Thomas sports new driver shaft at TOUR Championship
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 22: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the eighth tee during the first round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 22, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Switch made after Thomas won the BMW Championship
ATLANTA – After torching Medinah en route to a 3-stroke victory at the 2019 BMW Championship, and heading into the TOUR Championship with a 2-stroke lead, Justin Thomas switched driver shafts.
Thomas had been using a Mitsubishi Diamana BF 60TX shaft in his Titleist drivers since 2017, the year he won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. Even when he switched into a new TS3 driver (9.5 degrees) in 2018, it was still equipped with that same shaft.
After winning the 2019 BMW Championship, however, Thomas was spotted by PGATOUR.COM on Wednesday at the TOUR Championship testing a new Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60TX shaft in his driver. Thomas played a 9-hole practice on Wednesday using the new ZF shaft, then afterwards took off to the range to test the ZF against his old BF shaft.
Apparently, he liked what he saw from the new ZF shaft, since Thomas put the shaft in play on Thursday. Titleist TOUR rep J.J. Van Wezenbeeck told PGATOUR.COM that Thomas felt his driving had been off recently, and that he “really liked the feel and dispersion he was getting with the ZF during practice rounds."
According to Mitsubishi, the company that makes both his old driver shaft and his new one, the ZF-series shafts “build on the success” of the BF-series shafts. The ZF shafts use a combination of MR-70 carbon fiber and Boron fiber to create a shaft that’s stronger in the tip and butt sections but softer in the middle of the shaft. This creates “better energy transfer and acceleration,” according to Mitsubishi.
“Diamana ZF-series takes the signature ‘smooth’ bend profile that makes our BF-series the shaft of choice for so many players and pushes it in just the right places,” said Mark Gunther, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mitsubishi, in a press release. “The result is a profile that makes ZF a little more explosive and easier to accelerate.”
While Thomas has opted for the 60TX version of the ZF, like he did with his BF-series shafts, the new ZF will be available to the public in options ranging from 40 grams up to 80 grams in various flexes. They hit retail on September 13 selling for $400.