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The Big Review – Vega 2011 Line Up

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Vega are the premium brand from the Japanese forging house Kyoei where Katsuhiro Miura worked before he left to start his own eponymous company. We've been huge fans of their clubs, especially the RAFC-01 irons and RAFW-05 wedges. Made from S25C carbon steel, Vega's renown forging makes every club a joy to hit. Their 2011 line-up includes clubs with new conforming grooves and new finishes and sole grinds and we at Bag Chatter got to try them.

VC-03 Game Improvement Cavity

The VC-03 is the full cavity option for the player looking for high levels of forgiveness without giving up killer looks. The broad sole prevents digging while the peripheral weighting ensures that all but the worst miss hits go arrow straight. Ball flight is high with a fair bit of spin that ensures that slower swingers get maximum distance.

VC-01 Players Cavity

The VC-01 are the conforming versions of the RAFC-01, reviewed earlier here. The VC-01 provide a fantastic balance between forgiveness and playability. The sole grind has a killed leading edge and a toe-heel camber which makes it versatile across a wide range of shot types and from any lie. Standard flight with these clubs is dead medium with no ballooning but you can hit low punch shots or high shots that land softly on the green equally well. You can work the ball either way should you choose to but the peripheral weighting flatters you enough to keep the ball straight without getting in the way.

The VM-02 Muscleback Blade

Serious clubs for serious golfers, they also happen to be one of the most beautiful sets of irons I have ever seen. How a club looks should really only be a minor component but when they are this gorgeous it is difficult to ignore. The ball takes off with a medium/low flight due to the higher COG and the ball is easy to work with this pure muscleback. Given the lack of peripheral weighting, you need to be one your game to get the most out of these but when you are on, they deliver like few other clubs. The short irons are fantastically accurate and the long irons are surprisingly easy to hit given they are pure thoroughbred blades. The sole plays well in any condition but with the grind taking some of the back off it suits pickers slightly more than diggers.

VM-02 left, VC-01 middle, VC-03 right

VW-02 Wedge

The square sole grind like is strongly reminiscent of Chikara wedges. The narrow flat sole is superb for full shots and chipping where it offers great stability as it cuts through the turf and the new grooves are still sharp enough to be able to hit one-hop-and-stop chips. The review model also sported the stunning black chrome finish. Feel is properly spectacular, exactly what you would expect from superior forgings like these.

VW-04 Wedge

The extreme heel toe grind allows this wedge to be opened up for high lob or parachute shots or played with the heel raised for clipping the ball off of hard pan. There is also a 360 grind which thins the top line at address for an even better look. The central portion still allows for great control from the sand as well as from the fairway. It is surprisingly easy to hit full shots with since the lack of sole would make you think that it would dig if you were really aggressive but it that doesn't happen.

VW-02 left, VW-04 right

All in all, another beautiful series of offerings from Vega carrying on their tradition of making some of the most gorgeous clubs

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  1. Xsurfersam

    Dec 8, 2012 at 9:25 pm

    Got vega wedges from joe Kwok and have to say best wedges ever hit. Have 56 and 60 degree with shimada shafts. Just ordered the vw10 50 deg for xmas

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Morning 9: Scheffler’s 65% top-10 finish rate | Monahan: Constructive Monday PIF meeting | Hal Sutton alive and well

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads over to the Valspar Championship.

1. Not since Tiger Woods

The AP’s Doug Ferguson…”Scottie Scheffler is next in line for comparisons with Tiger Woods because golf, like other sports, is always looking for the heir to the throne.”

  • “Scheffler is playing great golf, measured as much by his elite ball-striking and alarming consistency as the results. He now has nine victories against the strongest fields — one of them a small field in the Bahamas — in the 25 months since he won his first PGA Tour title.”
  • “Equally impressive is his 65% rate of finishing in the top 10.”
Full piece.

2. The Scottie-Meredith dynamic

Sean Martin for PGATour.com…”Unconditional love is what we’re all seeking, whether we want to admit it or not.”

  • “If you watch the PGA TOUR’s video from the moments after the win became official, one of the first questions that Ted Scott asks is, “Where’s your bride?” The most elation Scottie showed was when he first saw Meredith coming out of the clubhouse. He raised both hands in the air in victory and was grinning from ear to ear. It was a stark contrast to the intimidating, bearded world-beater we see on the course.”
  • “The TOUR also posted a video earlier in the week of Scottie reliving his 2023 PLAYERS win on TPC Sawgrass’ 18th green. He started tearing up when he talked about his wife.”
  • “I always get emotional when I talk about Meredith for some reason,” he said.
  • “In his post-victory press conference, Scottie talked again about how she keeps him grounded: “At the end of the day, I think it all goes back to the support system at home,” he said. “I really do have a great support system. I’m very thankful for it. I have a great wife, and if I started taking my trophies and putting them all over the house and walking in all big-time, I think she would smack me on the side of the head and tell me to get over myself pretty quickly. Winning golf tournaments doesn’t give me any brownie points at home, so I just try and do my best.”
Full piece.

