Equipment
TOUR REPORT: McIlroy switches drivers during Genesis Invitational (plus Tiger’s iron change)
Welcome to the 2023 Genesis Invitational – a.k.a Tiger’s event – at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
Tournament host Tiger Woods was always expected to be on site for the event, but he surprised the golfing world by actually playing in the tournament despite lingering questions about his injuries. Lucky for us, we got a special look at his golf clubs, including his famous Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter.
Aside from Woods’ clubs, it was an entertaining week in golf equipment overall, with notable switches from Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth, and Adam Scott.
Let’s get into this week’s Tour Report below for all of the equipment highlights.
Jordan Spieth (finally) changes putter grips
Spieth is still using his familiar Scotty Cameron 009 putter head, but he switched into a new SuperStroke Zenergy Flatso 1.0 grip this week. It was about time, too, because his previous SuperStroke Traxion grip was nearly falling off because it was so worn out. As previously reported, SuperStroke’s new Zenergy grips feature enhanced texture in the gripping zone, and a number of new colorways. Justin Thomas switched into a new “JT” Zenergy grip last week, and Xander Schauffele switched into one this week, too.
Tommy Fleetwood makes a putter change
Fleetwood is a prolific putter tester, but he’s not always a putter switcher. Although he frequently tries out new putters, he tends to revert to his familiar Odyssey White Hot Pro #3. This week, however, Fleetwood tested out an Axis1 TM Elite prototype putter with a face insert, and he decided to put it in play.
Here’s a closer look, thanks to Axis1…
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Click here for more in the GolfWRX Forums
Adam Scott’s putter from down under
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On Monday, while playing a practice round at The Los Angeles Country Club North course in preparation for the 2023 U.S. Open, Scott started testing out a custom blue L.A.B. Golf MEZZ.1 long putter with dancing kangaroos on the sole, equipped with a TPT prototype shaft. Apparently, the testing session went well because he put the putter in play this week at the Genesis Invitational.
Aside from the blue colorway, L.A.B. also adjusted his lie angle from 79.5 to 78 degrees, helping Scott get the putter more flush to the ground at address. He also tested out a Ping G430 LST driver, but decided to stick with his former TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver, which offered a slightly more penetrating flight to navigate this week’s windy conditions.
Adam Scott’s full WITB at the 2023 Genesis Invitational
Rory McIlroy makes a mid-event driver switch
We spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus at the 2023 Waste Management Phoenix Open, but he ended up staying in his original Stealth Plus. And, although he started out the Genesis Invitational using the Stealth Plus in round 1, he switched into the new Stealth 2 Plus for round 2 after a range session following his first round. According to a TaylorMade rep, he found the Stealth 2 Plus to offer faster speeds and overall distance.
The GOAT’s putter, and an iron change
Woods made two minor changes to his bag setup since the last time we saw him at the 2023 PNC Championship. He switched out his previous P-770 3-iron for the new 2023 P-770 model, and he switched out the Scotty Cameron putter grip he used at the PNC, replacing it with a familiar Ping PP58 Pistol grip.
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This week, we also got an especially up-close look at Woods’ famous Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter that he’s used to capture 14-of-his-15 major championship victories.
More up-close photos of Woods’ putter in our GolfWRX Forums
And with that, we say goodbye to Riviera and the 2023 Genesis Invitational. We’ll see you next week at The 2023 Honda Classic for the start of the Florida swing.
For more WITB photos from this week at the Genesis Invitational, click here!
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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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
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Carolyn
Feb 18, 2023 at 11:30 pm
Come on people get a clue if some of the best Drivers of the golf ball in the world cannot hit a fairway with a custom version of a club what chance is there a $700 copy of that driver is going to work for the amateur. All smoke and mirrors. a good swing hits the fairway not an expensive golf club.
M
Feb 18, 2023 at 1:16 am
Tampon tampon! Put a stamp on!
Benny
Feb 17, 2023 at 8:17 pm
If thats GSS then why is it rusting? His GsS was uikt several years before any GSS made it into Cameron putters. 6-7yrs from what I remember.
Why has Cameron tried so hard for so many years to get Tiger to switch?
Is that GSS really gss?
If the world were to find out a magnet sticks to Tigers wand it would certainly ruin the GSS empire Cameron built.
Just saying….
Paulo
Feb 19, 2023 at 6:13 am
I doubt anyone would care
Tom 54
Feb 21, 2023 at 11:05 am
I’m just wondering why his putter has so many dings on it. I’ve had nice Scotty Cameron putters for years and as long as it’s covered mine still look damn near perfect. As yes that rust is very concerning too.The cover comes off when you walk to the green and it gets put back on when you leave. Even though that putter has won 14 of his 15 majors it sure looks beat up to me.