Tour News
Tiger Woods withdraws from Dubai Desert Classic with back spasms
Those optimistic about the most recent comeback attempt of Tiger Woods face yet another hurdle in their conviction that the 41-year-old can return to his winning ways. Woods withdrew from the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic on Friday one hour before his tee time citing with back spasms that left him unable “to make a full rotation in his swing,” according to agent Mark Steinberg.
Tiger’s agent Mark Steinberg explains the reasons behind Woods’ withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/V6qK4AojxQ
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 3, 2017
Woods shot a 77 on Thursday at the Emirates Golf Club, leaving him 12 shots behind Round 1 leader Sergio Garcia. He appeared to be in discomfort throughout the round, but told reporters afterward that he was not experiencing back pain.
“No, I wasn’t in pain at all,” Woods said. “I was just trying to hit shots and I wasn’t doing a very good job.”
The back spasms occurred after dinner on Thursday night, Steinberg said. “He tried to work it out, but didn’t get it worked out.” Steinberg clarified that the spasms Woods is experiencing are not coupled with the nerve pain the 14-time major champion has battled the last two seasons that has resulted in three back operations.
Woods is scheduled to play in next week’s Genesis Open on the PGA Tour and the Honda Classic the following week.
Discussion: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about Woods’ withdraw in our forum.
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The first round of the RBC Heritage gets underway today and with that, we have an unprecedented part 3 of our most interesting pictures from the event. As a refresher, the field of 134 is battleing on the tight treeline Pete Dye designed course, for the $7.1 million purse with $1.28 million going to the winner.
In part one of this week’s “most interesting photos”, we covered putters, for part two we covered some of the action around the course, and for part 3 we have a little bit of both.
Don’t forget you can check out all our image galleries in the GolfWRX Tour Equipment forum.
Snedeker with that “new driver” look
The 2012 FedEx Cup champ is quietly one of the biggest driver testers on tour, and he was looking thirsty at a couple of TaylorMade SIM2 drivers on the range. Also noted his Miura CB-301 irons.
Build your own training aid
Path board – check, digital level – check, alignment rod – check, extra club – check. Why spend all kinds of money when you can just build your own simple training aid?
Its armlock – but backward
Matt Kuchar brought the arm-lock style to the PGA Tour and it looks like he might be changing course again since he was spotted testing a “reverse” arm-lock Bettinardi on the practice green of Harbour Town links. This is a reverse style because the grip rests against the trailing arm versus the lead one.
Maybe graphite is the new steel
We’re not sure whose caddie this is, but the interesting thing in this photo is the graphite shaft in the putter. Although Bryson wasn’t the first, he certainly has opened the door for more players testing and putting ultra-stiff graphite shafts into their putters for stability.
Si Woo, and Charles Howell talking putters
Everyone knows Charles Howell loves to talk gear, and here he is chatting with Si Woo Kim about a couple of putters—just imagine the nerd level conversation being had.
Na continues to test the new Callaway Epic
Kevin Na is one of the last holdouts on tour with an original Epic driver in the bag, and again this week we spotted him testing one of the new Epic Speed drivers. Considering his chances this week based on the course length, it will be interesting to see if he officially made the switch.
Maverick’s unique Toulon
Maverick McNealy’s slant-neck San Diego has a very different shape from the retail version and looks to be both longer heel to toe and also shallower—it reminds this writer of the classic Ping Anser 4.
Davis Love III has a full bag of familiar sticks
Davis Love has won the RBC Heritage 5 times (yes, 5) and this past champion has a full bag of Titleist gear including 718 AP2s and SM8 Vokey wedges. You can get all his full WITB here: Davis Love III WITB RBC Heritage
Who has 2 thumbs and loves to test putter? Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace was working with a number of Toulon putters Tuesday, and although they all had something a little different to offer, the one thing that stayed the same is his preferred 2-Thumb grip.
The grind doesn’t stop for Furyk
Did you know Jim Furyk is 3rd all-time on the PGA Tour career money list with over 71 million buckeroos banked. Crazy right? So imagine the drive it takes to continue to work your butt off week in and week out on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour to find every edge.
