After two years, Xander Schauffele changes 3-wood at Farmers Insurance Open

Xander Schauffele has been playing the same 3-wood since 2021, but he finally switched it up at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where he opened with an even-par 72.

Callaway launched its lineup of new Paradym drivers and fairway woods at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions, and Schauffele immediately upgraded to the low-spinning Paradym Triple Diamond driver.

As for his 3-wood, however, Schauffele stayed with his familiar Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond fairway wood.

According to Callaway’s tour content manager, Johnny Wunder, Schauffele struggles with new 3-woods because he tends to hit them too far, especially when he hits a draw. When the spin is too low on his draw shots, the ball doesn’t have as much stopping power when it lands on the green, so distance becomes more difficult to dial in.

Essentially, Schauffele values consistency with his spin and distance rather than simply finding the 3-wood that he’ll hit the farthest. But when he teed it up at the Farmers Insurance Open on Wednesday, Schauffele had a new Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond fairway wood in the bag, equipped with a Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 80 TX shaft.

Although it’s a 16.5-degree HL (High Launch) club head, it’s actually bent down to a more standard 15.3-degree loft, helping Schauffele achieve the proper launch window, distance, and spin. It also opens the club face up a touch visually.

It should also be noted that Schauffele’s 3-wood head has a bonded hosel rather than the adjustable hosel adapter that comes on retail versions.

With his new Paradym 3-wood setup, Schauffele found he could achieve more consistent spin rates and yardages, resulting in greater predictability. When hitting a right-to-left shot, for example, his spin rates weren’t dropping too low, so he was still able to control his distance and land the ball softly.

“He was looking for something that was going to spin a little more, because he’s always battling his 3-wood going too far, especially when he turns it over (right-to-left),” Wunder told GolfWRX.com. “The Paradym launched slightly higher and spun slightly more overall, but it carried the same distance as before. Primarily on shots right to left, he doesn’t want to hit a no-spin draw. The Paradym helps him maintain spin across the face. Basically, he found a 3-wood that softened the sharp edges of his previous one; there’s not as many distance extremes.”

Thanks to a tighter dispersion and more predictable ball flight, Schauffele officially made the switch at Torrey Pines.