Equipment
11 Revealing photos from the 2016 Quicken Loans National
GolfWRX was live this week from the 2016 Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. If you missed any of the photos from the week, make sure to browse the galleries in the links below.
Tiger Woods and his foundation host the event this week, although he has announced that he won’t be competing. That may be for the best, given Tiger’s recent performance on Congressional’s 10th hole. It’s still unfortunate to see Tiger as a host rather than a competitor, however.
Anyway, let’s reveal photos from this week’s Quicken Loans National, hosted by Tiger Woods.
The Kid
We spotted all-time baseball great Ken Griffey Jr. playing in the pro-am with fellow Nike-ambassador Tony Finau. Surely Finau was bombing a golf ball past him, but no one hit a baseball like Ken “The Kid” Griffey.
His golf swing has traces of his silky smooth baseball cut, too.
Ken Griffey Jr. has a pretty swing when it comes to golf, too.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 22, 2016
No new tricks
Charles Howell III is just an old dog up to his same old tricks. Earlier this year he signed with PXG, but as a gear head, he just can’t help but experimenting with different clubs and shafts when he can. This week, it appears that he’s testing Srixon Z-U45 driving irons.
Never change, Charles. Not that you could help yourself, anyway.
Nostalgia
Remember Super Soakers? Remember super corny commercials in the 90s? Here’s both:
But seriously, Bettinardi’s custom Super-Soaker putter head covers are awesome, and bring back some good memories of summers as a kid.
Too cool.
Titleist throwing it back?
Here’s a comparison photo of the Titleist 915 (left) and its new 917 driver. Looks as though the company is going away from the black crowns, and back toward a gray colorway like older releases, most notably the Titleist 975D that Tiger Woods used for a decade or so.
Which do you prefer; left or right? Black or gray?
Barking up the wrong tree
I have three theories as to why this metal tag is nailed to the tree:
- Congressional is treating its trees, and the numbers mark that a tree has already been treated.
- The tags are marking specific species of trees, for whatever reason.
- This tree is really just keeping it 100.
Am I completely barking up the wrong tree, or did I nail it? Tree experts, please help me out.
Wedge essay
So we’ve upgraded from wedge stampings to wedge essays. Great quote from Happy Gilmore, but the wedge maker was probably irritated after the first line.
Rickie’s putter(s)
Rickie Fowler’s gamer putter is sweet.
And so are his two picturesque backups. Ah, the life of a Tour player.
No pressure
Davis Love III, as captain of the 2016 Ryder Cup Team, is already bringing his captain’s bag around on Tour. How about if you’re on the bubble in the Team USA standings and you see DLIII strolling by you on the range. Just that extra reminder you’re under constant scrutiny by the eyes of the captain. Every shot must feel like do-or-die… but no pressure!
Anyone seen K.J. Choi lately?
Yep, still working out. You know what he’s not doing…?
Sitting down
Is anyone gonna get to work around here?
That’s why you shouldn’t have chairs set up near the putting green or range. Nothing gets done with chairs around.
For the kids
It’s easy to forget, in the midst of all the craziness on Tour, such as ridiculous USGA rulings, that golf is a gentleman’s game. It really is all about influencing kids to not only play golf the right way, but to be a good person, too.
Here, Jimmy “Bones” Furyk takes some time out of his practice to sign autographs and talk to a young fan.
Also, do you think the Pittsburgh native will ever give up that awesome U.S. Open staff bag from Callaway? I’m guessing no.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.
From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.
Specs/ Additional Details
-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)
-Original Anser Design
-PING PP58 Grip
-Putter is built to standard specs.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Equipment
Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes
As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.
The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.
On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.
Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.
At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.
“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.
Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.
“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.
“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.”
In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.
On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.
“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.”
See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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