Speaking of edge, Jim was seen on the range working with Callaway tour reps on a Callaway Epic Speed triple diamond to hopefully gain a few mph of ball speed. Gotta respect the grind.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Interesting photos from Tuesday at the RBC Heritage – Part 1: The putting green
This week, the PGA Tour is decompressing in Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, and GolfWRX was on-site Tuesday to spy a glimpse into the bags of some of the world’s top golfers. The field of 134 is getting ready to battle starting Thursday on the tight treeline Pete Dye designed course, for the $7.1 million purse with $1.28 million going to the winner.
Don’t forget you can check out all our image galleries in the GolfWRX Tour Equipment forum.
Armlock is building momentum on tour
We spotted both Henrik Norlander and, in a stunning twist, Kevin Kisner working with an armlock putter on the practice green at the RBC Heritage. Kisner is generally not one to switch, but it looks like based on the sideways grip, flat part aligned with the face, he’s taking a big cue from Bryson.
Fleetwood working with a new wand
Coming off a disappointing week at the Masters, it looks like Tommy is ready to try something new on the greens and by the looks of it, it’s shafted with an LA Golf graphite putter shaft.
So clean
Equipment free-agent Chris Kirk’s raw finished Odyssey prototype looks spectacular as its oilcan finish takes on a deeper patina.
It’s all about those drills
Practice is an important part of building consistency, and this drill sure does a lot for keeping everything locked in place.
On the level
There is no better way to work on hitting straight putts than making sure you are actually working on a level surface. This digital level proves that some of the best training devices can be found at your local hardware store.
That alignment is a ten out of ten
We spotted Callaway staffer Chase Seiffert working with an Odyssey Stroke Lab Ten with a very unique set of sightline dots—the more the merrier.
Scotty Cameron appreciation
Sometimes you just have to stop and enjoy the classics, and this “bullet soled” blade is a thing of beauty. The closest thing to this in the retail market is the Coronado released in 2010—maybe we’ll see an updated version in the future?
Chicago’s finest
Kentucky native John Augenstein must be a big fan of Chicago, not the band, but golf companies that originate in the land of the Cubbies and da Bears. Not only is he sponsored by Wilson Staff, but he also has this lovely Bettinardi DASS (double aged stainless steel) custom in the bag with a LAGP graphite shaft (Bryson sure is rubbing off on people).
From Chicago to Texas
Speaking of custom putters, we also spotted this Edel blade being used along with one of the most simple training devices you will probably ever see—who said putting had to be hard?
Don’t forget you can check out all our image galleries in the GolfWRX Tour Equipment forum.
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Tour News
The Masters Tour Truck Report: Bryson’s new driver, Adam Scott’s new irons, RIP Freddie’s Squareway
Welcome to this Masters edition of the Tour Truck Report. Normally, there aren’t many major equipment changes the week of a major golf tournament. However, Bryson James Aldrich DeChambeau—and we mean this in the best possible way—is anything but normal.
Thus, it’s not totally surprising to see DeChambeau testing a new Cobra RadSpeed Prototype driver at Augusta National.
Here’s what Cobra VP of R&D Tom Olsavsky had to say about the new weapon.
“The big thing here is speed, and Bryson has a lot of it. To help build a driver specifically tuned for his dynamics, we removed the adjustable weights to save mass from the housings and have focused on internal changes to help him reduce miss-hit variance.”
”The other thing we did was increase the face thickness of his drivers to prolong durability. Bryson hits a lot of golf balls, and with the amount that he hits both in standard practice and his speed training sessions, we wanted to help eliminate any durability concerns. We also suggest that he rotates the heads during sessions—and the adjustability in the hosel makes that easier to do.”
”Now speaking of the face, we specifically removed the Infinity Face on this new head, because it allows us to change the face radii easier and reduce the toe radius to help with his toe misses.”
More on the smattering of other pre-Masters equipment switches below.
Titleist
Adam Scott has been testing 620 MB irons for the past few weeks, according to our source. There’s a good chance they go in play Thursday. The Australian is also debating between a Vokey SM8 60-06K and 60-A.
Callaway
Phil Mickelson is reportedly considering putting with a glove on this week, for what that’s worth.
Jon Rahm continues to play Epic Speed Sub Zero Prototype 3 and 5-woods, as well as a prototype Stroke Lab steel putter shaft.
