘everyman’ golfer using Mizuno’s JPX-825 line of game-improvement irons.” To kick off the event, Luke Donald and the Mizuno Golf team hosted a press conference, introducing Baughman as the latest member of the team.

The JPX-825 was recently released by Mizuno to fit along with its Play Famously theme. Mizuno says the iron has an extra large sweet spot on its ultra-thin, ultra-hot face, which enhances the trampoline effect to create extra distance on shots.

“A lot of people still view Mizuno as a brand for only elite players, but that’s a misconception,” said Dick Lyons, vice president and general manager of Mizuno Golf, in a press release. “We know that we have the longest and most forgiving irons on the market in the JPX-825s, but we’re not asking golfers to take our word for it. We challenge any mid to high handicap players to put the JPX-825s up against anything they are playing now, and they will see for themselves.”

The JPX-825 will be just one of the clubs that Baughman and the rest of the yet-to-be-determined “average Joe” team will be using. The members will be outfitted with a number of Mizuno irons, drivers, woods and apparel. They will also receive instruction and tips from PGA Mastor Instructor Gary Wiren, and get a chance to compete in Mizuon’s inaugural JPX Invitational this September in Atlanta.

“The passion of amateur golfers is at the heart of our sport,” Donald said in a Mizuno press release. “It’s what drives our sport and it’s really special that Mizuno is going to these lengths to celebrate them with this campaign. Let’s be honest, I don’t think any of us pros are at risk of losing our jobs. For guys like Lee, consistently breaking 90 can be life-changing, and the right equipment makes all the difference.”

The rest of the team will not be announced until this summer. Golfers who want the opportunity to be selected for one of the other 11 spots available can do so via the Play Famously website.

Until May on the Play Famously website, players who have tested the JPX-825 can can to the website and leave feedback on the club. They will also be able to leave an essay, photos and/or videos demonstrating their passion and determination to the game, and why they should be selected to the team.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

6 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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.

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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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