Equipment
11 Revealing Photos from the FedEx St. Jude Classic and U.S. Open Sectionals
GolfWRX was live this week from the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee; also on Monday was the U.S. Open Sectional qualifier for the Memphis area, held at both Germantown and Ridgeway Country Club.
If you missed any of the photo galleries, make sure to browse the links below:
- U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier
- FedEx St. Jude Classic: Monday’s photos
- FedEx St. Jude Classic: Tuesday’s photos
- FedEx St. Jude Classic: Wednesday’s photos
Hats off to the USGA and PGA Tour getting on the same page, and having a sectional qualifier just down the road from the PGA Tour event that week. That’s the kind of forward thinking that keeps professional golfers sane. Many of the players were participants in both fields, and here’s how some of the notable names finished up.
DNQ: Lee McCoy, Wesley Bryan, Andres Romero, Ryan Palmer, Scott Stallings, Robert Allenby, Ben Crane and Steve Stricker (who’s playing more this week than he has seemingly all year).
Alternates: Thomas Aiken, Robert Garrigus (Nos. 1 and 2, respectively).
Qualified
The only player to qualify who isn’t in the FedEx St. Jude field is amateur Sam Burns, a current member of the LSU Tigers Men’s Golf Team.
For FedEx St. Jude Classic participants, I wonder whether qualifying for the U.S. Open, or not qualifying, is more of a distraction during the week? Surely, having to book a tee time at Oakmont for a U.S. Open practice round is a good problem to have, but you never know what will distract the mind of a golfer.
But anyway, let’s reveal some photos in this week’s, Revealing Photos: U.S. Open Dreams.
Wedge stampings
I think wedge makers have conspired against me since I declared wedge stampings dead. Between Cam Smith’s Kendrick Lamar stampings, and Wesley Bryan’s Breaking Bad and American Sniper stampings, these wedges are some of the coolest I’ve seen on Tour.
“Gimmie the HeisenWedge.”
See all of the stampings from Smith, and Bryan, who’s making his PGA Tour debut this week, in the gallery below.
In case you’re wondering, and based on Smith’s Twitter, I’m guessing he named his dog Kendrick, thus “Kendrick the Sausage.”
How to make new clubs look old
Slab a pound of lead tape on your irons and let your wedges rust. Just a reminder, these are Titleist 716 T-MB and 716 AP2 irons released in 2016, as well as Vokey SM5 wedges that were released in 2014… although they look as though they’ve been sitting in a used club bin for a decade.
Magnification
This is just about the thickest top line I’ve ever seen on a putter. It’s like when your parents start needing reading glasses, and adjust the text on their phone to the biggest font. With this putter, there’s no excuse not to be aligned at your intended target.
And speaking of font-size adjustments, the staff bag pictured below needs some. I can hardly even read Loren’s name.
I don’t know much about Robby Shelton…
But I have a feeling he’s not a big fan of the Auburn Tigers.
HZRDUS Slime
The green, slime-colored outline on the new Project X Handcrafted HZRDUS T1100 shaft is like caution tape; high-speed swingers only. It’s rumored to be extremely low-spinning.
Weapons that work
Every week we see the Tour guys with the newest, greatest gear in the bag since they’re under contracts with sponsors and whatnot. But it’s always interesting to see what accomplished players are bagging who aren’t collecting paychecks from sponsors. Here, we have Ping G15 clubs, which were released in 2011. And I’ll bet there’s a wear spot the size of a dime on the exact center of those irons.
This photo is from the U.S. Open Sectionals
You know how I can tell? Three main reasons:
- Shorts: Other than U.S. Open qualifiers, when do you ever see a professional golfer wearing shorts?
- Morning dew on the greens: PGA Tour courses always have the workers out bright and early to cut and roll the greens, and the practice greens. But those luxuries aren’t always provided at U.S. Open qualifying courses. Welcome to the struggle of a daily golfer.
- No fans, ropes, TV towers or sponsor signs around the green: Isn’t it nice? Just him and the golf course, the way golf was meant to be played.
Sock game strong
Also something you never see during Tour events is the socks of the players, eliminating the opportunity for players to make fashion statements with their socks.
It’s unfortunate, since socks with stripes and flowers add some undeniable pop to an outfit. But the pants rule also protects any fashion faux-pas like the mid-grays pictured below.
Maybe it’s best the pros wear pants after all.
Morning disaster
Isn’t this just the worst? You end up leaving your fresh cup of morning coffee on the roof of your car, and don’t realize until you drive away and go to take your first sip.
The most common injuries for golfers are the wrist and back
These still photos of Dustin Johnson’s swing explain the reason for both of those injuries.
Good thing he’s a tremendous athlete who can withstand the bending, twisting and turning, because I’m pretty sure my back would disintegrate if put into that position.
Did you know?
Cary Middlecoff, or should I say Dr. Cary Middlecoff, was a dentist in the Army before becoming a professional golfer. He finished his career with 40 Tour wins, three major victories, and just over $250,000 in career earnings. Here’s more about his life and career in a New York Times article from 1998, the year of his death.