Photo via Callaway’s Johnny Wunder.
TaylorMade
After a week in the SIM2 Max, Dustin Johnson has returned to his 10.5-degree SIM Max. Fujikura Speeder 661 X, of course.
Matthew Wolf has a new Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 60 TX shaft in his 9-degree SIM2.
Cobra
Sources confirmed Bryson DeChambeau will put the Cobra RadSpeed Prototype in play.
Ping
Lee Westwood has swapped his hybrid for a Ping G425 7-wood.
Cameron Champ has switched from a Ventus Blue back to the Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 70 6.5 TX he played last year.
Matthew Fitzpatrick tested a G410 9-wood. Unclear whether he’s putting it in play.
In a case of tailoring equipment to the course, Joaquin Niemann added loft to his G425 3-wood to hit a high draw at the downhill 495-yard 10th at Augusta.
Others, free agents
In other news, we’re hearing Fred Couples may bench his beloved 2008 vintage Callaway FT-i Squareway 3-wood for a TaylorMade SIM2 Max. We’ll have to see what Boom Boom booms his 3-wood shots with on Thursday. He may also have his old Bridgestone irons in play.
Matt Kuchar demoed a LAGP putter shaft with a SuperStroke grip in a new Bettinardi BB8 Tri-Plane putter. He has also reportedly decreased the loft from seven degrees to four on the wand as he is using a new armlock putting method.
Collin Morikawa is testing Vokey SM8 60-04L with reduced ribbon for Augusta’s firm, tight lies.
The legend Jose Maria Olazabal has a new Vokey SM8 58-08M in the bag.
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Guia
Feb 4, 2017 at 8:55 pm
I have/am hoping that he can pull it together. But I am beginning to think that a number of the times he has pulled out demonstrates that he does not handle pain or physical diversity very well. I am old and seem to always have something that isn’t physically right. Of course, I don’t play for a living or fame.
AP
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:41 pm
Leave the man be and go back to your shanties…. People feel the need to revel in someone else’s failure to build themselves up, and that is the saddest part of all. Let the man golf until he doesn’t golf, and let that be the end of it. People should be rooting for the success of their favorite player, not the demise of another. He’s the reason half of the young tour players today even picked a club and the reason why purse amounts are so astronomically high. Golf needs him and since his decline, all I hear from interviews is how the state of the GAME is in free-fall as viewership/participation in the game is losing ground. Love him or hate him, there’s no changing his legacy/importance, and he should be able to go about his business, no matter who hates him. Its his occupation and livelihood, so anyone who would like comments on their at-work performance should look hard into the mirror and be thankful the world isn’t critical of their every wrong move. You don’t know him, you’ve likely never met him, so stop all the condescension and judgment.
Skip
Feb 4, 2017 at 11:29 am
Very well-said. Funny the lack of tact people have behind a keyboard.
Brian
Feb 5, 2017 at 11:26 am
Tiger is reaping what he has sown. If you can’t understand that, you should probably avoid article comment sections related to Tiger.
Hack
Feb 6, 2017 at 10:06 am
You mean because he cheated on his wife? Yeah, he is the first touring pro to ever do that. Well except for that absolute legend that you would get crucified for ever saying a word against and a few hundred others.
mka
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Tiger has made some decisions in the past that are having adverse effects on his game…for some time now. His championship level of play seems to be in a downward spiral. He’s had an amazing run, though!
Tom54
Feb 3, 2017 at 6:32 pm
My comment on Tiger is simple. When he was on top of the golf world when he was playing he knew 99% of people were in awe of him. Fast forward after his fall from grace he most likely steps on the tee wondering how many fans now think he’s a loser. He was never able to capture that aura about him again. It is sad cause let’s be real, no one has been able to propel a golf ball around like he could. I agree with those who say stay away from the gym and hit balls.
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:09 am
I wasn’t in awe of him. In fact, I wasn’t even playing enough golf in the 90’s and 00’s to care who was what and what golf clubs looked like. I didn’t know people thought he had an aura. He’s never endeared himself to his Thai routes, so he never had his aura to start, he only pretended to be Buddhist when he got caught with them chicks, so he never had any aura, as fake as he’s been all his life. Lets be real, he was always fake, and he still is. So much acting. And he’s not even good at it, you can hear it in the manner and style he speaks. He should have reached out more to his Thai roots through his mother from the beginning than learn to chase tail, taking after his father and his father’s best friend.
