This week, the PGA Tour is at Innisbrook Resort on the Copperhead course in Palm Harbor, Florida, for the Valspar Championship, where 2019 champion Paul Casey is looking to defend his title. The field of 156 is getting ready to battle starting Thursday for the $6.9 million purse with $1.24 million going to the winner. GolfWRX was on-site Tuesday to spy a glimpse into the bags of some of the world’s top golfers.

Don’t forget you can check out all our image galleries in the GolfWRX Tour Equipment forum.

Never stop working on the short ones

A putting mat like this is one of the most compact and useful tools you can use when it comes to practicing putts on a green—or even a hotel carpet. In the case of tour players, I suggest a putting green whenever possible.

Yonex blades looking sharp

Although most golfers thinking about the brand Yonex will still usually default to early-career Phil Mickelson, the brand is still alive and well and producing some great-looking irons, including these blades.

Sam Horsfield is a wizard on the greens

This week at the Valspar, Sam is using a custom weld-neck Bettinardi with a sight dot. The reason for the welded neck is to move the hosel closer to the middle of the head to reduce toe hang.

The “other” Koepka is in the field

Although Brooks is out, Chase Koepka is teeing it up this week, and just like his brother, he has a mixed bag of gear featuring multiple brands that includes Vokey wedges and some custom-stamped Mizuno JPX-921 Tours.

Battle of the mullets

Its looks like we could have a battle brewing for the most glorious mullet on the PGA Tour. In one corner, the current champion Cameron Smith, and in the other corner, the challenger: Keith Mitchell’s caddy “Crunchy” Pete Persolja!

I mean, just look at that glorious flow!

Jimmy Walker likes nice things

Now this is a Scotty Cameron putter!

The PGA Tour needs to get reciprocals

Seeing the MLB logo on Adam Long’s bag hopefully comes with tickets to whatever games he wants to see. My next question would be “How do we get a PGA Tour logo on an MLB’s player’s sleeve?”

You can take the Canadian out of hockey…

…but you can’t take the hockey out of the Canadian. We spotted Adam Hadwin working on his release “feels” with what looked to be a very slapshot-like drill.

Go to see him prepping. Stanley Cup playoffs are starting soon.

Putter shopping with Luke Donald

I should clarify that although he’s was seen looking at a number of putters on the practice green at Valspar, calling it shopping is a bit of a stretch.

More Odyssey 2-Balls in action

One of the newest 2-ball converts on tour is no other than the personification of a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man, Chesson Hadley. The 6’4″ Hadley is currently ranked third in strokes gained putting on tour—so, whatever he is doing is clearly working.

 Vegas has upgraded

Equipment free agent Jhonattan Vegas certainly has a type when it comes to his irons and wedges. At this time last year, he was using Mizuno’s MP-4 irons and Vokey wedges, and this week the Venezuelan is using the new JPX-921 Tours, Vokey wedges, and what looks to be a Titleist TSi3 driver.

This week, the PGA Tour is at the TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans—which is the one and only team event that takes place during the season. GolfWRX was on-site Tuesday to spy a glimpse into the bags of some of the world’s top golfers where the field of 160 (80 two-man teams) is getting ready to battle starting Thursday for the $7.4 million purse, with winning golfers each taking home just over $1 million dollars.

Don’t forget you can check out all our image galleries in the GolfWRX Tour Equipment forum.

Rafa Campos loves contrast

Rafa’s irons and wedges couldn’t be more contrasting. A shiny set of Mizuno’s alongside some of the most perfectly patina’d raw Vokey SM8s you will ever see.

No mistake about who this putter belongs to

Doug Ghim has one heck of a really nice Scotty Cameron 009 – in fact it’s so nice the team at Scotty Cameron stamped it the same way I write my kid’s name into her shoes that she takes to daycare.

 TaylorMade players getting a RAW deal this week

I kid. The only RAW deal going on is the fact that TaylorMade is calling this “wedge week” and with that in mind, a number of staffers are using some very cool custom staff bags.

You gotta test the product

Every week it seems like more and more players on the PGA Tour are using technology-packed putter shafts to help improve consistency. This week at the Zurich, we spotted a Scotty Cameron outfitted with an LA golf Shafts TPZ putter shaft and the tour rep was giving it a little test for feel.

Holmes is rolling with a Bettinardi

JB Holmes was spotted on the practice green as the TPC of Louisiana working on his putting with a Bettinardi mallet. Considering the event features an alternate shot format, it’s likely he was working on his pace. Nobody wants to leave their partner a long tester for par.

Something old and something new for Henrik

Henrik Stenson is mixing it up. He continues to use his tried and true Legacy black forged irons while also working with some of the newest putters from Odyssey like the below 2-ball Ten.

Kisner still working with an armlock

Although he was carrying both a conventional and armlock style putter this week, it looks like Kisner is starting to fully commit to the popular putting technique.

Hovland’s aim is on point

Little slopes make a big difference, which is why Viktor Hovland was seen working hard on his Aim-point technique using an around-the-hole drill and a digital level.

