5. The costliest equipment switches
Superb stuff from Jaime Diaz, here (on the eve of Justin Rose’s presumptive switch to Honma).
A taste…”Payne Stewart had won the PGA and U.S. Open when he left Wilson to sign a $7 million dollar deal with Spalding in 1994. Forced to use game-improvement perimeter weighted irons for the first time — as well as as the two-piece Top Flite ball — Stewart lost much of his distance control and ability to shape shots. He went from sixth on the money list in 1993 to 123rd in 1994. In 1995, Spalding allowed him to switch to a forged blade, and played better. But when he won the 1999 U.S. Open, Stewart didn’t have a club contract and was playing a mixed bag that included Mizuno MP-14 irons.”
6. Schedule switcharoo already working?
On the subject of switches, Rex Hoggard offers this perspective on the already apparent beneficial effects of the PGA Tour’s schedule shakeup.
- “Although the major changes to the Tour schedule are still months away – with the first piece of the overhaul coming in the form of The Players Championship’s return to March – Monahan can already point to the earliest ripples of change.”
- “You can see it on Thursday’s tee sheet at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, with the likes of Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler at an event that just a few years ago was very much an afterthought for the Tour’s best and brightest.”
- “Real change doesn’t come to the fall portion of the Tour’s wraparound schedule until next year, when the lineup is expected to expand from eight events to as many as 11. But big changes in 2019 have prompted many, including Fowler and Spieth, to start exploring new options.”
- “You are seeing right now at the first part of the season more top players playing and trying to get themselves in position as we flip the switch and get into the new year,” Monahan told GolfChannel.com. “It’s important not to be too far behind and to be in a solid position for the FedExCup.”
7. The Prince of Hype
Shane Ryan dusted off his hype-meter to determine who the hypiest of them all is (deciding between Cameron Champ and Bryson DeChambeau).
A taste…”To answer this important question, I’ve designed a hype-meter that pits the two against each other in various critical hype categories. Like DeChambeau, it’s scientific. Like Champ, it’s powerful. And like golf itself, the wearer of the princely crown shall be decided by the greatest format of all: match play.”
“Category 1: The Name…Bryson DeChambeau is an excellent name. It’s complicated, exotic and extravagant. It sounds a little like a masked medieval knight who wins a joust and then kills the evil king using chivalry. Translated from French, the surname means “of the fields,” which is apt for golf. It is, in most ways, good. But “Cam Champ”? Sorry Bryson, “Cam Champ” is iconic. It has echoes to short, legendary names like Babe Ruth and Tiger Woods, it works great in its longer form (Cameron Champ), and, well … it has the word “champ” in it. With its simple elegance, it makes “DeChambeau” look a little gaudy, like the name equivalent of Kramer dressing like a pimp….Score: CHAMP leads, 1 up”
8. Sybi steps in
PGATour.com’s Cameron Morfit…”Damon Green, caddie for Zach Johnson, went down with illness after 14 holes and could not continue in the first round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.”
- “Sybi Kuchar, wife of Johnson’s playing partner Matt (7-under 64), took the bag for the last four, during which Johnson made an eagle and went 2-under to salvage an even-par 71.”
- “He hadn’t been feeling well the last few days,” Johnson said of Green. “I’m assuming he was dehydrated, but I don’t know. Matt saw Damon struggling, and I did, too. He didn’t look right. PGA TOUR staff brought him in. I’d like to say it was the first time, but it’s happened like four times at Maui, NORTHERN TRUST at Bethpage, and a couple other places.”
- Green later confirmed he was suffering from dehydration and received an IV.
How about ZJ kicking the man while he’s down!
9. Ryder’s joggers
Love ’em or hate ’em? Sam Ryder donned a pair of slim black joggers for the final round of the Safeway Open (in which he shot 62).
- Greg Monteforte with a little background on the jogger maker, Greyson…”Founded in 2015 by Charlie Schaefer, Greyson has quickly gained popularity with TOUR players thanks to Schaefer’s creative and thoughtful designs. First worn on TOUR by Morgan Hoffmann, the brand has attracted Luke Donald, Kelly Kraft, Fabian Gomez, and rookie Kramer Hickok to its wolfpack
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ogo
Nov 9, 2018 at 11:02 pm
Pro equipment changes reveals the difference between pro swing and the swing of 99.95% of the rest of golfers worldwide. If gearheads were able to ‘feel’ the pro swing they wouldn’t recognize what is happening. True muscleback blades are real golf clubs… not the rubbish being marketed nowadays.
Bob
Nov 9, 2018 at 10:19 am
Just go all the way and put these cucks in yoga pants.