3. LaMagna: NBC delivered a telecast worth of The Players

Joseph LaMagna for the Fried Egg…”At the Players Championship, NBC (and their Golf Channel subsidiary) finally showed some pride. From start to finish, the telecast was clean, showed a ton of golf shots, and entertained viewers with creative segments and limited commercials. On Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel brought Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch back to lend their insights from the ground and from the booth, a return that was met with plenty of praise. On Friday afternoon, Smylie Kaufman and Kevin Kisner stationed themselves on the 17th hole to host Happy Hour, showed a plethora of shots on the 17th and featuring drop-ins from other tour players like Brian Harman and Keith Mitchell.”

  • “Throughout the week, Johnson Wagner went viral a few times while amusingly recreating a few notable moments from the tournament. The main broadcast was a delightful watch. High production values and a limited commercial load allowed the talents of the NBC cast to shine. Furthermore, the broadcast allowed the actual golf competition to shine brightest, without constant interruptions or missed shots. All in all, the presentation reminded me of why I love competitive golf, and why I invest so much time and energy into the sport. I’d imagine many other golf fans came away from the weekend feeling the same way. It was also a refreshing reminder that there are smart, hard-working, talented people out there who, when given the opportunity and resources, want to build and create things of value.”
Full piece.

4. Monahan: Monday’s meeting with PIF was constructive

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player directors from the tour’s policy board met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in the Bahamas on Monday, a meeting that could be an important step in reuniting men’s professional golf.”

  • “On Monday, X accounts tracked planes owned by the PGA Tour, the PIF and player director Tiger Woods (as well as the 15-time major champion’s yacht) to Nassau, Bahamas. A plane owned by Fenway Sports Group principal owner John Henry, who owns the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC, also arrived in the Bahamas on Monday.”
  • “Monahan sent a memo to PGA Tour members Monday night, confirming the meeting but offering few details. Golfers Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, Peter Malnati, Patrick Cantlay and Adam Scott are the other player directors.”
  • “The conversation throughout was constructive and represents an important part of our due diligence process in selecting potential investors for PGA Tour Enterprises,” Monahan wrote in the letter. “This mirrors the approach we employed earlier this year as we evaluated an investment offer from the Strategic Sports Group. During the session, Yasir had a chance to introduce himself to our player directors and talk through his vision, priorities and motivations for investing in professional golf.
  • “As we continue these discussions with the PIF, we will keep you updated as much as possible, but please understand that we need to maintain our position of not conducting negotiations in public. To that end, we will provide no further comments to the media at this time.”
Full piece.

5. Hal Sutton confirms he’s alive and well

6. Ted Scott’s PGA Tour earnings likely more than Rory in 2024

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…”Scottie Scheffler overcame a neck injury to win his second PGA Tour event in a row at The Players Championship.

That bagged the World No.1 a first prize of $4.5m to add to the $4m he claimed for his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the previous week.

  • “However, Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott will also have benefitted very well financially from his two victories.”
  • “Caddies typically earn 10% of a player’s winning prize money and, assuming that is the case for Scott, Scheffler’s two victories will have seen Scott’s bank balance swell by $850,000 in the last two weeks alone.”
  • “Amazingly, that figure is also more than Rory McIlroy’s earnings on the PGA Tour so far this year. The four-time Major winner, who is currently ranked second in the world behind Scheffler, has earnings of $798,205 from his five PGA Tour appearances so far this year – over $50,000 less than Scott’s earnings in March so far. Scott’s earnings over the last two tournaments are also more than the Tour average for the year so far of $773,049.”
Full piece.
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Morning 9: Scheffler repeats at Players | Monday PIF meeting | McIlroy takes another shot at Norman

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as an exciting final day at the Players Championship saw Scottie Scheffler retain his title.

1. Back to back, X2

Doug Ferguson for AP…”The roar could be heard from a half-mile away just 16 minutes after the final group set out Sunday in the final round of The Players Championship. It was loud enough to indicate something special had happened. The question was more “what” than “who.”

  • “Moments later, Scottie Scheffler’s name appeared on the leaderboard, and he was on his way, adding another layer to his legend as the best in golf.”
  • “His 8-under 64 tied the Players Championship record for best Sunday score by a winner. His five-shot comeback matched another tournament record. And he now stands alone as the only back-to-back champion in 50 years of the PGA Tour’s premier championship.”
  • “It’s tough enough to win one Players,” said Scheffler, who was coming off a five-shot victory last week at Bay Hill. “So to have it back-to-back is extremely special. Yeah, really thankful.”
Full piece.

