Equipment
New fairway wood coming from PXG?
Is there a new fairway wood coming from PXG? At the BMW Championship, we captured photos of PXG Staffer Charles Howell III taking a look at a new club.
Unless you can see through bananas, it’s hard to tell what could be different about the new fairway wood. CHIII is interested, though. He was told he couldn’t take the fairway wood home for testing, so well keep an eye out for future PGA Tour range testing of the new club. See more photos.
In other PXG news, the company released a new game-improvement iron earlier this week called the 0311XF, which is currently being used as a 4-iron replacement for Charles Schwartzel.
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
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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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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Willard L. Abernathy
Oct 15, 2016 at 1:19 pm
I’ve hit the 0311 irons and honestly, I would love to have a set but, it wouldn’t be as much for performance as it would be for a status symbol. It felt great but, my Mizunos still feel better and softer. I have also hit the PXG driver. The PXG fitter told me to also bring my own driver (Titleist 913D2) which I did. Over an hour fitting and trying over 8 different shafts the fitter told me “I can’t sell you this, you hit your own driver much better, it just wouldn’t be right” I thanked him for his honesty and went on my way. The PXG driver looks great, feels great and I was prepared to purchase it on the spot but, for $800 dollars I guess I expected much more…This is not a slam on PXG by any means, They are beautiful, modern and very industrial looking. This is just my opinion and you really should try them for yourself.
Dave r
Sep 16, 2016 at 9:46 pm
Relax boys
FSUBASEBALL21
Sep 10, 2016 at 3:40 pm
Don’t speak to what you don’t know. The PXG line is absolutely off the charts and I know this for an absolute certainty. A forged iron that feels like butter and goes further than any cast iron on the market. What is not to like? The woods hit an extra apex in flight, again, whats not to like? The price point excludes many people but that’s no reason to trash the product. It’s the best equipment on the market and it’s really not even close.
Y Drizzle
Sep 11, 2016 at 6:32 am
Good grief. If it really is the best equipment on the market, then every pro would have them in their bag.
ooffa
Sep 11, 2016 at 1:29 pm
So your saying the ball in flight hits an apex and then another apex? C’mon, do yourself a favor and put the pipe down dude.
Tony Rich
Sep 10, 2016 at 12:49 pm
Really PXG….nobody cares enough about your i20 knockoff.
The Titleist and Cally fairways are all you ever need.
No need to hide a knockoff.
Ask Zach and Billy how well their PXG year has gone.
P(ropoganda), for X(tremely)and G(rossly)overpriced average golf clubs.
K
Sep 13, 2016 at 4:04 am
*Hasn’t even hit PXG yet
Roddy
Sep 8, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Charl*
C
Sep 8, 2016 at 6:05 pm
This isn’t RSA, in the USA (greatest country in the World) it’s spelled “Charles”
RedX
Sep 8, 2016 at 6:20 pm
shouldn’t it be Bart in the White House then C ?
AllBOdoesisgolf
Sep 9, 2016 at 10:22 am
Barry Soetero… actually… thank you very much
spelling b
Sep 10, 2016 at 2:56 am
He spells his name the way he spells his name…not hte way you expect it to be spelled …idiot.