Equipment

Adam Scott speaks on new L.A.B. “Mezz.1 Proto” putter at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open

Published

2 years ago

Feb 9, 2022

For 2022, Adam Scott is no longer a full Titleist staffer, but he still has a golf ball, glove, and shoe deal.

When he showed up to the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open, I was curious to see if he’d have any new gear in the bag due to the new deal, and whether he changed out his 1-of-1 custom Titleist 681.AS irons. As it turns out, Scott has stuck with the new irons, and has 13-of-14 Titleist clubs in the bag.

Make sure to check out his full bag here in the forums.

“I’m not changing much, or need to,” Scott told GolfWRX. “I’m happy with my setup.”

The lone club in the bag that isn’t Titleist, though, is a new L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Proto putter that Scott put in play last weekend at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic.

Scott, who prefers to use a long putter in the broomstick style, has experimented with L.A.B.’s original Directed Force putter design in the past, and he used an Armlock version of the original Directed Force head for multiple rounds in Dubai.

This is a new design from L.A.B. that’s a bit sleeker in profile, however.

This week at the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open, GolfWRX caught up with Scott to see what’s in his bag, and learn a bit about the new putter.

“I think they’ve refined their design with this new head,” Scott said. “The original head, that Directed Force, maybe was hard for a lot of people to adjust to the size of the head, and this new [Mezz.1 Proto] is smaller, but has the same benefits…I thought the technology in the original was good, but now with the new head design, it feels, looks, does all the things better than the original head for me…I’m looking forward to a week on pure greens to see what happens.”

L.A.B. putters are different than other putters on the market, because they’re engineered to have Lie Angle Balance, which is designed to help reduce torque throughout the stroke.

Scott’s new Mezz.1 Proto putter, in particular, has a raw aluminum finish and has 20 weights in the sole to ensure the head is properly weighted for broomstick and armlock versions.

To see Scott’s full WITB at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, click here!

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

11 Comments

Pingback: Charl Schwartzel switches putters after a phone call with Adam Scott – GolfWRX
Kim

Feb 11, 2022 at 1:19 pm

Stopped being a fan of AS when he kept the anchoring broomstick

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Garrett

Feb 10, 2022 at 12:24 pm

I have the standard Mezz. The eventual broomstick release is my next putter, can’t wait for us normal folk to get a chance to own one!!! That head looks killer in the raw metal look. I need to take a cold shower.

And if you haven’t tried putting broomstick, get on it!! Much easier on the back, and feels totally different than standard putting.

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Walter

Feb 10, 2022 at 10:01 am

Beam me up Scottie. Laughable.

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Steff

Feb 10, 2022 at 9:47 am

Any specs on the putter?

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Pingback: Photos from the 2022 WM Phoenix Open – GolfWRX
brain

Feb 10, 2022 at 9:29 am

Grab the remote upon first sigting of any broomstick. Total disgrace.

Reply Report comment
- Brian
  
  Feb 10, 2022 at 3:44 pm
  
  Did you close the book during spelling class too?
  
  Reply Report comment
Alex

Feb 10, 2022 at 1:32 am

Tell me your a bad putter without telling me you’re a bad putter.

Reply Report comment
HackinNut

Feb 9, 2022 at 4:34 pm

This is awesome to see!! I’ll be watching closely on his putting stats on pure true greens.

Reply Report comment
- Willa
  
  Feb 10, 2022 at 9:19 am
  
  I hope he rolls it pure!
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

2 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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