2. Cantlay confirms Monday meeting

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard…”On Friday, Golfweek was first to report a group of PGA Tour players were nearing a meeting with the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in an effort to continue to broker a deal between the Tour and the controversial sovereign wealth fund that has been disrupting men’s professional golf.”

  • “Two sources told Eamon Lynch a meeting was tentatively scheduled for Monday at a private residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, following the conclusion of the Players Championship at nearby TPC Sawgrass. Patrick Cantlay, a player director on the PGA Tour policy board, confirmed the meeting with Sports Illustrated on Sunday and tabbed the event as a meet-and-greet.”
  • “Well, I’ve gotta hear out what they have to say, and I will always do my best to represent the entire membership whenever I am in a meeting in that capacity,” Cantlay told SI after his final round at the Players Championship. “I think more information is always better.”
Full piece.

3. Mystery abounds

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”It turns out Monday’s expected “secret” meeting between the PGA Tour policy board player directors and the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is even clandestine for those who are being “strongly encouraged” to attend.”

  • “I don’t even think our membership knows anything about a meeting on Monday yet. I don’t know the details of it,” said Peter Malnati, one of the six player directors who would meet with the fund’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, on Monday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “I would rather tell our membership first, but, honestly, I think at this point I probably should have more details because there may be a meeting but I don’t even know. I don’t know where it is or how I’m getting there.”
  • “The possible meeting, which was first reported by Golfweek.com and would take place in a private residence, would be the first time the player directors have met with anyone from the PIF. Malnati said Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been pushing for a face-to-face meeting between the players and Al-Rumayyan “for months.”
Full piece.

4. McIlroy takes aim at Norman

Jack Milko for SB Nation…”McIlroy still wants to see a deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) go through.

But he holds no remorse for LIV Golf’s CEO, Greg Norman.”

  • “They’re a sovereign wealth fund. They want to park money for decades and not worry about it,” McIlroy said of the PIF.
  • “They want to invest in smart and secure businesses, and the PGA Tour is definitely one of those, especially if they’re looking to invest in sport in some way… I have spent time with [PIF Governor] Yasir [al-Rumayyan]. I think the people who have represented him in LIV have done him a disservice, so Norman and those guys.”
  • “Norman has championed LIV Golf’s cause for more than two years now, celebrating its format, players, and how the Saudi-backed circuit continues to ‘change the game.’
Full piece.

5. Boo birds

Bunkered report…”Jay Monahan was booed at The PLAYERS Championship as some golf fans made their feelings clear on the PGA Tour commissioner.

Monahan has been under fire ever since blindsiding his players with a top-secret framework agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund which bankrolls LIV Golf last June.”

  • “He confirmed in his pre-tournament address at TPC Sawgrass that negotiations were “accelerating” with the sovereign wealth fund over a deal to unify the game.”
Full Piece.

6. Scheffler first in money won at The Players

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”With a first-place prize of $4.5 million on the line, Scheffler came from five shots back on Sunday to win the 2024 Players Championship. And with that, he took over the top spot for most money won in a career at the PGA Tour’s flagship event at TPC Sawgrass.”

  • “Scheffler was previously third all-time at the Players with more than $4.5 million (with most of that earned for winning there in 2023) but now he’s over the $9 million mark.”
  • “He takes over the top spot from Sergio Garcia. Tiger Woods slides from the second to third.”
Full Piece.

7. Winning WITB

*Presented by 2nd Swing*

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees @8.25)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X (45 inches)

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X

Irons: Srixon ZU85 (3, 4) Buy here, TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW) Buy here.

Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Hybrid Prototype 10 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60.5-T)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Grip: Golf Pride Pro Only

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Full Piece.
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Tour Rundown: Matching luggage for Scheffler

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For those of us from another generation, the disruption of the golf world that we knew well is both exciting and unsettling. The two most potent disruptors are rival golf leagues, not unlike the turmoil seen in the NCAA, and the Anchorman-style gangs of golf reporters. Reconciled to a past era are the dominance of the U.S. PGA Tour and the monthly golf magazines. One element that will not change, at any time in the foreseeable future, however, is the sanctity of the grand slam and golf’s four male major championships. While the LPGA and the PGA Tour Champions have seen a light and added fifth and sixth power titles, the men’s game remains staunchly in the 20th century.

