Poston "I like the new driver~"..."Have you seen the 9-under par?"

On the First Day of John Deere Classic, Titleist's New Weapon Leads by 2 Strokes; Gligic 2nd, Noh Seung-yeol Tied 47th, Defending Champ Glover Tied 122nd

J.T. Poston is teeing off at the 2nd hole on the first day of the John Deere Classic. Silvis, USA - Getty Images / Multivitz

[Asia Economy Reporter Now Rae Noh] For golfers, clubs are their ‘weapons’.

Performance depends on the golf clubs. If the score improves after equipping new clubs, nothing could be better. J.T. Poston (USA), the 2019 Wyndham Championship champion, received a new driver and 3-wood ahead of last week’s PGA Tour Travelers Championship held at River Highlands TPC in Cromwell, Connecticut. These are the newly introduced Titleist New TSR driver and fairway wood.

The New TSR, set to be released this year, features an ultra-lightweight design including the head and grip, boasting a high launch angle and overwhelming distance. The driver stands out with its improved aerodynamic design. It incorporates SureFit hosel and weight technology. The setup is easy, and the low center of gravity leads to forgiveness. Compared to previous models, it feels sleeker. The tour seeding and validation process with affiliated players is currently underway.

Poston praised the new clubs. He said, "I liked the high launch angle and low spin," adding, "The sound of the strike was also good." He further explained, "Ball speed increased from 171 mph to 173 mph," and "Distance, sound, and feel have all improved compared to the previous TSi model." In fact, Poston hit a long drive of up to 362 yards at the Travelers Championship. After performing well with a two-stroke difference tied for second place, he is riding a wave of momentum for two consecutive weeks.

On the first day of the John Deere Classic (total prize money $7.1 million) held at Deer Run TPC (par 71, 7,268 yards) in Silvis, Illinois, USA, on the 1st (Korean time), Poston shot 9-under-par to top the leaderboard. It was a flawless round with one eagle and seven birdies. Starting at the 10th hole (par 5), he made consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th holes, followed by three consecutive birdies on the 17th, 18th, and 1st holes, and then holed an 8-meter eagle putt on the 2nd hole (par 5). He added birdies on the 4th and 9th holes (both par 4) to complete his best day.

His tee shot accuracy stood out with a fairway hit rate of 78.57%. His greens in regulation rate was 88.89%, and his putts per hole were an outstanding 1.625. Leading by two strokes, he laid the foundation for his second career win in three years since his first victory at the 2019 Wyndham Championship. Poston joined the PGA Tour in 2017. He has three top-10 finishes including one win in the 2018/2019 season. This season, he has finished runner-up and third once each. He ranks 66th in earnings ($1,559,397).

No Seung-yeol is teeing off at the 13th hole on the first day of the John Deere Classic. Silvis, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

Michael Gligic (Canada) is in 2nd place (7-under-par 64), and Bon Taylor (USA) is tied for 3rd (6-under-par 65). Webb Simpson, who achieved three consecutive wins from 2009 to 2011, is tied for 68th (even par 71), and defending champion Lucas Glover (both USA) is tied for 122nd (3-over-par 74). In Korea, No Seung-yeol (31) is the only player under par, tied for 47th (1-under-par 70). ‘Tank’ K.J. Choi (52) and Kang Sung-hoon (35) struggled, tied for 90th (1-over-par 72).