Equipment
Tiger spotted testing new driver shaft at St. Andrews
Tiger Woods was spotted testing a new driver shaft during a practice round at St. Andrews, site of the upcoming 2015 Open Championship.
From what we can discern in the photo posted in the forums, he’s testing a Matrix TP7HDe. Sources say the shaft is an X-Flex that weighs 78 grams un-cut and measures 44.5 inches in overall length with no tipping.
Most recently at The Greenbrier Classic — where he finished T32 — Woods had a Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Blue Board Prototype 70X shaft in his Nike Vapor Speed Prototype driver.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Sargio_Gercia
Jul 17, 2015 at 3:03 pm
Cut the driver down to about 40 inches 🙂
Smile a little and actually mean it
Be nice to people
Exhibit gratitude
You can only blame circumstance for so long in your life
Chill the funk out
Then just grip it and rip it…
Brian
Jul 22, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Agreed. Be genuine. I think Tigers dad created a winner, but not a Champion (Think Jack Nicklaus arm around Tom Watson after Tom won at Turnberry in 77, honestly happy for Tom). If Tiger never wins another tournament, but becomes a great father to his children, he will have acheived success.
Pingback: Tiger Spotted Testing a MATRIX Shaft at The Open - D'Lance GolfD'Lance Golf
Bar
Jul 15, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Could be wrong but the last time he won at St Andrews he never hit a wood all week. What makes him think he needs to change now .
JT
Jul 15, 2015 at 5:30 pm
He said publicly a few days ago that the course is completely different from the last time he played it, and conditions are softer requiring more carry shots, so even more important to hit quality tee shots.. you probably are wrong about never hitting a wood and winning the British open..
Dunn2500
Jul 15, 2015 at 2:22 am
I am not a huge woods fan but funny to me how people who will never be near his status can comment about him……stick a camera in your face every second of every day and see how you would react……have all these reporters talk trash on you and see how you would treat them…..none of you have an ounce of his golfing ability but you have audacity to critique his golf game ( and you can’t even break 90)…..he is human and has made same mistakes everyone here has but he is less than you?…….have the media publicize all your dirty laundry and see how well you take it…….nobody here knows how to do what he has done both good and bad in front of whole world and still be standing……..my guess is 99% would have folded like Appalachian lawn chair in any of his successes or failures. …….that’s why he is who he is……..I am not a huge fan of woods but I have respect for what he has done and had to go through while the whole world is watching. ……I know I couldn’t have done it…….as far as his golf game I can’t comment as he is far better than me so really what could I possibly have to say ……I shot 80 today with dbl and a trple……pretty sure he would have wiped my a$% had he been there playing in my group, lol
ooffa
Jul 15, 2015 at 10:03 am
I dunno, Would he have to give you strokes? Sounds like you would have beat him pretty badly and taken him for a few presses as well.
Skip
Jul 15, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Well said.
FTWPhil
Jul 16, 2015 at 3:19 pm
You wasted a lot of strokes on ………….’s
FergMan
Jul 14, 2015 at 3:12 pm
Tiger Woods is Golf, people. The hardcore fan may not give a damn but the weekend hacker who watches major tourneys only wants the headlines which is Tiger Woods. I can’t wait to follow every shot come Thursday morning and if you have a problem with all the headlines, simply avoid clicking on the story. You searched and came here and read the article so quit hating. We’ll see you all when his reign of terror on tour returns. He is too great to not come back.
Cyd
Jul 15, 2015 at 7:12 pm
Tigger is not golf. The game is bigger than eldrick. You sir are a maroon!
FTWPhil
Jul 16, 2015 at 3:12 pm
Last time I checked we have the freedom to express our opinions without the need to qualify ourselves as experts of anything except our thoughts. So deal with that before you jump on your high horse. The world has vast amounts of perception that differs from your life experiences, and sometimes they can be enlightening. So accept the fact that we all don’t feel the way you do.
P.S. Anything to help him win is good.
ooffa
Jul 13, 2015 at 7:19 pm
He should just test out a senior flex shaft and be done with it. He’ll never win on the regular tour again anyway.
Mat
Jul 13, 2015 at 7:39 pm
yeah, like you’ve ever won anything great. Troll.
ooffa
Jul 18, 2015 at 5:09 pm
See, told ya so. Another missed cut at the Open. It’s not trolling if you’re right.
Booger
Jul 13, 2015 at 11:29 am
Who cares. I’m sick of the fake smile on all his press photos. Miss the cut so I can enjoy watching this weekend !!
Josh
Jul 13, 2015 at 2:22 pm
If so sick of him why click the link to a story about him?