Woody Austin sure knows how to strike it

Although it has been years since he was a regular on the PGA Tour, Woody Austin still knows how to strike it! Just look at the wear pattern on his irons, and more specifically, his wedges.

Charl is looking for a flatstick

“Listen I got to go, I’m working on my putting”

Mr. Schwartzel sure knows how to swing a golf club, but on the greens is where he has recently struggled, and in New Orleans this week we spotted him testing a number of putters on the practice green.

We should note, he still has some raw Nike wedges in the bag too.

Keegan is hard at work on the putting green

The 2011 PGA Champion was on the green as using a laser alignment for what looked to be a face contact and putting path drill.

Rocco’s looking SIK

Rocca Mediate absolutely loves to tinker, and it also looks like Mr. DeChambeau is rubbing off on him based on his putter choice this week. He was spotted working with a custom SIK putter fitted with an LA Golf Shafts graphite shaft.

New Ping irons for Hovland

Viktor Hovland is bringing “gear junkie” heat this week to New Orleans. We spotted the Ping staffer with new i59 irons, along with some Glide Pro wedges that we first spotted a couple of weeks ago in Austin at the WGC.

Pop it and arm lock it

We continue to see more and more pros working on an armlock putting technique—it is certainly something that is picking up steam on tour.

PXG 0311 Gen4 ST sticking around

Although we still don’t have an official comment from PXG, the existence of “prototype” Gen 0311 ST irons can’t be denied based on some more images we captured this week.

Great bags for great causes

Both Scott Stallings and Greg Chalmers are using their biggest billboards—their staff bags, to promote great causes on tour.

For Greg, that means Maximum Chances, an organization that helps children with autism and their family’s connect to resources including financial aid, and for Scott Stallings, it’s to share the “Kids play free” program which he helped to found with the Tennessee Golf Foundation.

Billy Horschel’s got a new long iron

We spotted a new Titleist 620 CB 3-iron in the bag of Billy Horschel this week, which means there is once again fewer players than ever still using a blade 3-iron on the PGA Tour. Are blade long irons close to extinction?

 

The first round of the RBC Heritage gets underway today and with that, we have an unprecedented part 3 of our most interesting pictures from the event. As a refresher, the field of 134 is battleing on the tight treeline Pete Dye designed course, for the $7.1 million purse with $1.28 million going to the winner.

In part one of this week’s “most interesting photos”, we covered putters, for part two we covered some of the action around the course, and for part 3 we have a little bit of both.

Don’t forget you can check out all our image galleries in the GolfWRX Tour Equipment forum.

Snedeker with that “new driver” look

The 2012 FedEx Cup champ is quietly one of the biggest driver testers on tour, and he was looking thirsty at a couple of TaylorMade SIM2 drivers on the range. Also noted his Miura CB-301 irons.

Build your own training aid

Path board – check, digital level – check, alignment rod – check, extra club – check. Why spend all kinds of money when you can just build your own simple training aid?

Its armlock – but backward

Matt Kuchar brought the arm-lock style to the PGA Tour and it looks like he might be changing course again since he was spotted testing a “reverse” arm-lock Bettinardi on the practice green of Harbour Town links. This is a reverse style because the grip rests against the trailing arm versus the lead one.

Maybe graphite is the new steel

We’re not sure whose caddie this is, but the interesting thing in this photo is the graphite shaft in the putter. Although Bryson wasn’t the first, he certainly has opened the door for more players testing and putting ultra-stiff graphite shafts into their putters for stability.

Si Woo, and Charles Howell talking putters

Everyone knows Charles Howell loves to talk gear, and here he is chatting with Si Woo Kim about a couple of putters—just imagine the nerd level conversation being had.

Na continues to test the new Callaway Epic

Kevin Na is one of the last holdouts on tour with an original Epic driver in the bag, and again this week we spotted him testing one of the new Epic Speed drivers. Considering his chances this week based on the course length, it will be interesting to see if he officially made the switch.

 Maverick’s unique Toulon

Maverick McNealy’s slant-neck San Diego has a very different shape from the retail version and looks to be both longer heel to toe and also shallower—it reminds this writer of the classic Ping Anser 4.

Davis Love III has a full bag of familiar sticks

Davis Love has won the RBC Heritage 5 times (yes, 5) and this past champion has a full bag of Titleist gear including 718 AP2s and SM8 Vokey wedges. You can get all his full WITB here: Davis Love III WITB RBC Heritage

Who has 2 thumbs and loves to test putter? Matt Wallace

Matt Wallace was working with a number of Toulon putters Tuesday, and although they all had something a little different to offer, the one thing that stayed the same is his preferred 2-Thumb grip.

The grind doesn’t stop for Furyk

Did you know Jim Furyk is 3rd all-time on the PGA Tour career money list with over 71 million buckeroos banked. Crazy right? So imagine the drive it takes to continue to work your butt off week in and week out on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour to find every edge.

Speaking of edge, Jim was seen on the range working with Callaway tour reps on a Callaway Epic Speed triple diamond to hopefully gain a few mph of ball speed. Gotta respect the grind.