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Rory McIlroy using new Odyssey putter, Titleist Pro V1x in South Africa

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There’s finally visual proof that Rory McIlroy is using a new Odyssey mallet putter at the European Tour’s South Africa Open Championship, as well as a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball. The Odyssey putter uses the company’s Microhinge insert, a new design Odyssey announced on Monday.

BMW South African Open Championship - Previews

We can also confirm that McIlroy is using four Titleist SM6 Vokey wedges (46-08 F Grind, 52-08 F Grind, 56-10 S Grind and 60-08 M Grind) as well as a Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage XT 70TX shaft in his Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero driver.

Related: See video of Rory swinging Callaway’s GBB Epic Sub Zero driver. 

The European Tour posted a story on Rory’s equipment change, which said TaylorMade’s M2 fairway woods were in his bag. McIlroy also has a set of set of Callaway Apex MB Prototype irons (3-PW) in his bag with Project X 7.0 steel shafts.

“They are the clubs for this week but that could change week to week,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament interview. “This is my first event with this set-up so we will see how it goes this week. You never really know until you have a card in your hand and at the end of the day the person swinging the club is more important than the club itself.”

BMW South African Open Championship - Previews

GolfWRX will keep you updated on what clubs McIlroy puts in the bag for Round 1 of the tournament, which begins Thursday. He tees off at 7:10 a.m. local time (12:10 a.m. in New York).

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23 Comments

23 Comments

  1. Tom54

    Feb 6, 2017 at 7:45 pm

    I’ve always enjoyed different clubs throughout my golfing days and can only be jealous of Rory being able to try all sorts of clubs whatever he wishes with clubmakers fixing him whatever he wants. They lead a charmed life for sure. I think somehow he’ll sign with Calloway.

  2. tlmck

    Jan 12, 2017 at 1:50 am

    And I’m still using a 1990 Ping Anser 5BZ. Still works awesome on slick greens, even with modern balls.

  3. Tom

    Jan 11, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    Ewww that stings. Scotty M 1 out for the first tournament of the season.

  4. MB

    Jan 11, 2017 at 6:40 pm

    So which model putter is he playing?

    • Tom

      Jan 11, 2017 at 9:37 pm

      The soon to be famous Odyssey with the “microhinge” insert.

  5. PXG

    Jan 11, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    “…at the end of the day the person swinging the club is more important than the club itself.”
    Whoa, whoa, whoa…Don’t let Parsons hear you saying stuff like that. In fact, don’t let Callaway hear you saying that with an Epic in your hand.

  6. Greg Laves

    Jan 11, 2017 at 6:10 pm

    I haven’t seen any comments about the Titleist ball. That Pro V1x doesn’t look anything like the Pro V1x I can buy. I wonder if it is like some of the test golf balls Titleist sent out for evauation last year. One ball I got to test was really awesome. Longer and straighter off the tee with more spin around the greens on soft shots.

    • Dr Troy

      Jan 11, 2017 at 10:21 pm

      Yes, those are the new ones coming out soon

  7. Teaj

    Jan 11, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    are the irons raw?

  8. westphi

    Jan 11, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    Wow those irons look juicy!!!

  9. Forsbrand

    Jan 11, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    Actually, has Rory borrowed the irons from Ryan Moore?! 🙂

  10. Forsbrand

    Jan 11, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    So Titlesit 660 irons stamped Callaway then?!!!

    • Tom

      Jan 11, 2017 at 9:44 pm

      hawt damn. Ur right ……Thats brilliant. They must have bought the rights to the die sets.

      • KTM2000

        Jan 12, 2017 at 2:39 am

        The shape on the tip of the muscle is a bit different, and also the grind on the bottom.

        • Tom

          Jan 14, 2017 at 12:33 am

          grinding after the form process to get the final shape

          • Vince

            Jan 14, 2017 at 11:43 am

            The sole on the 660’s is a lot thinner then these Callaways.

  11. MR B

    Jan 11, 2017 at 11:34 am

    PX 7.0 is stout

  12. Dj

    Jan 11, 2017 at 11:28 am

    You can’t possibly tell me that there isn’t a deal in place with callaway with all of these prototypes he has that even every other callaway staffer doesn’t have.

    • emb

      Jan 11, 2017 at 12:25 pm

      Unless Callaway is paying him over $25m/year then why can’t you believe it? The rumor was that he’s getting around $25m from nike per year and that contract still exists. Any new deal he enters is subtracted from what Nike pays him ex. Callaway signs him for $10m therefore Nike now only has to pay him $15m to equal the $25m total. If he’s going to get the same money regardless of who its coming from then why would he sign with Callaway and lock himself into a deal? Now he has the freedom to play other clubs if these protos don’t work out. Plus he’s playing vokeys & a Pro V1x which probably wouldn’t fly with Cally if they signed him. Callaway obviously wants to sign him when his Nike deal is over so they are going above and beyond as he’s arguably the best player in the world.

      • Travis

        Jan 11, 2017 at 12:29 pm

        They don’t need to pay him for an entire year or sign a contract. Just pay him to use the clubs in a couple of events.

      • Joseph

        Jan 11, 2017 at 7:28 pm

        Does anyone know if he is playing the cast Vokeys or Japanese forged ones?

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Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.

There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.

        

Rainmaker

Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.

Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.

My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.

Decision: Buy It!

The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor

Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.

Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.

My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.

Decision: Buy It!!

Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal

Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.

One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.

Decision: Buy It!!!

Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie

Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.

Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.

My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.

Decision: Buy Them!!!!

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.

As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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