Connect with us

Equipment

12 Revealing photos from the 2016 Players Championship

Published

on

GolfWRX was live this week from the fifth major, The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. If you missed any of our photos from this week, make sure to browse the links below:

It’s that time of the year. Once the PGA Tour heads to TPC Sawgrass for The Players, you know the season is in full swing. It’s one of the deepest fields all year, and the U.S. Open is just around the corner. Plus, there’s always fireworks on Sunday at holes 16, 17 and 18. What a time to be alive, and a golf fan.

So let’s reveal some photos before we kick back this weekend and watch the drama unfold.

Kuai Liang*

0d9afca16ff1164e44106f0c6e2fa69b

We spotted a newer and bigger (460 cubic centimeters) version of Callaway’s recently released XR 16 Sub Zero driver, which proved to be very low spinning, yet relatively unforgiving in my review of the club. It’s not clear if Callaway will release the XR 16 Sub Zero 460, or is simply testing its Sub Zero-like features in a larger club head for a new line of drivers to be released in the future.

16597dc9702e051af12ece29f3c26b52

See all of the new Sub Zero photos here.

*Two brothers take the name “Sub Zero” in the video game Mortal Kombat (one of the all-time classics), the elder Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. Maybe Kuai has a higher MOI and more CC’s than his brother, too.

The putter sagas of Dustin and Justin

7bc1a07ecb98ddde58f64384cc28a4b1

It’s no secret that Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose are some of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour, but they tend to struggle on the greens. And lately, each has been linked to multiple putters.

post-1-0-17140000-1462916103

D. Johnson testing The Brick from Edel.

This week, Dustin tested “The Brick” from Edel, which piqued his interest after he played a round with Bryson DeChambeau, who uses one. We also photographed him testing a Ping Anser-style putter, and his familiar Scotty Cameron prototype.

b7cd7240987e70eaf0e33ff565369e40

J. Rose testing an Axis1 Tour putter.

Justin Rose, on the other hand, was testing an Axis 1 putter early in the week after using TaylorMade’s Arc1 in his last start, a Japan-only TaylorMade putter. For The Players, he decided on a TaylorMade Spider mallet.

Jason Gore eyeing a new release from Callaway

7e5dc7e5693a14ce43d1d70db569577b

Although we weren’t able to get photos of the back of the irons, we were told there’s a new set of Callaway irons on the horizon, which Gore was eyeing on the range at The Players.

b1e8ca3b7d3a295b115716ba5b94086f

The irons in question appeared to be musclebacks, and have either a raw or satin finish… but remember, they may still be in prototype phase.

Revealing photos gets the P. Reed “Shhh” treatment

7effa67709608dd433c43217395711e3

Last week, I pointed out that Patrick Reed’s caddy had the worst job in sports, being forced to have his hand on Patrick Reed’s backside. Reed politely responded at The Players in his patented Ryder Cup fashion. If you notice, however, his caddy is no longer participating in the drill. Coincidence?

Also, this reaction confirms that Reed is indeed a GolfWRXer. But we already knew that, based on his propensity to change lob wedges.

d8172156bd419eb7df709c2b2dbb4e49

He’s doing something right, though, judging by his scrambling percentage.

Moore tinkering

8f30472d79cde3a017241bc0e57b6e11

Ryan Moore is a king among GolfWRXers. For years he went sponsor-less, so he was able to make equipment changes whenever he wanted. And he took every advantage of that freedom, as he changed something about his clubs nearly every week.

Now he’s under contract with PXG, which is like caging a wild tiger. But he’s still finding a way to tinker. In the last year, he’s used PXG’s 0311 irons, 0311T irons, and now with the 0311T Black irons. I suppose a tiger never changes his stripes.

iBlades

131df1400155fadf7a056957c9839c55

We spotted Ping’s new iBlades at The Players for the first time, not just on the range, but already in the bag of Louis Oosthuizen. That was quick.

c9a91ed297f0c89c1457349786bee9b4

Sweet-swinging Louis also has an awesome Ping prototype putter in the bag, too. Check out all of the must-see photos here. 

Kobe!

274f19e3bbbf42fb123d0aaa9c9b4e2c

James Hahn won last week at the Wells Fargo with a unique shaft in his PXG 0311 3-iron, an Aldila Tour 115 graphite shaft that he calls the “Black Mamba.” The shaft shares a nickname with NBA star Kobe Bryant, who announced his retirement this season.

