One Club to Watch for Each Team TaylorMade Athlete at the TOUR Championship
One shot can’t win a golf tournament. Seventy-two holes is a lot, and it’s truly a marathon. But over the course of four rounds, certain clubs will play critical roles for different players – giving them a competitive advantage over the field in certain scenarios.
This week at the TOUR Championship, with a 30-player field, the season’s best players and a familiar golf course, every advantage matters and is magnified – especially when the coveted FedEx Cup and a prize of $18MM in on the line.
With that in mind, we’re looking at one club that will play a critical role for each Team TaylorMade athlete at the TOUR Championship.
Collin Morikawa | Milled Grind 4 TW 60°
We all recognize Collin Morikawa as an elite ball striker with an iron in his hand, as evidenced by his 2nd ranking in Strokes Gained Approach – but don’t sleep on his wedge play. Here are his proximity to the hole distances and rankings with a Milled Grind 4 in his hand:
- 125-150 yards (19’11) – 5th
- 100-125 yards (16’2) – 1st
- 50-125 yards (15’9) – 3rd
Collin currently games MG4 50° SB, 56° LB and 60° TW. At the beginning of this year Collin modified the swing weight on his 56° and 60° wedges to a D2 swingweight for a lighter feel.
“Used to have a lot heavier of a wedge and then learned having a little lighter headweight wedge I can get the club back to neutral where I want it when chipping. I always have issues with leading edge forward, leading edge digging in. Having the TW wedge I can get it back a little lighter and let the club get back before my hands and go from there. I feel like I have more control of the club. I can stay aggressive with my body keeping in front of me rather than having it behind me and going around. I like the control of the MG4 and being able to see that through the turf is great.”
Scottie Scheffler | Stealth 2 Plus Driver
So much has been made of Scottie’s immaculate ball striking this season, but if you peel back the layers you’ll notice the performance with his Stealth 2 Plus 8° (Ventus Black 7X) rivals the best in the world.
Obviously, you don’t get to World No. 1 and the top position in the FedEx Cup without playing well. But Scottie’s numbers are off the chart. He’s leading the TOUR in Strokes Gained Off the Tee (1.051), is 5th in Total Driving and ranks 3rd for the longest drive of the season at 451 yards.
None of the past four FedEx champions finished outside the top five in Strokes Gained Off the Tee at Eastlake. Scottie bodes well to win.
Scottie’s Stealth 2 Plus 8.0° Driver Spec
Actual Loft: 8.5°
Lie: 59°
Shaft: Ventus Black 7X Velocore
Tip: 1"
Length: 45'' cut
Swingweight: D3
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58 (6 wraps double side)
Rory McIlroy | Milled Grind 4 Wedges
Much has been made of Rory’s wedge game in recent years, and with his distance off the tee it’s an important part of his game for scoring well. He’s currently ranked 3rd in Stokes Gained Approach (when you average 325 yards off the tee, you hit a lot of wedges on the approach) and 7th in proximity to the hole from 100-125 yards.
Rory currently games MG4 46° SB, 50° SB, 54° SB and 60° LB.
MG4 46.09° SB
- Played this for the first time last week in Memphis
- Prefers the feel and likes the slightly darker finish in the raw head
- 35 5/16’’
- D5
- 63° Lie
- PX 6.5
MG4 60° LB.08
- 35 7/16’’
- 63° Lie
- 59.5° exact loft
- D5
- PX 6.5 Wedge
We started our MG4 testing process with Rory at Bay Hill and he loved the feel and the face. Cesario went there and they worked at the short game area for a while Biggest feedback when testing was the spin around the greens from the face treatment and the feel was deeper in the head and quieter with no vibration. We repositioned a lot of mass more behind the ball and lower behind the ball in a strategic way that did not affect launch and spin. The two main wedges were the 46° and the 60° in testing.
Tommy Fleetwood | BRNR Mini Driver
Tommy Fleetwood first gamed the BRNR Mini Driver at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head earlier this season, a course renowned for its tight driving corridors and accuracy-demanding tee shots. While Eastlake isn’t as narrow, it does require accuracy of the tee.
In his words, here's why Fleetwood games the BRNR Mini:
“When you can't really overpower the course, I felt like it could add something to my bag. I just tee it down, hit it off the tee and it's ridiculous. I've been seeing it fly pretty low, and I feel so comfortable that it will go straight."
When it comes to how the BRNR Mini and Tommy’s Stealth 2 Plus driver compliment each other, here are the differences in specs and yardages.
Tommy’s BRNR Mini 13.5°
Launch: 10.5°-11°
Spin: 3100 RPM
Ball Speed: 170 MPH
Carry: 285 Yards
Shaft: Ventus Blue TR 6X (Tipped 1’’)
Length: 43.75 CUT
Grip: Tour Velvet 58 RD 1 tape Logo Down
SW: D3
Tommy’s Stealth 2 Plus 9.0° Driver
Launch: 11.5°-12°
Spin: 2400 RPM
Ball Speed: 176 MPH
Carry: 305 yards
Shaft: Ventus Blue TR 6X (Tipped 1’’)
Length: 45 1/4 EOG
Grip: Tour Velvet 58 RD 1 tape Logo Down
SW: D3
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