This last topic surges in pertinence each March, just before the playing of The Players Championship. Two camps stake tents and run banners up the poll. One cries out for elevation of the PC to major status, while the other digs a trench around its impregnable quadrilateral. My personal take is this: Every four years since 2016, golf is played at the Olympics. Is Olympic Gold the equivalent of a major title? Yes, it is. It comes around every 1,500 days and brings elite golfers together in competition at the most important athletic event and venue. In my mind, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele earned major titles in Brazil and Japan, as did Inbee Park and Nelly Korda. As for the Players Championship, why not? The field is stronger by ranking than any major event, and the golf course demands every shot that golfers can create.

The Players Championship is so important to the U.S. PGA Tour that all other tours under its umbrella take the week off. No Korn Ferry, no Tour Champions. The LPGA and the DP World Tour follow suit, which shrinks the amount of watchable golf to two events. On that sour note, let’s run down this week’s play, beginning with the Players Championship and ending with the Asian Tour in Macau.

PGA Tour @ Players Championship: matching luggage for Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler is making a bid to be the player of his generation. From the previous one, a fair number have taken leave from traditional competition. The Johnsons, Koepkas, and Reeds from the 1980s no longer play the events that stand the test of time. The born-in-the-90s generation had its first great champion in Jordan Spieth until he took leave of the senses that brought him to golf’s pinnacle. Spieth’s descent ran opposite Scheffler’s rise.

Scottie Scheffler had won nothing on the PGA Tour until February 13th of 2022. He won on that day in Phoenix, then won three more times by the middle of April. One of those wins was the API at Bay Hill. Last week, Scheffler won for a second time at the Orlando course. Last March, Scheffler won his first Players Championship, by five shots over Tyrrell Hatton. On Sunday, Scheffler dived headfirst into a cauldron of fierce competition. Facing challenges from Olympic champion Schauffele, Open champion Brian Harmon, and U.S. Open champion  Wyndham Clark, Scheffler breathed. As the only man to reach 20 under par, he earned a second consecutive title at Sawgrass and reminded us that it has been two years since he won the Masters and that he is on a tear.

It all began at the fourth on Sunday for Scheffler. After pars at the opening three holes, Scheffler’s driving wedge from 92 yards landed 20 feet shy of the hole, took one large bounce, then spun left, trickling into the hole for eagle. He followed that incantation with another birdie, then two pars. The stretch from 8 to 12 was where the champion made a statement. His quartet of birdies over that run, brought him to 19-under par and let the pursuing pack know that even lower than the winning 17 under in 2023 would be necessary.

And the trio was game. Harman and Clark both dipped below 70, to reach 19 under at the final pole. Schauffele could not find a similar gear and closed with 70 — 69 would have earned him a playoff with Scheffler. It was the extra gear, the ability to go low when all things mattered, that eleveated the now two-time champion to the top of the podium. In five of his eight tour wins, Scheffler has posted a sub-70 round on day four, and four of those have been 67 or lower.

With elegant precision, Scheffler applied the final thrust at the par-5 16th. He played safely away from Pete’s Pond on the right, into the left greenside bunker at the back of the putting surface. His bunker shot was thing of exquisite accuracy, trickling to a planned stop about 20 inches from the hole. The birdie concluded matters and rang the sort of bell that Dye courses tend to display.

Asian Tour @ International Series Macau: Catlin earns playoff victory

There are two sorts of golfers that compete on the Asian Tour, which makes no secret of its alliance with the LIV. The first are the AT stalwarts, the ones who play as golfers have always played, with little guarantee and much pride. The others are the ones who compete on the LIV, eschewing both risk and pride for the guaranteed payday. Their deal costs them world ranking points, so they play in AT events, hoping to qualify for golf’s major events.

This week in Macau, one of those LIV golfers shot 60 on Sunday and did not win the tournament. Hard to believe, you say? Aye, but when another golfer shoots 59 in the third round, follows it up with a 65 on day four, then makes overtime birdie twice at the par-five closer, the razor’s edge of great golf is sharpened. Thus did it happen with American John Catlin and Spaniard David Puig.

It was Catlin who signed for 59, and it took a twisting, eagle putt at the last to enshrine the first-ever, sub-60 on the Asian Tour. It was Puig who closed the gap on Sunday with a 60 of his own, which featured a bogey at the lengthy fifth hole, but was followed by seven birdies and an eagle over the next 13 holes. Catlin had a six-feet putt for the regulation win, but missed. In extra time, Puig nearly holed for eagle at 18, then tapped in for birdie. Catlin’s second danced along the OOB perimeter, before ending on an access road. His drop and pitch left him another six feet to remain alive, and this time, he converted.

At the second go-round of the par-5 finisher, Puig found the green in two, but took three putts from nearly 50 feet. Catlin confronted another challenging pitch for his third, and once again, his wedge game won the day. He tapped in for birdie and the win.

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