News

The touching reason Jay Don Blake is gaming a Titleist Bullseye putter this week

Published

2 years ago

Oct 11, 2024

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of a piece that was originally written by our Andrew Tursky for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full story.

In his Wednesday press conference – with his family sitting stage left – Blake spoke with nostalgia, emotion and humor of his return to the PGA TOUR. Along with an appreciation, pride and remembrance of his late parents, who will bear more than just a memory in Blake’s mind this week.

In remembrance of his father, Blake is using a Titleist Bullseye “Deep Face John Reuter Jr. Design” original putter, which was gifted to him by his father more than 50 years ago.

“I grew up in the ages when what they call a Bullseye – Acushnet Bullseye putter was kind of a popular thing when I was a kid,” Blake said. “So to have one of those was kind of a neat thing to have. I’ve had a few of them, and I just remember my dad giving me a putter, and that’s it, a Bullseye … The putter is probably, I think, 52 or 53 years old that I’ve got. I just seen it sitting in the corner. I always keep it right there … Every time I putted with that thing, I felt like I putted pretty exceptional. I’ve been debating whether I put it in play or not. I mean, it’s nice that I feel comfortable with the putter, but it’s a remembrance of my father.”

Designed by John Reuter Jr. during the mid-1940s, the original John Reuter Bullseye putter was revolutionary at the time. Until that point, most putters were built with the shaft joining the club at the heel of the putter head. The most famous putter of this style was Bobby Jones’ Calamity Jane.

Reuter Jr. wanted something that felt more like a pendulum. The Bullseye putter was the first of its kind, as Reuter Jr. moved the shaft axis point closer to the center of the putter head. The change reduced the twist effect from hitting the ball and led to a more forgiving putter. Acushnet Company (which runs Titleist) bought Reuter Jr.’s company in 1962, but his innovation is seen to this day. The design is far-reaching, still used in the professional game to your local miniature golf.

Blake will use the putter this week at a venue where his history at the Black Desert Resort long outlasts the golf course itself.

“When I first came out [to Black Desert] and played for the first time … I pretty much kind of took in awe of what the golf course presented; the lava rock and the beautiful green grass and the sand traps,” Blake said. “I knew in the back of my mind that I just grew up just down the road a little ways. It wasn’t until I think about the second time I played, I had a little bit more time to kind of stand up on some of those little lava rock peninsulas and look a little deeper down the valley where I grew up in a trailer park. And standing there I’m thinking, I possibly probably stood on this same peninsula when I was a little kid. Used to come up in this valley right here, and there wasn’t anything out here, just the lava rock and sagebrush and a few rabbits that I was chasing around.

“Every time I’ve played the course now, it’s a moment that I look that way, and I miss my parents. I had a great support team with my family and my parents, especially my mom. She would take me to all the junior tournaments growing up, and St. George didn’t have a whole lot of junior events in this area. We always had to go up north into Salt Lake and participate.

“We’d drive north evening time and slept in the car a few times. And in the morning we’d get up and freshen up in some gas station where we could stop and get prepared, get my golf clubs out, go play a junior tournament that day, and then drive back home. We did that for a few years. Having that support, and then it carried on to the PGA TOUR, where I can still see my mom walking the golf course right with me. She was as proud of me as what I am of her. Just this dream scenario. Everybody kind of wishes their parents can live as long as they can and enjoy moments like this, but I’m just very grateful that they gave me the opportunity. I look down that valley every time.”

Head over to PGATour.com’s Equipment Report for the rest of the story.

News

Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2026

Alistair Cameron

There must be something in the water. Or potentially on the greens. A whole host of big-time players decided that the Charles Schwab Challenge was the perfect place to test out new putters.

With the 2026 U.S. Open just around the corner, defending champion J.J. Spaun made a surprising switch away from his center-shafted Df3 and into L.A.B. Golf’s OZ.1i HS – the heel-shafted mallet putter.

“Just something I kind of wanted to change the way the putter was looking, just a completely different look than the DF3 that I’ve been using for the last year and a half,” Spaun told GolfWRX about the swap. “So it’s just easier to line up for me with less onset looking design, and it’s just something I felt like switching it up and seeing how it goes.”

You can find more about the putter and the reasoning behind Spaun’s change here.

Robert MacIntyre also decided to change the flatstick at Colonial Country Club. He’s using a custom Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R. The Scotty team created a specially-milled face featuring horizontal grooves and shortened the plumber’s neck to increase toe hang.

Another custom feature of the build is the welded wings added to the rear of the putter, similar to those found on the Phantom 11 head.

It’s potentially part of a major overhaul to his bag. The Scot has recently switched from the Titleist Pro V1 to the Pro V1x golf ball, added the new GTS2 driver, and is currently testing a GTS 3-wood that could replace his ancient TaylorMade AeroBurner 3-wood.

Ludvig Åberg joined the trio of superstars making alterations on the greens. He’s added a Scotty Cameron Phantom 3.2.

