Equipment

WRX Spotted at U.S. Open: Justin playing just Rosey with new TPT

Published

5 years ago

Jun 15, 2019

We are a little more than halfway through the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and so far the course is giving and taking as much as you would expect from a perfect setup by the USGA.

Taking the lead on Thursday and continuing to lurk into the weekend is Justin Rose. Since we have been paying close attention to his Honma golf bag all year, we noticed a shaft change in his Tour World driver.

We reached out to TPT to see if we could get an update on what Rose has put in play for what is often referred to as one of the toughest driving weeks of the year. Here’s the inside info

“Justin has put into play a TPT Golf 14 MKP-LT-SW shaft in his Honma driver. This shaft is a full 10 CPM ( Cycles per Minute ) stiffer than the 15 LKP-LT-SW shaft that he put in play at The Memorial after testing it that week. It’s also different in that it has a Mid Kick Point (MKP), where as the 15 LKP-LT-SW has a Low-Kick-Point (LKP) design.”

From a technical and fitting perspective (generally speaking) a lower kick point shaft will hit the ball higher with more spin compared to a mid or high kick point shaft if all other factors are equal. We don’t have access to his driver numbers but with the U.S. Open being played on what can always end up as a windy venue the theory would be that this change to the MKP is to help keep ball flight lower and more controlled — which will also be a benefit next month at the Open Championship.

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

8 Comments

nolongerKucherfan

Jun 17, 2019 at 7:31 pm

I get a kick how everyone is so impressed with all the letters and numbers shaft manufacturers include in the names….like stupid car names …audi A4 Allroad quatro (you can drive it on all roads I guess…included in the price). Audi A43Sportbac etron….(sounds like a sportsbra).

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Ray Baker

Jun 17, 2019 at 2:45 pm

JR was playing to Tensei Orange on Sumday. Not this shaft…

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Jack

Jun 16, 2019 at 7:02 am

What a suprise….Golf WRX takes something that a member brought up in the forums well before the article came out and claims they “spotted” it.

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Mat

Jun 15, 2019 at 10:32 pm

Matt kuchar eats bung hole.

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matt

Jun 15, 2019 at 4:03 pm

To be sure TPT’s LKP, or low kick point, designated shaft is any thing but tip soft. Golfshaftreivews.com has covered these products. He uses a tip/butt ratio, which basically says how tip the butt is compared to the tip. The tip on the LKP shafts is quite to very stiff (compared to the butt, which is all that matters as far as a profile is concerned). The MKP is off the charts tip stiff. In other words, the LKP shaft has a tip/butt ratio similar to Tensei pro orange, one of the stiffest tip shafts around.

Granted I’ve never swung a TPT shaft, they have a lot of crazy tech going on, not to mention some bizarre balancing. Its an individual product for sure. But to go by the “low kick point” designation is absurd.

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- Realist
  
  Jun 15, 2019 at 10:00 pm
  
  Get over yourself buddy
  
  Reply Report comment
  - matt
    
    Jun 16, 2019 at 1:18 pm
    
    Lol ok. just thought a shaft in the 98th percentile of high kick point shafts calling itself LKP was sorta noteworthy on a site fully devoted to golf gear.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Cris
      
      Jun 17, 2019 at 3:36 am
      
      Thanks for sharing, Matt. Appreciate the insight.
      
      Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

11 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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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