Equipment Highlights: Changes made for THE PLAYERS Championship
5 Min Read
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – There was much made of the calendar switch from May to March for THE PLAYERS Championship. In the equipment world, many wondered if there was going to be an equipment trend that would follow – different wedge grinds, a different set makeup at the top end of the bag, or possibly more equipment testing given it’s new positioning ahead of The Masters. TOUR reps from several different companies, and players themselves, however, said that March versus May had little-to-no effect on a trend of equipment changes.
That being said, a few specific players made changes this week at THE PLAYERS. Here are the highlights of all the noteworthy club changes this week.
Mickelson’s Epic Flash Sub Zero one-diamond proto
Phil Mickelson went on record proclaiming that he’d use a Callaway Rogue driver at least until The Masters, instead of the Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero prototype he played early in 2019. He did, in fact, switch back into a Callaway Epic Flash driver at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, however. At THE PLAYERS, PGATOUR.COM took photos of his new Epic Flash that has just one diamond lasered onto the hosel, instead of the three-diamond prototype he used previously in 2019.
Bryson’s festive headcovers
The most noteworthy piece of equipment given the event’s place on the calendar was Bryson DeChambeau’s headcovers, honoring St. Patrick’s Day. The gold colorway of the covers could actually have a dual meaning; signifying the Irish “pot of gold,” and the new PLAYERS trophy is all gold. The headcovers are also imprinted with his initials “BD,” and they have four-leaf clovers stitched into them.
DeChambeau also had a St. Patrick’s Day-themed golf bag made by Vessel.
Tiger’s fresh wedge
Tiger Woods, who’s been known to put fresh wedges in the bag ahead of majors, put a new 60-degree TaylorMade Milled Grind wedge in the bag for THE PLAYERS. There was much speculation on social media that it was a new wedge grind for the week, but his caddie Joe LaCava assured PGATOUR.COM that it was simply a new wedge made with the same specs and grind as his previous 60-degree wedge. Woods’ lob wedge is made with 11 degrees of bounce on the sole.
Tony Finau makes a big switch
Finau has used Accra prototype shafts in his metalwoods for his entire tenure as a Ping staffer, but that changed at THE PLAYERS. He switched into new Mitsubishi Diamana RF-series shafts in his Ping G410 Plus driver and three wood. While he picked up about 5 mph of ball speed, according to a Ping representative, the main reason for the switch was his ability to start the ball more on line with the shafts, yet still allowed for him to hit the fade he prefers.
Patrick Reed makes a huge iron change
Reed, who’s used a mix of Callaway MB-1 prototype irons and Razr X MB irons for years, put a Titleist 718 CB 4-iron and Titleist 718 MB irons (5-PW) in the bag this week due to their look, turf interaction and higher launch. They have loads of lead tape on the bottom portion of their back cavities. The 4-iron is equipped with a True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT X100 shaft, and the 5-PW are equipped with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.
After switching to a Srixon Z-Star for the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Reed switched back to a Titleist Pro V1 for the rest of that event, and he stayed with the Pro V1 at THE PLAYERS.
Brandt Snedeker’s golf ball and shaft switch up
Snedeker has used a Bridgestone golf ball for quite some time on TOUR, but he switched to a Srixon Z-Star XV golf ball at THE PLAYERS. He also conducted extensive driver testing ahead of the event, testing heads and shafts from various companies. Ultimately, he went with the TaylorMade M5 driver head he’s used throughout 2019, but switched from a Fujikura Speeder shaft to a Fujikura Ventus 6X.
Jason Dufner changing it (back) up
Dufner, who’s been bouncing around with different flatsticks lately, put his custom-made Scotty Cameron putter back in play that he’s used off-and-on since 2015. This time around, however, it has an LA Golf Shafts Ozik putter shaft in it. Also, while Dufner’s been experimenting with a Cobra driver for weeks (but hasn’t put in play during competition), he switched from his gamer Titleist driver to a Ping G410 Plus driver that’s equipped with a Project X HZRDUS Yellow shaft.
Ryan Moore goes to Toulon
Moore, who made headlines for not having to putt at all after making a slam-dunk hole-in-one on No. 17 this week, has been switching putters plenty so far in 2019. At THE PLAYERS, Moore put a new Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas putter in play with a Stroke Lab shaft.
Champ goes back to iBlades
While Champ was one of the numerous Ping staffers to switch into Blueprint irons in 2019, he switched back into the iBlade irons he played in 2018, and when he captured his first PGA TOUR victory. Along with switching heads, he also went back to the KBS Tour C-Taper 130X iron shafts. Champ switched into an LA Golf Shafts prototype driver shaft at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he returned to a Fujikura Pro Tour Spec shaft at THE PLAYERS that he’s played throughout his professional career.
Hideki goes to a TaylorMade driver
Hideki Matsuyama is no stranger to making club changes. His staff bag is routinely filled with 20+ clubs during any given practice round day. But while his bag is typically packed with different irons and wedges, Matsuyama switched from a Callaway Epic Flash driver to a TaylorMade M5 driver at THE PLAYERS. He switched heads but not shafts; his new driver remains equipped with a Graphite Design Tour AD-DI shaft.