Tony Finau latest to switch into Ping’s most recent prototype irons

Ping hasn’t released any information about its new Blueprint S irons to the public but PGA TOUR players are switching to the new prototypes in droves.

Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Champ are the latest Ping staffers to put the clubs in the bag.

Theegala’s win at the Fortinet Championship, the first of his PGA TOUR career, also was his first tournament with the new irons in the bag.

Theegala had been using a combo set of Ping’s iBlade irons in his 4-7 irons and Ping Blueprint blades for his 8-iron through pitching wedge.

At the Fortinet, he had the Blueprint S irons in his 4-iron through pitching wedge. The Blueprint S irons are forged with a cavity back to combine both feel and forgiveness.

A Ping rep said the Blueprint S irons gave him similar launch and spin characteristics as his previous irons but the new clubs flew slightly straighter and loss less distance on mishits.

On Tuesday, we caught up with Finau and Champ at the Grant Thornton Invitational to get their insight into the new irons, why they switched into the still-unreleased models and what makes them different.

Finau had been playing the Blueprint blade irons for five years but put the new Blueprint S irons into the bag at last week’s Hero World Challenge. Finau found the irons to produce a stable trajectory in the wind, which is a sentiment that Champ pointed out about the irons, as well. Champ put the new clubs in the bag at the start of the FedExCup Fall, which he finished with five consecutive cuts including two top-20s.

“I think as far as flight goes, they, for me, I feel like they spin just a smidge less, which is what I wanted,” Champ said. “I’m a very flight-y type guy. I’m not shallow; I’m not super steep, but I’m not shallow, so again for me, I want to try and hit down on the ball, but not over-spin it or under-spin. That’s what I initially noticed right off the bat. Consistency with the spin, for me, that’s the main thing I look for.

“I put them in at the start of the fall. I was trying them, and I like them. It’s a different kind of look. It’s more of a rounded-off edge on the irons. They’ve always been known for kind of the square face. When I saw those, I fell in love with them initially. I think Ping’s done a great with them. Like I said, I love ‘em, and they will continue to be in my bag.”

It's not yet known when – or if – Ping will release the Blueprint S irons to the retail public, and the golf world still awaits technical and design details. However, if PGA TOUR usage and feedback is any indicator, then the Blueprint S irons won’t have any trouble catching the attention of retail golfers upon their release.