Equipment

Rocket Mortgage Classic Tour Truck Report: T200 in the wild, Jimmy’s custom irons, Phil’s proto hybrid, proto Jaws wedge

Published

3 years ago

Jun 30, 2021

Detroit Golf Club, a mere 15 miles from GolfWRX HQ, plays host to this week’s PGA Tour event, the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Overall, it was a slow week as we are in the heart of the tour schedule. New product (for the most part) isn’t being released, and The Open is in two weeks — a tournament during which many players will make adjustments for the links layout they’ll face. Ultimately, it’s a “dance with the one who brung you” affair at the RMC. The notable exception is in the Titleist camp where T100 and T200 seeding began last week, and the irons are seeing rapid adoption.

Let’s check out the storylines among the craftsmen and their tools.

Titleist

Here’s a first look at the new Titleist T200 4-iron (in Charles Howell III’s bag).

Jimmy Walker’s prototype black finish T100, 620 MB irons.

Charles Howell III is putting new T100 irons in play. He loves the look and turf interaction, according to Titleist.

Rafa Campos is moving from 620 MB to new T100S irons. He likes the combination of speed and feel.

Following a range session, Troy Merritt is putting a combo set of new T200 and T100 irons in the bag.

Hank Lebioda put new T100 irons in last week (en route to his best finish — T5 — of the year). Loves the flight and workability, according to Titleist.

Mark Hubbard is seeing increased workability with a new T200 4-iron versus his previous U500 4i.

Ben An is testing new T200 4- and 5-irons.

Cam Davis is testing a new T100 3-iron.

Robert Streb is moving from a 718 TMB 4-iron to a new T100S.

Sean O’Hair has new T100 irons in play: “They look and feel like a blade and give me the confidence of a cavity back iron,” he said. O’Hair is also moving from TSi3 10-degree driver in B1 setting to TSi4 10-degree driver in A1 setting. Increased launch, lower spin, easier to draw.

Roger Sloan moving from U500 4-iron to a new T100S 4-iron.

Richy Werenski has new T100 3, 4 and 5-irons in play.

Ben Taylor is replacing his current T100 4-iron with the new model.

Mark Anderson is putting new T100 irons in play as does Tyler Duncan.

On the non-T100/200 front: Tom Hoge is moving from a TSi2 (9-degrees) driver with Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X to TSi3 (9 degrees) with Ventus Black 6 X.

Ben Martin switched to Pro V1x Left Dash.

Callaway

Prototype Jaws wedges spotted! Callaway is mum on details.

Phil Mickelson is in a prototype hybrid, as he revealed on his Instagram. No details from Callaway other than that a few players are testing. Mickelson’s hybrid features a Fujikura Ventus Red 9 X shaft.

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Kevin Kisner, who has been in a GBB since time out of mind, is testing a Callaway Epic Max LS with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft.

Chris Kirk had the leading edges of his irons ground down for better turf interaction.

TaylorMade

Updates to follow. Stay tuned!

Others

Russell Know is testing a Graphite Design Tour AD GP 6 X in his driver.

William McGirt is testing a Graphite Design our AD DI 6 X in his driver.

Garrick Higgo and Robert Streb are both testing Fujikura Ventus HB shafts in Titleist T200 driving irons.

Patrick Reed is testing Bang Energy as he continues his search for an early morning boost.

Check out all our photos from the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and see what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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Equipment

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

Published

15 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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