Caddies become The Players

e3062c4586a7f6dd47a9cccb09215109All season long, caddies watch their players play golf at the premiere tracks in the world, while they trek around with their heavy staff bags. A thankless job, for the most part. At The Players, the Caddie Competition — in memory of beloved Tour caddie Bruce Edwards — gives the loopers a chance to show off their own golfing skills at No. 17, known as the island green. And the caddies take it seriously, even warming up on the range beforehand.

4906adf8588cc0d8fbe5ec26126b1816

It doesn’t always go well, though, as you can see from the one-armed finish in the photo below, surely taken as the golf ball went swimming.

316fab12b04d7efd1f9cf2e8b40f5804

But others find more success. Hunter Mahan’s caddie put a Tour-like move on the ball and hit it to 5 feet.

f90462a7930e05a2e6a60d271e63eca6

Congrats on a great shot and an unforgettable moment, Jon.

7c0edf8b24124d07ecb8d2ca9825d0df

The most interesting Marshal in Players Championship history

473a4c159f54d18db88f267c1984c250

He was at TPC Sawgrass when they dug out the island green. He was there for the first-ever Players. And he was marshaling at the island green during what’s now known as “The Best Marshaled Hole” in 2009, as you can see from the big red pin above.

He doesn’t need a “Quiet Please!” sign; he just raises his hat. He is, the most interesting Marshal in the world.

Checking in on K.J. Choi

6570a88a099b4e3065cbcf26709458c0

Yupp. Still working out.

c045ddd4fb04516a6ebe72b7e6d0f607

And trying to hide a TaylorMade M2 logo from the Revealing King with a single strip of lead tape. Will these guys ever learn?

#SB2K16 reunites

7087ee78720c1f92d7733a5753a782b3

Fowler, Spieth, Smylie and JT grouped up during a practice round at TPC Sawgrass, and as they did in the Bahamas, they updated their fans on SnapChat with fake ProTracers and announcer imitations. Anyone who sees their horseplay as bad for the game needs to remove the shoe horn from their metal-spiked golf shoes. As long as they’re not missing every cut, or distracting other players from properly preparing, why not have fun and enjoy the game with friends?

And maybe (gasp) they can even attract new, younger players to the sport while they’re at it.

What’s in Spieth’s bag this week?

e8110aadc2e28fe8301f6ffd8fe138b1

Nothing! We spotted Jordan Spieth’s bag completely empty in the Tour Van this week. No worries. He was getting his clubs re-gripped with SuperStroke’s new club grips.

ca326293e3d79a8c6fab09f4d116bc79

Even more notably, Spieth debuted the Momma Spieth’s, a pink version of the UA Drive One shoes in a pink colorway for Mother’s Day.

2338d59c99c37b928d433c7e71999d7bSunday at The Players will be a “pink-out,” so we’ll undoubtedly see the Momma Spieth’s again.

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. mlecuni

    May 14, 2016 at 3:12 pm

    Hi Andrew, from the last witb kj choi wasn’t hidding the M2 logo + why hide it if you put the big head cover on. it may because he is not playing the matrix Ozik TP6HDe shaft anymore, so he may just ajusted the swing weight. One thing i noticed is the lack of kjchoi logo on his irons, same model but may be new set.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

BK’s Breakdowns: Cameron Young’s winning WITB, 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

on

Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!

Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX

Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X

Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype

Continue Reading

Whats in the Bag

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Published

on

Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X

7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X

Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow

Check out more in-hand photos Malnati’s clubs here.

Continue Reading

Equipment

GolfWRX Members Choice presented by 2nd Swing: Best driver of 2025

Published

on

We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here

What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.

Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.

Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.

Best driver of 2025: The top 5

5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%

Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.

4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%

Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.

3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%

Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”

@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.

2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%

Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”

@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.

1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%

Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”

@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.

Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote

Driver Vote percentage (%)
Cobra DS Adapt Max K 4.85%
Ping G430 Max 10K 3.85%
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond 3.68%
TaylorMade Qi35 3.51%
Callaway Elyte 3.18%
Cobra DS Adapt X 2.34%
Cobra DS Adapt LS 2.17%
TaylorMade Qi35 LS 2.17%

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 2nd Swing Golf (@2ndswinggolf)

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending