‘Putting Yips’ Glover Revives ‘Broom Putter’
Lesson Pro Block Offered for ‘$50,000’ Sale
Disappearing Blades, Rising Cavity Backs
Stricker and Montgomery’s ‘Antique Weapons’
The PGA Tour is a stage where the world's top-tier players clash. This year, the 2022/2023 season concluded with Jon Rahm (Spain) winning the Masters, Tiger Woods (USA) undergoing ankle surgery, the announcement of a merger with the previously hostile LIV Golf, and Viktor Hovland (Norway) becoming the FedEx Cup champion. The PGA Tour also became more interesting with various equipment-related stories. Recently, GolfWRX, a U.S.-based golf equipment specialty media, announced the top 10 equipment news that enriched the PGA Tour.
Lucas Glover, who was struggling with putting yips, won two consecutive victories at the end of the season using a broom putter.
▲1=The 'Broomstick Putter' that revived veteran Lucas Glover (USA). The 2009 U.S. Open champion showed signs of putting yips starting in 2013. He even considered putting left-handed. After seeing players struggling with win droughts improve their performance by switching to the Broomstick Putter, he took a gamble. He ordered the Lab Golf Mez.1 Max putter used by Adam Scott, the first Australian to win the Masters in 2013. The result was a huge success. Last month, he achieved back-to-back wins at the Wyndham Championship, the final regular-season event, and the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first FedEx Cup playoff event.
Michael Block, a former lesson pro, is teeing off with a 7-iron on the 15th hole during the 4th round of the PGA Championship. He made a remarkable achievement by scoring a hole-in-one on this hole and finishing tied for 15th place.
▲2=Michael Block's (USA) iron that he has used for 10 years. A former lesson pro, he became a 'sudden star' by finishing tied for 15th at the major PGA Championship last May. This is one of the best results ever achieved by a club pro in PGA Championship history. On the final day, while playing alongside Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), he made a hole-in-one on the 15th hole (par 3) using a TaylorMade 7-iron purchased in 2014. Some even offered $50,000 (about 66 million KRW) to buy that 7-iron. Numerous museums and galleries showed interest. However, Block still uses this club.
▲3=The popularity of the Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter, which spread by word of mouth among players. Ricky Fowler (USA), who struggled on the greens, found success with this putter. Wyndham Clark (USA) became hooked on it after using it during a practice round with Fowler and went on to win the major U.S. Open in June. Keegan Bradley (USA) also ended a four-year win drought with this weapon.
▲4=Blade irons are disappearing. They were strong in ball striking and sold well on tour. They were excellent for shot making and spin control. Using blade irons seemed like a matter of pride for professional players. However, cavity back irons are shaking up the existing order. Fowler, Webb Simpson, Chris Kirk (all USA), and Scott have abandoned blades. Nowadays, sets combining blade and cavity back irons are gaining popularity. McIlroy, Max Homa, and Collin Morikawa (all USA) are 'mixed enthusiasts.'
▲5=The perfect club combination of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA). It consists of a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus driver, Stealth 2 fairway wood, Srixon Z-U85 driving irons (3-4), TaylorMade P-7TW blade irons (5-PW), and Titleist Vokey wedge (60 degrees). Scheffler ranks first in average score, strokes gained in all categories, and greens in regulation.
▲6=Steve Stricker's (USA) old putter with which he accumulated 12 PGA Tour wins. He consistently showed his skill using the Odyssey White Hot Pro Number 2 putter from the early 2000s. He mainly competed on the Champions (senior) Tour for players aged 50 and over. This year, he played in 14 tournaments and collected five trophies. Stricker laughed, saying, "I tested other putters, but I ended up coming back to this one."
▲7=The stimulus Tiger Woods gave Rory McIlroy. They played together in the first and second rounds of the Genesis Invitational last February. Woods' longer drives became a hot topic. After the first round, McIlroy changed his driver from a 9-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus to a Plus 2 to find optimal spin. McIlroy joked, "I was tired of Tiger being ahead of me." He led the tour this year with an average drive of 326.3 yards, earning the 'long drive king' title.
▲8=Adam Schenk (USA) earned the nickname 'equipment expert.' He is a constantly pondering type. When going to tournaments, he carries two caddie bags filled with clubs. He configures his clubs according to the situation. He considers course length, green speed, rough length, wind, and rain comprehensively and changes clubs each round. At the John Deere Classic last July, Schenk even played without 4- and 5-irons. He finished tied for 4th in that tournament. Since his regular tour debut in 2018, he advanced to the Tour Championship, the final playoff event, for the first time.
▲9=McIlroy's 'equipment show' at the Genesis Scottish Open last July. With two holes remaining on the final day, he was one stroke behind leader Robert MacIntyre (Scotland). After a birdie on the 17th hole (par 3), he tied for the lead and then dramatically made the 'winning birdie' on the 18th hole (par 4). Due to a strong headwind, his tee shot only reached 250 yards. With 200 yards left, he pulled out a TaylorMade 760 2-iron. The late iron change paid off. The ball stopped 3.2 meters from the hole. It became one of his 'life shots.'
▲10=Rookie Taylor Montgomery's (USA) successful putter project. He carries the TaylorMade Ghost Spider S he used in college over 10 years ago. Being old is not the only thing about it. He cherishes it dearly. He even paints it himself to maintain the putter. If well maintained, it could enter the 'equipment Hall of Fame' as an antique. Montgomery ranks first in average putts, one-putt success rate, and putts per round on the PGA Tour. He finished this year ranked 53rd in the FedEx Cup with four top-10 finishes.
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