Winner's Bag Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 10:47:47 +0000

Viktor Hovland made the most of his eight-under headstart and held off an impressive rally from Xander Schauffele to take the Tour Championship and with it, the FedEx Cup title, earning $18 million dollars in the process.

Schauffele — who started six in arrears — came out swinging, putting up a front-nine 30, yet hardly made a dent as Hovland countered with a 31, starting with a 15-footer for birdie at the first. A dart from 172 yards at the fourth ignited a stretch of three in a row.

The Norwegian used a strong tee-to-green game at East Lake. As he did at the BMW Championship, he led the field in driving accuracy with his 9-degree Ping G425 LST driver with a 45.75-inch Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX shaft. Hovland also used the club to rank first in strokes gained/off-the-tee.

Into the greens, Hovland ranked second in greens in regulation with his Ping i210 irons with KBS Tour-V 120X shafts and Golf Pride MCC grips with one extra wrap of tape underneath.

As Hovland stalled out with a string of nine pars starting at the seventh, Schauffele made inroads with birdies at Nos. 11 and 12 to cut the deficit to three. Hovland, however, rolled in a 23-footer for par after a scratchy chip shot at the 14th and then knocked in a 10-footer for birdie at the next to effectively end things. He added a 12-footer for birdie on 17 for good measure then capped it off with another on the 18th hole.

On the greens Hovland uses a Ping PLD DS72 prototype that has a stepless 36-inch shaft and 2.5 degrees of loft. In addition to ranking fifth in strokes gained/putting, he went a perfect 50 for 50 on putts from five feet and in for the week, resulting in a tournament-low two bogeys.

And a season-high pay cheque.

The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 Tour Championship
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G425 LST (Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 15 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist U505; (4-PW): Ping i210
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 56 degrees); Ping Glide 2.0 (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD DS72 prototype

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Winner’s Bag: The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 BMW Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 11:43:50 +0000

Michael Reaves

Early on it looked like a battle between last year’s Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler and US Open winner, Matt Fitzpatrick, but then Viktor Hovland popped into the mix and wouldn’t go away. Hovland birdied four of the last five holes, including the final two for a course record 61 and, more importantly, the BMW Championship title.

Hovland shot a final-nine 28, including a clutch 9-iron at 17 from 154 yards to nine feet and then another from 159 yards at the last to six feet. But it was his work off the tee that set things up for Hovland. The Norwegian star ranked first in driving accuracy, hitting 43 of 56 fairways (76.8 per cent) and second in strokes gained/off the tee, gaining more than four shots on the field.

Putting is sometimes an iffy proposition for Hovland, but he excelled this week, ranking fifth in strokes gained/putting, gaining more than six shots on the field. Hovland’s putter is a Ping PLD DS72 prototype that has a stepless 36-inch shaft and 2.5 degrees of loft.

The iron play was strong as well, as he finished T-3 in greens in regulation and fourth in strokes gained/approach the green with his Ping i210 irons with KBS Tour-V 120X shafts and Golf Pride MCC grips with one extra wrap of tape underneath.

And one more PGA Tour title to his credit.

The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 BMW Championship
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G425 LST (Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 15 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist U505; (4-PW): Ping i210
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 56 degrees); Ping Glide 2.0 (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD DS72 prototype

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Winner’s Bag: The clubs Lucas Glover used to win the 2023 Wyndham Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:57:37 +0000

Lucas Glover. Jared C Tilton

When Lucas Glover won the 2021 John Deere Classic, it ended a 10-year winless drought. He didn’t need to wait that long for his next PGA Tour victory.

Glover put on the definition of a ball-striking clinic and got some help from Russell Henley down the stretch to capture the Wyndham Championship and deny Henley once again from winning at Sedgefield Country Club (Henley suffered a disappointing defeat in 2019 as well).

The 43-year-old Glover ranked first in driving accuracy, strokes gained/approach and strokes gained/tee-to-green. Glover’s driver is a 9.5-degree Srixon Z785 with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X shaft. Into the greens he uses a split set of Srixon irons, utilising the more-forgiving ZX5 Mk II for the 4-iron and more player-ish ZX7 Mk II for the rest of the set.

Glover was handy on the greens as well with his LAB Mezz.1 Max mallet putter that he put into play at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, ranking 16th in strokes gained/putting — a massive improvement over his season rank of 181st.

Glover uses a broomstick version of the putter with a long shaft and split grip. “I needed a whole new idea,” Glover told pgatour.com in Detroit. “A whole new brain function. The other one obviously wasn’t working. I’ve been struggling with short putts for so long. I just thought I needed to teach myself to do something else and it’s been working. … Once you learn how to stand there and address it, it pretty much works itself. It’s been a nice change.”