Tournament patrons, take notes
If you plan on attending a professional golf event, and you’re not riding around on a segway like the guy on the far left in the picture above, then you’re doing it wrong.
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Equipment
Limited-edition gear spotted at the PGA Championship
The second major of the season is here, and with it, custom gear aplenty! Taking inspiration from both Louisville, Kentucky, and host course Valhalla, the OEMs have been having some fun with the designs.
Check out PGA Championship staff bags, some custom kicks, and a very cool putter grip from SuperStroke.
2024 PGA Championship staff bags
Callaway
PGA Championship Staff Bag Giveaway ? See below how you can win the bag and headcovers being used this week by #TeamCallaway at the second major of the year:
-Follow @callawaygolf
-Tag 2 friends in the comments pic.twitter.com/8HbGdPHiFK— Callaway Golf (@CallawayGolf) May 13, 2024
Cobra
TaylorMade
From the stables to the fairway. ?
This year’s PGA Championship staff bag and accessories pay homage to the Derby City with callouts to the run for the roses, the fastest lap in track history and more.
Dive into all the details of this beauty: https://t.co/afhEVKHWLj pic.twitter.com/8eoP6tDZq1
— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) May 13, 2024
Scotty Cameron’s putter cover features the Scotty Dog in Viking helmet
Bettinardi’s KFC-inspired putter covers
Ping’s bourbon-inspired putter cover
Rory McIlroy’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 shoes
FootJoy x Todd Snyder Mint Julep Premier Series
Brooks Koepka’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour shoes
SuperStroke’s PGA Championship grip
Check out all of our photos from Valhalla here.
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Whats in the Bag
John Daly WITB 2024 (May)
- John Daly WITB accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 6-Dot
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 4-Dot
Hybrids: Ping G430 (17, 22, 26 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold
Irons: Sub70 659-CB (6-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300
Wedges: Sub70 TAIII (50, 54, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Milled One T CH
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: SuperStroke custom
More photos of John Daly’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Toulon Golf collaborates with Valhalla Golf Club for latest Small Batch putter
Toulon Golf has today officially announced its latest Small Batch putter — the Valhalla.
Discussing the putter, Preston Toulon of Toulon Golf said: “This putter is a collaboration with the club at Valhalla and incorporates three of the many things that make the state of Kentucky great – horseracing, bourbon and championship golf. The head of the putter and headcover have several allusions to a jockey’s silk and there are thoroughbreds on the sole.”
Inspired by Toulon’s classic tri-sole Santa Monica design, the company sought to modernize the profile and design leveraging its 904 stainless steel and 6061 aircraft aluminium across the sole. Toulon describes the Valhalla’s profile as “slightly oversized blade whose proportions are meticulously balanced to maintain the look and feel of the Santa Monica, while increasing the putter’s inertia to create one of the most forgiving putters we have ever designed.”
Throughout numerous prototypes, Toulon paid particular attention to the L-neck, with its full shaft of offset, adding a bit of length for better blending with the slightly wider and longer blade.
On the rear of the putter are homages to horse racing in the form of jockey silk diamonds and Churchill Downs-inspired font.
The sole of the putter features a large cavity covered by a 6061 aircraft aluminum sole plate. According to Toulon, this allowed for the addition length to the putter and improved inertia as well as moving more mass to the perimeter for greater forgiveness.
In another nod to Valhalla, Toulon uses a milled watermarked limestone pattern, a reference to stone featured widely on the property.
As with all the Toulon Small Batch putters, the team paid particular attention to the topline thickness and radius to achieve a desired look. “Soft yet crisp was the design intent,” according to the company.
Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla specs
- Material: 904L Stainless Steel/6061 Aluminum Sole
- Face Mill: Fine Double Fly with Big Tuna
- Finish: Kentucky Bourbon PVD
- Grip: Custom Toulon Collection Vintage Blue Pistol
- Shaft: Chrome Stepless Steel
- Headcover: Valhalla Custom Leather
- Head Weight: 355 g
- Toe Hang: 40 degrees
- Loft: 3 degrees
- Lie: 70 degrees
Pricing and availability
The Small Batch Valhalla is available for purchase today via the company’s website — ToulonGolf.com.
Supply is extremely limited. The price is $1,800.
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Brad
Jun 13, 2016 at 12:51 pm
Although it has moved to 2 weeks before or even a week after, the FESJC is usually the week before the US Open and the qualifier is always at Ridgeway CC or Germantown CC. The USGA having it in the same city isn’t something new.
Michael
Jun 11, 2016 at 8:40 pm
You were right when you said wedge stampings were dead. This trend jumped the shark long ago.
Nick
Jun 13, 2016 at 10:07 am
Amen.
Nevin
Jun 11, 2016 at 1:15 pm
Cary Middlecoff has to one of the most under-appreciated Tour Pros of all time. 40 wins and 3 majors, yet he is hardly discussed, even when the topic is under-appreciated Tour Pros.
greg Moore
Jun 11, 2016 at 12:44 pm
The Segway guy got kicked off once security caught up with him.
Weekend Duffer
Jun 11, 2016 at 12:41 pm
I wait every week for this article