It’s not Åberg’s first putter switch of the season. He had been using different versions of his usual Odyssey Versa #1 head to try to get better speed control on the greens.

? Ludvig Åberg is using a new putter! He’s playing a @ScottyCameron Phantom 3 head. First major putter switch, although he has been changing loft and heads in the Odyssey #1 style this season.
Here’s a Phantom 3 built for him earlier in the season https://t.co/oGrNk6p0hz pic.twitter.com/edRbpk22m4

— Alistair Cameron (@ACameronWRX) May 28, 2026

Currently, a Tour-only offering, the Phantom 3 head is a half-moon mallet shape. Like the previous version that GolfWRX captured at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which Åberg never put in play, the current version appears to feature the Studio Carbon Steel face insert and chain-link face milling. Instead of the all-black version one, Åberg’s current flatstick is in the metal finish.

Rico Hoey’s make-shift Jailbird

Some of the best builds on Tour have a certain Frankenstein theme to them.

Odyssey decided to do this when breeding a turtle and a bird together. The result, Rico Hoey’s latest broomstick.

The custom Jailbird S2S Tri-Hot head includes an aluminium-milled insert from the unreleased TRTL head, which the team machined down to fit the face of the Jailbird after removing the usual Ai-Dual insert.

The team also filled the wings of the putter with epoxy to redistribute mass away from the face, with the metal insert weighing more than the original.

Hoey was also spotted with a custom Damascus Milled Jailbird Mini broomstick. Check out the full gallery here.

Brant Snedeker’s full WITB

Arguably, the PGA Tour’s feel-good story of the year so far was 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker returning to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly 8 years.

His victory didn’t come without some equipment updates, either. The Presidents Cup Captain added the 2016 M2 driver equipped with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661. It’s a shaft that’s even older than the driver.

The historic driver setup might have been added because Snedeker was missing some antique vibes. He recently switched out his 2-decade-old Odyssey Rossie White Hot XG for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X.

He first put the Spider in play at the Cognizant Classic. Still, at the Valspar Championship, he tested TaylorMade’s True Path Alignment versus without, and preferred the added aim benefits he was getting. In previous testing, the biggest thing Snedeker noticed was the launch and how quickly the ball got to true roll from the Spider and its Pure Roll insert compared to anything else he had tried.

Check out Snedeker’s full what’s in the bag during this week’s episode of “Inside the Ropes” from Colonial.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

TaylorMade Golf chose the second stop of a Texas two-step in Dallas as the spot to launch the tour’s latest Spider putter.

On-site Monday at Colonial Country Club, GolfWRX’s Tour Photographer Greg Moore captured the new Spider ZT Max putter ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The Max version of TaylorMade’s zero-torque putter style has a larger footprint than the original ZT, which will likely lead to a higher MOI thanks to wider perimeter weighting.

The original ZT is made of high-density 303 stainless steel at the front, and then a lower-density 6061 aerospace aluminum on the back to create a high-MOI foundation, with a center shaft featuring slight forward shaft lean and 25mm onset behind the leading edge.

The Spider ZT Max also appears to use the ZT cambered sole, which is also seen on the recently Tour-launched Spider Tour, Tour X, F and V models, which were first spotted at the RBC Heritage.

Brian Harman gamed the original Spider ZT for his victory last year at the 2025 Valero Texas Open, and the putter also saw victory on the DP World Tour in the hands of Michael Kim for his FedEx Open de France win.

Check out the full gallery here.

Odds and Ends

Project X officially Tour launched the Titan Yellow shaft, just a few days after Wyndham Clark played it for the first time and won The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The shaft features a smoother feel in the handle compared to past Project X wood shafts, along with a firm midsection and firm tip. The Synex Technology allows a player to feel more load in transition without losing the feel of the clubhead. Titleist launched the GTS300 back at Quail Hollow, and just a few weeks later, it’s in the bag of Justin Thomas. Could this be a test run for Shinnecock?

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the ShopRite LPGA

Published

3 days ago

May 28, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore was on site in Galloway, New Jersey, ahead of the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern to snap some WITB photos and more.

Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Odyssey putters – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)

News

Club Junkie WITB, week 18: Driver still needs a grip!

Published

4 days ago

May 27, 2026

Brian Knudson

Back again for week 18 with another new bag for this week’s league night! Last week I played well but lost so hoping to get back on the winning side of things. I am pretty excited to get this driver out on the course as I think it is a legit sleeper in the category. It is also time to break out some newly built irons from JP Golf that look awesome and hopefully play just as good! Here is what is in the bag this week.

Driver: PXG Lighting Tour-Mid (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6s

4-wood: Wilson Dynapwr Carbon (16.5 degrees @ 16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid (21 degrees @ 20)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Red 9x

Utility: Mizuno JPX One (22 degrees @ 23)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 85s

Irons: JP Prime (5-PW)
Shafts: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F5

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (56-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-8 ADAPT)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Putter: Mizuno M.Craft City Osaka
Shaft: TPT Pulse 50

Ball: PXG Xtreme Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag