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12 Revealing photos from the 2016 Shell Houston Open

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GolfWRX was live this week from the 2016 Shell Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston, which is predictably in Houston, Texas. If you missed any of the photos from this, browse the galleries below:

J.B. Holmes is your defending champion this week, but the world’s now No. 2-ranked golfer Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson will be there to challenge him for back-to-back titles. Will one of the big names emerge victorious, or will a first-time winner break out of his shell at the Shell?

Now let’s see if we can stay away from the puns in this week’s Revealing Photos: Shell Shocked at the Shell Houston (not off to a good start)…

Congrats on 25 years!

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In 1992, title sponsors changed hands, and the PGA Tour event in Houston became known as the Shell Houston Open. Maybe it doesn’t have the tradition of the Open Championship, but impressive still.

And three out of those 25 years, Vijay Singh was the Shell Houston Open champion (’02, ’04 and ’05).

How’s Veej getting on these days?

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He’s still tearing apart PGA Tour ranges, and apparently engraining how to hook putts?

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I think we forget Vijay is 53 years old and still out on Tour competing against the world’s best. And out-working them, too. As for the putting stroke, he’s tried just about everything there is to try. Maybe a snap hook will finally be the answer.

Fowler droppin’ dimes or dropping dimes?

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There’s three possible meanings to this “drop dimes…” stamping:

  1. He’s placing the golf ball where it needs to be. In basketball, the same sentiment would mean he’s passing the ball well and he’d be recording a myriad of assists.
  2. He’s snitching. To “drop a dime” would mean to inform the police or another authority about illegal activity. That would be an odd thing to stamp on a wedge, but you never know.
  3. He breaks up with beautiful women. To “drop a dime” could mean he’s breaking up with a dime, or a woman with a subjective 10-out-of-10 ranking. Could be plausible, since he recently reportedly cut ties with Alexis Randock.

I’m gonna go with the first option, but again, you never know.

Tots Units Fem Forca

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Or in English is, “United/Together we are strong.” It’s a phrase used in FC (Futbol Club) Barcelona’s anthem.

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Barca fans are no joke about their soccer. And I’m pretty sure they don’t like me calling it soccer. Whoops, that’s twice. Sorry!

Omar Uresti’s sick Scotty with… athletic tape?

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O-Man, that putter is sweet. I’m going to guess that the athletic tape is there as some kind of training-aid support. But don’t quote me on that.

Rust and Tungsten

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The rust on these Callaway Apex irons achieves quite a mesmerizing effect, and as such you can see exactly where the tungsten plugs are placed in the sole.

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And some more awesome rust on the SM6 wedges below.

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Rust just never gets old, does it?

Herm, the Rocket and Johnny Wags

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PGA Tour player Johnson Wagner (Johnny Wags isn’t his real nickname, but he can borrow it if he wants), ESPN NFL analyst Herm Edwards and former MLB strike-out King Roger Clemens were all on the same team for the pro-am.

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You might know Herm from the “Miracle in the Meadowlands,” a play that spawned the victory formation in football. Or maybe for his coaching mediocrity if you’re a Jets fan (I am not). Or, most likely, you know him from his “you play to win the game” speech, which will live forever on the internet.

You might know Roger “Rocket” Clemens for his strikeouts in the MLB, of which he has more than 3,000. Or maybe you know him for his alleged steroid use and courtroom controversies. But if you’re a Mets fan (I am), you know him for throwing a broken bat at our guy Mike Piazza. People don’t forget, Roger.

A Scotty Cameron Titleist CB iron?

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I recognize those trademark red dots. You can’t slip one past me, Scotty.

Speaking of Scotties, here’s a huge gallery of customs

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I know, I know. I shouldn’t have. But I did.

In the gallery below, you’ll see Thongchai Jaidee’s gamer, his backup and his backup’s backup. There’s also a stealthy, blacked-out X5R that Dustin Johnson was testing this week, and a few dirty GSS and Tour-Only putters. Enjoy.

Love the hustle

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Name another golf coach who’s gonna put it all on the floor (putting green) for his players? Throwing his body around for the loose balls with no regard for his khakis? We can all learn from his hustle, grit and determination.

8130cf26e343d98b8d4886867fd31ff5Maybe March Madness has rubbed off on me a little too much, but you get the point.

3 wedges, 3 OEMs

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And a prideful Texas Longhorns stamping on his Callaway Mack Daddy 2. The local Texas fans will certainly appreciate the school spirit, especially after getting upset by the University of Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA March Madness.

Joey Logano rolls up to the Shell Houston

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Let’s just hope Matt Kenseth wasn’t also invited.

Improvement

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There’s digging it out of the dirt. And then there’s this.

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Jeff

    Apr 2, 2016 at 12:49 am

    Dropping a dime goes back to pay phone days, so it means making a call. It has been used in noir lit to mean snitching, as in drop a dime on a criminal by calling the police. Also means calling a girl, whether to ask her out OR to break up. My guess is that Rickie has it dialed in, so he’s dropping dimes.

  2. RG

    Apr 1, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    BOOM SHAKALAKA!!

  3. Notseeingwhatyousee

    Apr 1, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Pretty sure those are drill holes in the back of that CB iron….

    • Cody Carter

      Apr 1, 2016 at 6:33 pm

      They are. I’m pretty sure that’s Matt Dobyns set. His irons are single length so the holes are to help the head weights match.

      • Brian mccoy

        Apr 3, 2016 at 7:41 pm

        I don’t see any evidence of what your speaking of. I would love to see a WITB for Matt Dobyns,

  4. Weekend Duffer

    Apr 1, 2016 at 3:40 pm

    Does this website have an advertising deal with Titleist?

    • Bobby

      Apr 1, 2016 at 10:05 pm

      No it just happens to be the best equipment in golf son… no go back to your max improvement irons…..

  5. Alex Bedwell

    Apr 1, 2016 at 1:57 pm

    Who is that in the last picture?

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Equipment

Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

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Whats in the Bag

Zac Blair WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade M5 Rocket 3 (14 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 757 Evolution V1 X

Utility: Titleist U510 (3)
Shaft: Aldila Tour Blue 85 X

Irons: Ping i210 (4-6), Miura MB-001 (7-9)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 58-08M @57, 60 @61), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (52-M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 X

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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Whats in the Bag

Martin Trainer WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Wilson Staff Staff Model (6.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 70 TX

3-wood: Wilson Staff WLabs Prototype (13 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Staff Model (2, 4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Wilson Staff Staff Model (52, 56, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Bobby Grace Greg Chalmers Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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