Comparing the swings of Jason Day and Dustin Johnson
In this video, I compare the driver swing of Jason Day and Dustin Johnson, two of the longest and most accomplished golfers in the world. I did this analysis at the request of my readers, as well as to show that there are many, many ways to swing a golf club effectively, even at the world-class level.
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Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
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Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
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Dennis Clark
Jul 1, 2016 at 1:09 pm
and blessed genetics!
Phil Underhill
Jul 1, 2016 at 7:30 am
It’s incredible how long DJ keeps the clubface square past impact, in fact it appears that the club is more open 12″ past the ball !!
It makes sense that this should happen given how shut he is at the top, and in fact generally seems like a logical way to swing
dennis clark
Jul 1, 2016 at 8:54 am
I think it good if you’re in the super high speed athletic mode as is his case. Not sure that has sufficient power for most though.
Phil Underhill
Jul 1, 2016 at 9:10 am
see what you mean, his length is due to the fact he’s 6’5″, athletic and has about 110º shoulder turn. could be potentially longer but maybe less straight
take away the height and shoulder turn and you’re at Zach Johnson clubhead speed, and he’s in better shape than most!
bc
Jul 1, 2016 at 1:31 pm
Well he has to shut at the top because he wants to come into it with the face closed to target so he can his his busting cut and hold it off like that
Dennis Clark
Jun 30, 2016 at 2:22 pm
The thing that goes unnoticed about DJ is the amount RIGHT WRIST cup he gets (and keeps) as a result of that left wrist flexion.
Dennis Clark
Jun 30, 2016 at 9:10 am
long, lanky, supple, strong etc. not a lifetime swing IMO…
Canadian Smizzle
Jun 30, 2016 at 10:10 am
Uh oh. I am certainly leaning towards the dj model a fair bit. And wow did i ever pick up club head speed. I was around 97 and my fastest swing is 122 on a flightscope. 118 average. I hooked it at first but i recently figured out how to move the ball both ways again. But it is real hard to move the ball less left and right swinging that fast. 97 mph i could shape both ways.
Jim
Jun 29, 2016 at 5:54 pm
As said, both super athletes, chances are they both would be just as good had they had learned from someone other then who they did…..it is called talent, hand eye coordination if you will. To much time is spent trying to explains why these guys and gals on tour are so good…it is simple, they just are that good.
dennis clark
Jun 29, 2016 at 6:21 pm
True Jim..the point of the analysis is how there are many ways that the great athletes accomplish what they do. Very different techniques from two world class athletes!
Bob Pegram
Jun 29, 2016 at 2:43 pm
As you point out, Dustin Johnson is very shut at the top due to his bowed left wrist. But his left wrist is not bowed at impact. My guess is that he is very loose jointed and that was a way when he was a kid to keep from leaving the face way open and hitting it dead right. That is an easy mistake to make for people who are loose jointed including loose wrists, especially a skinny kid.
Dennis Clark
Jun 29, 2016 at 3:24 pm
somebody was smart enough to leave him alone…thank goodness. Someone had tried to “fix” that club face, we may have never heard of DJ…
Edley
Jun 29, 2016 at 5:42 pm
We would have, but probably as an athlete in a different sport.
Steve
Jun 29, 2016 at 6:56 pm
Not likely
Edley
Jun 30, 2016 at 10:57 am
So much positivity.
Brian
Jul 1, 2016 at 8:43 am
In which sport? He was a good HS basketball player but he’s “only” 6’4″. That’s on the smallish side in the NBA except for guards, and DJ wasn’t a guard. He might be an athletic freak by golf’s standards, but he’s quite pedestrian by even NCAA basketball standards.
beejaybee
Jul 1, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Credit to Allen Terrell – CCU Golf Coach