Equipment

WRX Spotted: Sergio Garcia with prototype Callaway Apex MB Smoke irons

Published

5 years ago

Aug 2, 2019

Last week, at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude, Sergio Garcia was spotted with some fresh new Callaway Apex MBs with a smoke finish. The specs appear to be the same as his previous set in chrome but with the obvious finish change.

Trends for black/smoke or raw irons seem to be cyclical with some players just like with the general consumers. We have seem a number of companies, from Callaway to Titleist, produce their most popular sets with a darker finish recently. With Callaway, the black irons are found in the Apex line (but not including the Apex MB), so maybe, just maybe, this is an indication that we could see a limited release down the line.

It wouldn’t be the first time Callaway has done a product for tour that was eventually released to the general public—remember the Triple Diamond Epic anyone? (How could you not?). It’s also not the first time Sergio has used an iron with a darker finish, because if you remember back to his days with TaylorMade, they did the second version RAC MB TP in a smoke finish that looked great (it’s also one the sets I regret selling to this day).

With Sergio Garcia currently sitting at 62nd in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, we should see these in the bag a few more times and potentially at the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta—if he can get his game on track.

More photos of/discussion about Sergio’s irons in the forums.

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Forum Thread of the Day: “New Titleist golf balls are out on Tour for testing”

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.

18 Comments

2putttom

Aug 5, 2019 at 12:23 pm

wow ! I’ve always liked the Callaway blade and finish looks great

Reply Report comment
PGA

Aug 4, 2019 at 1:34 pm

Who cares, he’s finished anyway except acting like a child!

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Robert Coppersmith

Aug 4, 2019 at 9:58 am

Those babies will leave a real dent in his caddy’s athletic cup.

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Charles Panco

Aug 4, 2019 at 6:56 am

Can they survive smashing through a tee marker?

Reply Report comment
Martin

Aug 4, 2019 at 6:46 am

Nice finish

Reply Report comment
EinNM

Aug 3, 2019 at 9:27 pm

So now we know the next set of clubs Sergio will be throwing at his caddie.

Reply Report comment
Mike B

Aug 3, 2019 at 9:14 pm

If Callaway wants to test their black finish, no better jacka$$ to do it. Maybe they are petulant child proof

Reply Report comment
gery katona

Aug 3, 2019 at 9:08 pm

A blade is a blade is a blade, but those are stunning blades.

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JROC

Aug 3, 2019 at 8:53 pm

You’re telling me that Sergio Garcia is getting prototype anything at this point. Why have companies not dumped this fool and put as much distance between them as possible. He has run out of chances, we all know his true colors. No more passes

Reply Report comment
Benny

Aug 3, 2019 at 8:46 pm

These are sick and I will try my best to get a set. Or even the raw heads. Love them all and have had this infatuation since 10 years ago with my first MB2 set.
Thanks Callaway and Sergio. Now go win. I can only imagine how friggen hard it is to not snap clubs out there let alone want to take huge divots out of a green. You want to take a backhoe to that perfect place because you are so mad you could push a buttom tha launch an A-Bomb. Its golf, we all get there!

Reply Report comment
Rich Douglas

Aug 3, 2019 at 10:59 am

I’d rather he kept his clubs and changed his attitude.

Reply Report comment
Gunter Eisenberg

Aug 3, 2019 at 9:39 am

Even though a man-child is using these clubs, will it be in a more durable DBM finish like the black irons used by Matlby, Cobra, an Ben Hogan?

Reply Report comment
Dave Maddux

Aug 2, 2019 at 8:10 pm

A list of other athletes who want to win and thrown tantrums on a regular basis…..and we didn’t care

LeBron James
Rafael Nadal
Roger Clemens
Draymond Green
Bryce Harper
John McEnroe
OBJ
Philip Rivers

Like it or not, and I don’t agree with damaging tee boxes….Sergio just wants to win. BTW those black finished are perfection.

Reply Report comment
- Rich Douglas
  
  Aug 3, 2019 at 11:00 am
  
  Interesting list. Which one of those guys spit in a hole? Oh, right. None of them.
  
  Reply Report comment
- JP
  
  Aug 4, 2019 at 9:26 am
  
  Which of those named are golfers?
  .
  Golf is not just a game but a noble sport where the blessings of good manners and behaviour can shape one’s character and social reform. A Gentleman’s Game played by Gentleman known as such because of the Art of Etiquette that grooms a ‘Man’.
  
  Reply Report comment
- JP
  
  Aug 4, 2019 at 12:59 pm
  
  Who on that list played the “Gentleman’s Game” professionally?
  
  Reply Report comment
Leave a reply

Aug 2, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Wooo Weee, big deal!! I hope he swings those irons around his neck and knocks some sense and sportsmanship into that thick head of his!

Reply Report comment
James

Aug 2, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Such a rotten child does not deserve such pretty tools.

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Equipment

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

Published

12 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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