News
2020 Masters Tournament postponed
On Friday, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club Fred Ridley announced that the 2020 Masters would be postponed and played at a later date.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals are also postponed in a decision the club feels “puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.”
“On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing risks associated with the widespread Coronavirus COVID-19 have led us to a decision that undoubtedly will be disappointing to many, although I am confident is appropriate under these unique circumstances.
Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.
Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.
We will continue to work with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the City of Augusta and all other local authorities. We are grateful to all of these entities for their exceptional efforts and guidance.
We recognize this decision will affect many people, including our loyal patrons. Your patience as we make every effort to communicate effectively and efficiently is appreciated, and we will share any additional information as soon as it becomes available. Updates also will be posted to our website, Masters.com.
As COVID-19 continues to impact the lives of people everywhere, we seek your understanding of this decision and know you share our concern given these trying times. Thank you for your faithful support.”
The decision follows the PGA Tour’s move to suspend the Players Championship following the first round of play, and cancel the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship, and Valero Texas Open. The Masters was scheduled to be played April 9-12.
The club has made no comment on when the major championship could be contested or whether the Drive, Chip & Putt competition or Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be rescheduled as well.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Equipment
Rickie Fowler’s new putter: Standard-length Odyssey Jailbird 380 in custom orange
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
…The Jailbird craze hasn’t really slowed down in 2024, either. According to Odyssey rep Joe Toulon, there are about 18-20 Jailbird putter users on the PGA TOUR.
Most recently, Akshay Bhatia won the 2024 Valero Texas Open using a broomstick-style Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter and Webb Simpson is switching into a replica of that putter at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Now, Fowler, who essentially started the whole Jailbird craze, is making a significant change to his putter setup.
Fowler, who has had a couple weeks off since the 2024 RBC Heritage, started experimenting with a new, custom-orange Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.
According to Fowler, while he still likes the look and forgiveness of his Jailbird putter head, he’s looking to re-incorporate more feel into his hands during the putting stroke.
He told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship that the 38-inch counterbalanced setup “served its purpose” by helping him to neutralize his hands during the stroke, but now it’s time to try the standard-length putter with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip to help with his feel and speed control.
Although Fowler was also spotted testing standard-length mallets from L.A.B. Golf and Axis1 on Tuesday, he confirmed that the custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 is the putter he’ll use this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
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HDTVMAN
Mar 16, 2020 at 1:15 pm
I would tentatively schedule it for May 28-31…Cancel the Rocket Mortgage in Detroit.
Chris
Mar 13, 2020 at 2:43 pm
You really have to think how much worse this might get if a place like ANGC with all of the resources and contacts they have at their fingertips are deciding to postpone this far in advance. It seems like a clear connection that they know we’re only at the beginning of this thing and we’re going to have cancellations and postponements for months.
Moosejaw McWilligher
Mar 13, 2020 at 6:25 pm
The whole point is to *stop* it from continuing to spread. If we “do nothing” and go about our normal routines, it continues to spread and increase. If we preemptively prevent contact, we decrease the spread and then allow it to burn itself out.
The vast majority of people apparently do not have the cognitive ability to understand this.
“I’m not sick, so I can do whatever I want…”
dat
Mar 13, 2020 at 2:12 pm
Shame.
Moosejaw McWilligher
Mar 13, 2020 at 11:50 am
And so says – and so does – one of the most staunchly conservative organizations in golf! I mean, it’s only 5 years since they admitted females were full citizens.
Will the c-flakes now calm down and take the world’s advice, or will they stamp their feet and shake their disapproving fists, and continue to call it an overreaction to Boe Jiden’s Big Hoax? Only time and more death will tell!
AOC
Mar 13, 2020 at 2:12 pm
your a douche
Hoto Moto
Mar 13, 2020 at 4:26 pm
A Senate investigation committee has already confirmed that this is Hillary’s fault.
James T
Mar 13, 2020 at 5:44 pm
The entire plan was in the emails we didn’t get to see.
Dave
Mar 13, 2020 at 4:29 pm
That is a kind way of saying that!!
Moosejaw McWilligher
Mar 13, 2020 at 6:27 pm
“You’re a douche”.
Nothing less insulting than a grammatically faulty insult.
Get over it
Mar 13, 2020 at 11:26 pm
You sir have wasted WAAAYYYY too much of your life ranting about a flu on multiple pages OF A GOLF WEBSITE!! We are here to TALK GOLF (what a concept!) not listen to your political nonsense.
Go back to your sorry life and quit trying to drag other people down with you. Drop the victim mentality and actually go help someone accomplish one of their goals. Big or small.
“He who acts smart is foolish and he who acts foolish is smart”…. not sure why that comes to mind while reading your comments
Other than that have a fantastic evening!!