Skip
Feb 4, 2017 at 11:33 am
nobody really cares if you were in awe of him or not.
S Hitter
Feb 4, 2017 at 8:35 pm
Obviously you do, enough to come here and comment inanely, you eejit
BooBunkie
Feb 3, 2017 at 5:26 pm
What, who me, back problems?! Not even!! I’m jumpin’ out of a plane next week with the Navy SEALS! Then I’m entering a SAP long drive comp from the top of a sky scraper after that! Then off to LA for the Riviera deal. Let’s see, then the east coast swing! Huh, what, I got this! My back brackets are not coming loose, I was just wearing the wrong size shoes in Dubai. What 15-18 hour flight, I slept in the prone position all the way. Not a big deal guys, I got this! I’ll be at the Mahztaz in April ready to WIN!! You’ll see, just a hiccup in my run to the top again. No worries!!!
Yeah right Eldrick………..yeah right!!!
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:10 am
Nice
B Moore
Feb 3, 2017 at 4:39 pm
As long as he got his appearance fee, what does it matter?
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:10 am
Exactly. Laughing all the way to the bank.
Jim
Feb 3, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Back spasms?…more like brain spasms…
TIGER is Fini….dead as a 40 yr old Wilson just dredged out of a water hazard.
BIGGEST Brain meltdown since Ian Baker Finch…
Malpractice-level bad ‘coaching’ from Haney/Foley didn’t help, but we’re far enough beyond them and even the physical damage they caused….He should NOT be looking like he’s 25 and just finished BUDS…He’s definitely not training right for a golfer with injuries to protect.
IF Eldric ever gets his head out of his butt, he can win another couple events…What’d be wrong with hitting it 299 in play and spending less time IFO mirrors in the gym and more on putting
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:12 am
Haney never did anything wrong. The Haney period was one of the most productive that Eldrick had. It’s Eldrick’s tail chasing that messed him up, not Hank Haney. Open your eyes
Brenner Pieszak
Feb 4, 2017 at 11:56 am
have you been watching him play? you think putting is his problem? lol, this sounds like your fat and out of shape and you like to golf so it makes u feel better when good golfers dont look like they work out.
he defntly doesnt look anything like jason day, the world no.1, right????
right?
right????
right?
u sound like a tool dude lol
mike t
Feb 3, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Why in the world would you take a 15 hour plane flight to play in Dubai knowing you have a history of recent back surgeries ???
Tazz2293
Feb 3, 2017 at 5:54 pm
There were 1.5 Million reasons he did. Whether he gets to keep it is another story
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:12 am
Bingo
Brenner Pieszak
Feb 4, 2017 at 11:57 am
just like you me and everyone else in the world, tiger likes this thing called money. imagine how much they paid him to come play there this week instead of phoenix or w/e.
a lot. 😀
M-Herd4
Feb 3, 2017 at 3:43 pm
Whew! Thank God it’s just his back… I thought for sure his glutes weren’t activating again!!
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:13 am
That’s hilarious and so on point
Jeff
Feb 3, 2017 at 11:55 am
Brandel was talking about him on the Golf Channel, he said he looked like the oldest 40 year old EVER!!! He looked like he was walking around standing as straight up as you can, coming out of a bunker early in the round. When I saw him walking, he looked jacked up. He completely tried to hide his pain and discomfort. IMO, he will never, ever win again. He told us he wouldn’t come back until he was ready. And he thought he was ready???? I don’t think so. He is DONE!! His body can not handle playing golf anymore. So sad!!!????????????????
S Hitter
Feb 3, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Happy!