Mat
Jul 13, 2015 at 7:41 pm
hey Booger Troll, stop complaining and lets see u make a title of an article here
Ballstrikka
Jul 12, 2015 at 11:38 pm
Phil Pickleson would. Sergio Garcia would. Just face it, Eldrick hates his fan base and treats them accordingly. Live a little and splurge on a PGA Tour ticket and watch his behavior towards young fans and kids that show up dressed like him. He all but ignores them and can be quite rude. His attitude at his own tourney location in Los Angeles was atrocious and left a lot to be desired. This, and how he dumped his family is WHY the reactions are the way they are. This is what he signed up for, so he
has to weather the ^@*t storm at every turn of his life until his retirement day on the Senior errrrrrr,
Champions Tour. More than a handful of us will not be won back with a simple flash of his pearly whites and tip of his cap. Feeling sorry for THIS guy, uhhhhhh, no and *@ll no!
Cyd
Jul 15, 2015 at 7:13 pm
+1000
FTWPhil
Jul 16, 2015 at 3:16 pm
and 1
Chuck
Jul 12, 2015 at 3:15 pm
My gosh; it occurs to me that any other player on the PGA Tour could demo a new driver, a new driver shaft, a new putter — whatever — and the general reaction might be interest in the new equipment, curiosity about what the player is looking for technically, and maybe even whether they should try that product themselves.
I see a lot of the reactions here, and I actually have some sympathy for Tiger.
It is personal to Tiger, right? Is there any other player who would get this reaction?
Ballstrikka
Jul 12, 2015 at 1:57 pm
While he’s at it, let’s test some new “putting” strokes! My friends, this guy has become pedestrian at best from 6-12 feet. He’s pulled his whatever generation golf shoes out of retirement, let’s dust off
the 2000 putting stroke too.
Greg
Jul 12, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Might help him shoot 75 instead of 80????.
JuNiOR
Jul 12, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Indian or Arrow?
Jeff
Jul 13, 2015 at 2:55 am
Oh dude. That’s racist.
Lane
Jul 13, 2015 at 9:26 am
It is the Indian, not the arrows. And if you seriously think is racist you need to get a life.
other paul
Jul 14, 2015 at 8:03 am
Is it the white guy or the rifle….? Less racist? Or equally racist?
FTWPhil
Jul 16, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Yeah, we all know Indians use fake American names at customer service call centers, not arrows.
Christosterone
Jul 12, 2015 at 10:06 am
It’s an aertech fairway wood shaft….can’t believe people are not seeing that.
It is hard to believe Tiger would play a $59 shaft but that’s what it is:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=351442201471&globalID=EBAY-US
-Christosterone
Chuck
Jul 12, 2015 at 3:21 pm
I would love it if this were actually true.
MHendon
Jul 14, 2015 at 12:43 am
No its a Matrix
Jonzone
Jul 15, 2015 at 1:17 am
Correct. Matrix Ozik TP7HD
Dan Nichele
Jul 14, 2015 at 4:47 am
Yeah cos the guy taking the photo and talking to tour reps knows less than you about what’s in tigers bag. Tool.
Matto
Jul 12, 2015 at 4:35 am
I hope he’s just testing it with no intention of using it. 3wood all the way at St. Andrews please, Tiger!
Dude
Jul 12, 2015 at 12:29 am
What happened to the AD-DI? He should go back to that.
Jeff*
Jul 12, 2015 at 12:11 am
Every half inch that comes off that driver, he hits it straighter. He’s absolutely my golf hero but I think he chases numbers he think he needs to be relevant and the numbers, spin rate, club head speed, smash factor, the numbers have nothing to do with fixing a fault when he’s nervous, facing pressure.
His club specs are for perfect conditions in a launch bay, for maximum ball-speed, every time he sacrifices “potential” or “hypothetical” club head speed, for control, by trimming his driver down closer to the length of his other 13 clubs, he hits it better and better.
His swing looks oily sweet and smooth on the range, if he ever did have the guts to put a 43.5″ steel shaft on that Vapor Driver, even painted like graphite, he’d be world #1 again in a few months.
Kyle
Jul 11, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Looked fine to me at greenbrier.
Jim
Jul 11, 2015 at 9:24 pm
I have a broken watch that is right twice a day too.
Pat M
Jul 12, 2015 at 10:40 am
What is he ranked? 215th in the world? Journeyman golfer.
Kyle
Jul 12, 2015 at 11:14 am
Just a brutal reply. Swing changes take time.
Slimeone
Jul 11, 2015 at 8:04 pm
Apparently it features space-age new anti-left/anti-right/anti-yip technology.