Winning usually is.

What Lucas Glover had in the bag at the 2023 Wyndham Championship
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV
Driver: Srixon Z785 (Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X), 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Ping G430 Max, 15 degrees
5-wood: Ping G430 Max, 18 degrees
Irons (4): Srixon ZX5 Mk II; (5-PW): Srixon ZX7 Mk II
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: LAB Mezz.1 Max

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Winner’s bag: The clubs Will Zalatoris used to win the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 06:08:52 +0000

By Mike Stachura
Will Zalatoris got his first PGA Tour title at the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship in just the way you thought he would, and maybe another way you never thought he would.

Long regarded for his ball-striking, Zalatoris surprised no one in leading the field in strokes gained approach the green. But in a bit of a surprise, Zalatoris posted his best strokes gained putting of any tournament all year.

Zalatoris gained more than eight strokes on the field with his iron play with his Titleist T100 irons and Titleist Vokey Design wedges. Both of course were aided by his new 8-degree Titleist TSR3 driver. For the week Zalatoris was third in driving distance with an average of 321.2 yards, and he gained almost 10 strokes on the field from tee to green. His best might have been his shortest full swing, the Titleist Vokey Design Wedge Works 60-degree wedge from the drop area on the third and final playoff hole to edge Sepp Straka.

But it was the putter, an oversized Scotty Cameron T-11 armlock style mallet, that carried Zalatoris home to his first title since he won the TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020. Zalatoris finished in the top 10 in putts per green in regulation, and his 1.88 strokes gained putting was his highest of the year and only the third time he was over +1.00 strokes gained.

None of those putts were bigger than the putts he made for saves on the 72nd, 73rd and 74th holes. After losing two heartbreaking playoffs this season, now Zalatoris is a PGA Tour winner.

Here are the clubs Will Zalatoris used to win the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Titleist TSR3
Fairway wood: Titleist TSR2, 13 degrees
Irons: (3): Titleist T200; (4-PW): Titleist T100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50, 54); Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks SM9 (60)
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Phantom X11 prototype (armlock)

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The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 08:33:54 +0000

By E Michael Johnson
Even before Xander Schauffele played the Genesis Scottish Open he was one of the favorites to capture the Claret Jug at the Old Course at St Andrews. Now, after winning on Sunday, expect more and more backers coming his way for the Open Championship.

Much like his win at his last PGA Tour start at the Travelers Championship, Schauffele made things more difficult than they needed to be. Seemingly in control of the tournament with a four-shot lead after opening with back-to-back birdies to begin his final round, Schauffle sputtered with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch, allowing Kurt Katayama to grab the lead and a host of others to get close enough to sniff it.

Schauffele, however, steadied himself, making four straight pars to start the final nine before striking a pitching wedge from 157 yards on the par-3 14th to 15 feet then dropping the putt to re-take a one-shot advantage over Katayama, who had finished at six-under. A two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th extended the cushion, a stroke that allowed for a safe-play bogey to win on 18.

A power-precision combination served Schauffele well at the Renaissance Club in winning his seventh PGA Tour title. Despite having some accuracy issues, Schauffele averaged 310.4 yards off the tee with his 10.5-degree Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond driver with a Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 TX shaft.

That driver features a more compact head (450cc) that appeals to better players. A very low center of gravity produces extremely low spin and a flatter flight.

Into the greens Schauffele ranked T-6 in greens in regulation, hitting 51 of 72 greens with his Callaway Apex TCB irons with Nippon Modus Tour 130X shafts and Golf Pride ZGrip Cord grips. In all Schauffele made 17 birdies to rank third in the field.

That’s the kind of production that wins claret jugs — or at least makes you a favorite to win one.

What Xander Schauffele had in the bag at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft
Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond (Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 TX), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Epic Speed, 15 degrees
Irons (3): Mizuno MP-20 HMB; (4-PW): Callaway Apex TCB
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM6 (56 degrees): Titleist Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks (60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey O-Works Red 7 CH

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The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the 2022 Travelers Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 09:10:48 +0000

Tim Nwachukwu

By E Michael Johnson
They say you can’t win a PGA Tour event on Thursday but Xander Schauffele won the Travelers Championship on Thursday and Friday, shooting back-to-back 63s then posting a 67 and 68 over the weekend. That was enough for a two-shot victory over Sahith Theegala (who double bogeyed the final hole) and JT Poston for his sixth PGA Tour win and first after holding the 54-hole lead.