Tazz2293
Feb 3, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Yes. Now if the media and the Golf Channel will cool their jets we can get back to following Golf without having to hear the constant drum beat of the sycophants
Carl
Feb 3, 2017 at 11:54 am
Sad but watching so many of these young pros you see the swings they “Haff” to use to compete on tour is trouble brewing….there are many short cut swings sold to us Amatures (Graves Moe Norman, Peek Performance by Don Trahan, Square to Square etc) which for the shorter old hitters can make the game a lot easier on the body. The kids got to stay in shape to play the game and as Tiger is showing even staying in shape is not going to keep all of them away from injury…you can blame the length of courses on this problem for sure…
S Hitter
Feb 3, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Nobody said anything about staying in shape like a Chippendales linebacker would be good for a golf swing
robin
Feb 3, 2017 at 11:31 am
Like all Ped users there bodies breaks down before there time.
The dude
Feb 3, 2017 at 9:02 pm
Haha….really…
Mower
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:59 am
You have to look at Phil Mickelson; never got all “ripped up” like Tiger and is still going strong. From that, I have to conclude that muscle building puts un-needed stress on the body, and not good for longevity in golf.
Scott
Feb 3, 2017 at 11:05 am
I am not so sure that I agree with that, but I will say that if you are getting ripped, it appears that you need a different pre and post game stretching routine to keep from tightening up. I am not sure if the stretching routines that Tiger and others use really work, or are they not doing them enough.
Greg Marthaler
Feb 3, 2017 at 12:06 pm
And yet, Tiger 25-1 for Augusta, Phil 30-1!
S Hitter
Feb 3, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Not after this
Tim
Feb 3, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Not just Tiger a lot of these younger pros are wearing out their bodies trying to hit the driver over 300 yards….then going up and hitting 9 irons 170 yards…maxing out distance every other swing is going to tear anyones body down sooner then later….
Hook nose Slicer
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:15 am
I think it had more to do with him being very far back in the pack, no chance of making the cut, and the terrible weather delay conditions. He just wanted to come home. Back spasm is a believable excuse. Especially the way his agent is padding it.
Grizz01
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:24 am
Absolutely. Tiger has pulled this crap before. I was hoping he would have grown up by now and take his bad play like a man. No, he’ll never when another major, not because of some physical problem, but because he can’t mentally handle playing poorly.
Rafibomb
Feb 3, 2017 at 12:15 pm
I agree. Tiger collected his $1 – 2 million dollar appearance fee and went home.
Grizz01
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:28 am
No back problems, just head problems. Look at his chest. He’s been pumping iron, you can’t bench press with a bad back.
NolanMBA
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:03 am
(sigh)…
ooffa
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:00 am
Another WD. Who could have predicted that would happen?
blakes
Feb 3, 2017 at 9:15 am
he’s gonna get eaten up at the Honda Classic. I see a couple of 80s in his future if he doesn’t go ahead and WD.
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:14 am
He won’t even show up
golfraven
Feb 3, 2017 at 8:51 am
Ok, Tiger is 40 now and maybe not as fresh than at his prime but no reason for a coup de grâce. Even I give him another 10-20 years on tour (most of that on the senior tour).
golfraven
Feb 3, 2017 at 8:54 am
Maybe not evident from the article but I received the email from WRX with following subject:
Is he finished? Tiger withdraws in Dubai
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:15 am
Yes but he wants to win a few more majors, wasn’t that the plan?
JJVas
Feb 3, 2017 at 8:43 am
From a 41-year old with back issues… it’s over, dude. Get as healthy as you can and enjoy life with the kids. Take up fly fishing. This is Larry Bird laying on the towel. It doesn’t get better, it gets worse. Nothing left to prove. Second doesn’t suck, and he’s the 2nd best player of all-time.
Justin
Feb 3, 2017 at 9:53 am
*greatest player of all time
JJVas
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:54 am
**Except for that pesky Hall of Fame major career (Ernie Els / Ray Floyd / Rory McIlroy) in between #1 and #2.
DrRob1963
Feb 3, 2017 at 6:24 pm
Nicklaus & Hogan were both better than Tiger IMHO, but Tiger is right up there. Still love to see Tiger back to his top form!
SV
Feb 3, 2017 at 8:40 am
He may say he didn’t have back pain, but the way he was walking, and even standing, from the first hole on sure looked liked something was wrong.
Ommmmmm
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:16 am
A poor actor doing a great job faking it
Weekend Duffer
Feb 3, 2017 at 8:34 am
It’s getting sad.