Equipment

Tour Insider: Inside the bag of Xander Schauffele

Published

3 years ago

Feb 6, 2021

World No. 4 Xander Schauffele’s approach to his equipment is about as precise as can be. The quiet, measured 27-year-old from La Jolla, California, plays few games when it comes to his gear. For any component to be considered, it has to be dialed to the nth degree.

I went to my crew to get all the answers, and this is what Callaway tour manager Jacob Davidson, Odyssey’s Joe Toulon, and Vokey wedge master Aaron Dill had to say.

Xander Schauffele WITB 2021

Driver: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (9 degrees @8)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD BB 7 X (Custom Black)

Jacob Davidson: The Epic Speed Triple Diamond fit right into what Xander loves to see. He likes a slightly lower spin profile and something that helps eliminate the left side. Our Triple Diamond heads have a straighter top line and a more player-friendly (compact) shape that our staff loves.

Loft (actual): 8 degrees
Length: 45 1/2 inches
Setting: NS
Weight: 194.2-gram head weight, D3 swing weight
Tipping: 1 inch

3-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (15 degrees @14.1)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Jacob Davidson: The Rogue fairways seem to be something Xander always goes back to. In the past, he has tested and put in play some of our other models but always seems to fall back into this one. He not only loves the shape, but the leading edge has a bit more camber that lets him get into the turf a bit better.

Loft (actual): 14.1 degrees
Length: 43 inches (cut)
Lie: 57.1 degrees
Swing weight: D3
Tipping: 1.5 inches

5-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (18 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X (Black)

Jacob Davidson:

Loft (actual): 17.7 degrees
Length: 42 inches (cut)
Lie: 56.4 degrees
Swing weight: D3
Tipping: 2 inches

Irons: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)
Shafts: Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X

Jacob Davidson: The Apex TCB is similar to the Apex Pro “dot” heads he had success with, but in this case, he liked the feel a bit more, and the longer irons gave him a few more RPM’s of spin, which is always welcome.

Loft (4-PW): 22.5, 26.5, 30.75, 35, 38.5, 43, 47 degrees
6-iron spin: 6,600 RPM
Swing weight: D1.5 (4, 5) D2 (6-P)
Lie (4-PW): 60.5, 61, 61.5, 62, 62.5, 63, 63.5 degrees
Length: Standard Callaway length

Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5 (52-10S), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (56-10 @57), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 WedgeWorks (60-T @61)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Jaws MD5 Specs

Length: 35.5 inches
Loft: 52 degrees
Lie: 63.5 degrees
Swing weight: D3

Vokey Specs

Length: +1/8 inches over standard
Loft: 57, 61 degrees
Lie: 63.5 degrees
Swing weight: D3

Jacob Davidson on (52-10S): “The MD5 JAWS 52-10S was a wedge Xander loved right away. This wedge gives him the ability to really flight it down on off-speed shots, which can be a tough combo to find.”

Aaron Dill on (57, 61): “A little back story: Xander and I started working together when he was a TaylorMade staffer at the Greenbrier in 2017.”

“On Monday, he and I spoke for the first time and he showed interest in working together and testing Vokey wedges. I was thrilled and said I would help him whenever he was ready. His schedule was limited so we didn’t get to work on wedges till Tuesday afternoon. We spoke and I made him some options.

“The same options I made him were good but needed to be lower in swing weight by two points. He said they were good. They went in the bag, and he ended up winning his first PGA Tour event that week.”

JW: Why do players like Xander stay in an older model as opposed to switching into the new?

AD: Most players who play and older model like Xander do for one of the following reasons

They love the model too much to leave
Nothing we make matches it close enough to justify a switch
Superstition

In Xander’s case, he made it very clear he really liked this wedge. It had the look, feel, and performance he was looking for. I would not consider him to be the type of player to goof around much with his equipment—once he finds something good, it stays.

JW: From a grind preference, why do the S and T work for his delivery and needs?

AD: The grinds Xander has chosen have specific value and purpose. Most PGA Tour players spend time with me building a matrix and choosing specific wedges. Part of that process is me encouraging and sharing that having different wedges opens up shot windows they may not have. In this case, the 56-10S @57 carried the right number but also gave him a sole he could hit full but also chip with—a double threat.

Xander started with a 60M back in the day, but as time has gone by, we have tested some other styles of wedges to improve shots or reduce stress on shots where he may not feel comfortable. What we came up with is a 60T for when it’s firm and a custom 60-06K for when things soften. Both 56, 60-degree models serve as many purposes as Xander needs. The 60-degree models are decided based on the venue and the conditions that week.

JW: He was in a LB K grind for a good while, what did he gain by going into the T?

AD: The 60T was an option discussed when Xander told me he had difficulty in firm conditions. Most would say the 60-06K is a fairly low bounce option already but sole width increases bounce as you open the face and this was exactly the style of shot Xander had trouble with. He wanted to open the face and have the wedge hug the ground and create some confidence to slide under the ball with ease. The K wasn’t able to do this and what he saw visually forced him to change his technique.

Putter: Odyssey O-Works #7 CH Red

Specs

Model: O-Works Red 7 CH
Loft/lie: 3.5/71.5 degrees (backup putter is at 4 loft)
Alignment: Top and tracers in white
Insert: White Hot
Length: 34 3/8 inches to end of grip
SuperStroke Traxion 2.0 Tour (10 grams)
Swingweight: D7.5
Weight: 516.5 gams
Shaft: Black stepped shaft

*His loft varies week to week depending on grass/green conditions. He works on Quintic with his putting coach Derek Uyeda to determine what loft is necessary each week

Joe Toulon on Xanders Odyssey

JW: What about the O-Works CH #7 does he respond to?

JT: Alignment features. The top line and back tracer lines really work with his eyes. The CH provides him a little bit of toe hang and it matches up nicely with his path and arc. He’s used face balanced options in #7’s before and will typically only use something with little-to-no toe hang.

Ball: 2020 Callaway Chrome Soft X

Grips: Golf Pride Z Grip Cord

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Equipment

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

Published

10 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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