Not that erasing his 0-for-4 mark converting a third-round leader was simple. Schauffele was chased most of the day — a seemingly final-round tradition at TPC River Highlands where eight of the previous 10 champions had come from behind on Sunday. But Schauffele needed every bit of good fortune, including dropping a 26-foot birdie putt at the par-3 11th hole to stretch his lead to three shots over Poston, Theegala and amateur Michael Thorbjornsen. That birdie was needed with Schauffele bogeying the 12th after an errant drive, then Theegala making birdies on the 13th, 15th and 17th holes to take the lead before his disaster on 18. Schauffele would up delivering the final-margin boosting birdie at the last.

Schauffele’s key clubs were his irons and putter. He ranked fifth in strokes gained/approach-the-green gaining more than five shots on the field and was first in greens in regulation, hitting a staggering 63 of 72 greens for a 87.5 per cent clip. He also picked up nearly eight strokes on the field in strokes gained/putting to rank fourth; he was T-11 in putts per green in regulation

Schauffele’s putter is an Odyssey O-Works Red 7 CH mallet putter with what the company refers to as a ‘crank hosel’.

“The hosel is interesting,” Schauffele told Golf Digest last year. “It creates a little bit of toe hang whereas many mallets are face balanced. It helps it swing a little easier.”

Schauffele swung his Callaway Apex TCB irons easily, too. The irons, fitted with Nippon Modus Tour 130X shafts and Golf Pride ZGrip Cord grips, have a decidedly classic look thanks to a relatively straight leading edge, thin topline and a hosel transition that looks like they were made for a tour player. But the clubs have tungsten weighting that makes them play more forgiving than they look.

“When I was 13 to 15 years old, I played blades and I quickly learned they were not good for me,” Schauffele told Golf Digest in 2020. “No reason to make the game harder.”

Even if his latest win didn’t come easy.

What Xander Schauffele had in the bag at the 2022 Travelers Championship
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft
Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond (Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 TX), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Epic Speed, 15 degrees
Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW, 21 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Callaway Apex TCB
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM6 (56 degrees): Titleist Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks (60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey O-Works Red 7 CH

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The clubs Kevin Kisner used to win the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 05:16:34 +0000

Kevin Kisner of the United States plays his shot from the 12th tee in his match against Matt Kuchar of the United States during the final round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 31, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)

By E. Michael Johnson
Kevin Kisner doesn’t hit it very far, but he finds fairways with remarkable regularity, and that’s a trait that always plays well in match play, as it puts relentless pressure on your opponent. Kisner carded just three birdies in winning the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play final against Matt Kuchar, but hit enough fairways (9 out of 13), to avoid putting himself in a poor position, forcing Kuchar to try and make up ground, which he couldn’t as Kisner won 3 & 2.

In becoming the lowest seed (48th) to win the Match Play since Geoff Ogilvy 15 years ago, Kisner hit 11 fairways in downing Francesco Molinari in the morning semifinals before taking on Kuchar in the afternoon. In that match, Kuchar simply couldn’t get anything going, making two bogeys and drowning his tee shot on the par-3 11th, handing Kisner the hole to take him to 2 up.

Kisner’s driver is Callaway’s Epic Flash Sub Zero—the lower spinning model of the Epic Flash family. The driver utilizes the company’s Flash Face technology, where artificial intelligence was used to create a face whose back is rippled in areas to create more ball speed across a larger portion of the face. Kisner first put the driver in play at the Sony Open in January. Although the club features a movable weight in the rear sole, Kisner keeps it in the neutral position.

Of course, when you hit it as straight as Kisner, why would you want to alter ball flight anyway.

What Kevin Kisner had in the bag at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (Aldila NV 2KKV 65 TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero, 13.5 degrees
5-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero, 18 degrees
Irons (3-4): Callaway Apex UT; (5-9): Callaway Apex Pro; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM7
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (52, 58 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro #7

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The clubs Dustin Johnson used to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 04:30:40 +0000

LAHAINA, HI – JANUARY 06: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the 18th tee during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 6, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

By E. Michael Johnson
They say numbers don’t lie but in the case of the driving distance stat at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, there was a little fibbing going on. The stat revealed Dustin Johnson with a distance average of just 296.3 yards for the week and 297 yards on Sunday. But when the World No. 1 stepped to the 12th tee Sunday at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, he took out his frustration from a bogey on the prior hole by blasting a tee shot with his TaylorMade M4 driver some 430 yards to within tap-in distance on the par-4 12th. The eagle started Johnson on a run where he extended his lead by going five under par over five holes, eventually winning by eight shots with a 24-under-par 268. On Sunday Johnson hit six drives in excess of 370 yards with two longer than 400 yards.

The driver (as well as is sister M3 model) features a technology called Twist Face, where the face curves more open as it moves toward the toe and curves more closed as it moves toward the heel. Although it isn’t really detectable at address, the idea is to help off-center hits fly straighter than they would with conventional bulge and roll.

Johnson tried both the M3 and M4 in practice early in the week and after noticing he wasn’t getting the fade off the tee he prefers with the M4, the driver was adjusted one click open, back to the standard setting. Although Johnson might use the M3 at some point, he felt the M4 was straighter, putting it in play.

Johnson also had the company’s Spider Tour Black mallet putter as well as DJ Prototype muscleback blade irons as well as a 64-degree Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedge where the grooves extend all the way across the face.

Dustin Johnson’s clubs at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Driver: TaylorMade M4 (Fujikura Speeder Evolution X), 9.5 degrees

3-wood: TaylorMade M4, 16.5 degrees

Irons (3): TaylorMade P790; (4-PW): TaylorMade DJ Prototype

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52, 60 degrees); TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe (64 degrees)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

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The clubs Austin Cook used to win the RSM Classic

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 05:22:10 +0000

Austin Cook walks along the eighth hole during the final round of The RSM Classic. (Stan Badz/Getty Images)

By E. Michael Johnson
Austin Cook won the RSM Classic for his first PGA Tour victory in just his 14th start by flashing an incredibly steady tee-to-green game and a deft touch on the greens to win by four shots at the Seaside Course at Sea Island.

Cook hit an impressive 85.71 percent of his fairways (tied for four-best in the field) and 83.33 percent of his greens in regulation (ranked second). Off the tee Cook used Ping’s new G400 LST driver—a low-spin version of the G400. Interestingly, his set of Ping S55 irons starts at the 5-iron, allowing Cook to carry a trio of Ping Glide 2.0 wedges—two standard sole clubs and a wide sole in the 60-degree wedge. On the greens Cook posted a solid 1.126 strokes gained/putting mark (ranked 13th for the week) with a Ping Sigma G Tyne mallet. Cook used those clubs to post four rounds in the 60s, making just two bogeys over the 72 holes.

Austin Cook’s clubs and ball at the RSM Classic

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Driver: Ping G400 LST (Fujikura Speeder Evo 661X), 8.5 degrees

3-wood: Ping G400 Stretch, 13 degrees

Hybrids: Ping G400 (19, 22 degrees)

Irons (5-PW): Ping S55

Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0 (50, 56, 60 degrees)

Putter: Ping Sigma G Tyne

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The clubs Justin Thomas used to win the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 04:45:16 +0000

Justin Thomas in action during round one of the 2017 CIMB Classic. The two-time defending champion would finish the round with a 70, the second-worst round of his career at TPC Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Stanley Chou)

By E. Michael Johnson

Although television didn’t show Justin Thomas’ playoff win over Marc Leishman at the inaugural CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, there was no doubt that Thomas’ iron play was largely responsible for the victory.

Thomas ran off three birdies in a row on holes nine through 11 to take a two-stroke lead, then birdied the 18th (nearly eagling it after a stellar approach shot). Another fine approach on the second playoff hole on the par-5 18th sealed the win, as Leishman found water.

Thomas employs a split set of Titleist irons, something everyday golfers should consider. His set consists of a Titleist 716 CB 4-iron, the company’s new 718 MB for his 5- through 9-irons and a Titleist Vokey SM6 pitching wedge, eschewing a set wedge for one that better matches his wedges.

In speaking with Golf Digest earlier this year, Thomas spoke about his change to the new irons mid year. “It was an easy transition,” he said. “I liked them right away. They are very similar to what I have now, but I liked the updates. They were more forgiving and I was able to hit the shots I wanted and the shot shapes I like to see. … It looks clean at address. The feel is great, they go through the turf well, they have a good sound to them. All the irons are great, but I’ve used blades most of my life. I’m hitting them well I’m not about to change.”

Given recent form, nor should he.

Here’s what’s in the bag of Justin Thomas

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Driver: Titleist 917D2 (Mitsubishi Diamana BF60 TX), 8.5 degrees

3-wood: Titleist 917F2, 15 degrees

5-wood: Titleist 915Fd, 18 degrees

Irons (4): Titleist 716 CB; (5-9): Titleist 718 MB prototype; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM6

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM5 (52, 56 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM6 (60 degrees)

Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Futura X5

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