Equipment
TOUR REPORT: Rickie Fowler changes back to his Scotty Cameron “Tiger Woods” putter from 2014
Welcome to Detroit, a.k.a the Motor City, a.k.a. The D, a.k.a Motown a.k.a. The 313, a.k.a Detroit has a lot of nicknames, but we can move along now.
Detroit is home to some of the most passionate automotive gearheads in the world, but this story is for the golf equipment gearheads. Car people are still welcome to read, you’ll just need to hamper your expectations; this is about golf clubs.
As the PGA Tour headed to Detroit Golf Club for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage, GolfWRX was live on site during the practice round days to figure out what clubs the pros are playing, what changes they’re making, and why.
No sense wasting any more time on the intro, let’s dive right into this week’s Tour Report.
Tony Finau’s hilarious reason for switching up golf ball markings between holes
Tony Finau, fresh off his 3M Open win last week, spoke to GolfWRX at the Rocket Mortgage about his golf ball markings.
His unique markings are two-fold:
- The five-line markings on the side help Finau with his aim, alignment and stroke feedback.
- He marks the front of the golf ball with the initials of one of his five kids.
How does Finau decide which child he’s going to represent on his golf ball, though? His explanation is hilarious.
“I start with one (kid) and see how they perform,” Finau told GolfWRX on Tuesday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “If they’re not performing well, I just start switching them out. I’m pretty lenient, I’ll give them some time, but right out of the gate, if it’s lip-out and lip-out in a couple holes, it’s the next one up.
“The good thing is I have five kids, so usually one of them is working, at least.”
Read our full story about Finau over on PGATOUR.com
Webb Simpson switches back into classics
Simpson was in our equipment news in May thanks to his switch to Titleist T100 irons. The changeup was notable because Simpson has always preferred blade irons throughout his career, but the T100’s are cavity-backs.
Well, the change wasn’t for the longterm apparently, since Simpson switched out the T100 irons for his old Titleist 680 Forged MB irons, which were first released to the public all the way back in 2003. He told GolfWRX he made the switch a few weeks after the 2022 PGA Championship because the T100’s were simply too hot.
Find out why Simpson uses a “5.5 iron,” or see more photos of Simpson’s irons in our GolfWRX Forums
Rickie Fowler goes back to his “Tiger Woods” putter
After sending his classic putter to “timeout,” and a year of steady experimentation, Fowler has returned to his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype putter.
He switched back to the putter at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, but we caught up with Fowler in Detroit this week to hear why.
“Just ran its course (with the previous putters) and ready to go back to the trusty,” Fowler told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. “I mean, I’ve kind of done it through my whole career where I’ll have something for a bit, then go back to something different, change it up.
“She might have needed a little timeout, but hopefully she’s gonna heat up.”
Fowler first used the putter in 2014, and what makes the putter so special is it actually came from a stash of German Stainless Steel (GSS) putters that were stashed away for Tiger Woods. Yes, that means Fowler’s Scotty Cameron putter was made for Tiger, but with the proper permissions, Fowler was able to borrow one. Eight years later, it’s still in play.
Also, a quick moment of appreciation for GolfWRX photographer Greg Moore. The fact that he shot in-hand photos of Fowler’s original putter in 2014, and again in 2022, is a testament to how long he’s been providing GolfWRX with the best WITB photos on the Internet.
See more photos of Rickie’s new-old putter here
SPOTTED: Henrik Norlander’s PXG 0317 ST Milled blade prototypes
We had some breaking news this week at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Check out our TikTok post below for everything we know about the unseen irons:
@golfwrx SPOTTED: PXG 0311 ST Milled blade prototype irons, and why Henrik Norlander is using them at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic #detroit #golf #irons #prototype #new #spotted #golftiktok ? original sound – golfwrx
For more photos of the irons, check out our GolfWRX Forum thread here.
Geoff Ogilvy, a putter update
When I saw Geoff Ogilvy’s name on the field list for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage, I couldn’t wait to see what putter he had in the bag. Ogilvy is “scratching the itch” by playing competitive golf two times in the recent three weeks after taking a four-year hiatus.
GolfWRX hasn’t caught up with Ogilvy in four years, though, and we’ve always known him to have an awesome putter. He didn’t disappoint.
OK, so maybe it’s not AS cool as his rusted out custom Scotty Cameron he used back in the day…
But it’s still great to see Ogilvy back out on the PGA Tour, and rolling the rock with some Scotty Cameron heat.
Check out Ogilvy’s full 2022 WITB here!
Sahith Theegala tests out a…mallet putter?
On Tuesday, Theegala, who’s typically a blade putter user, was out on the practice greens hitting putts with a custom Ping PLD mallet putter with five different alignment lines on it.
“Hmm, that’s weird,” I thought to myself.
As it turns out, it actually is pretty weird for him. Theegala told me on Tuesday that he’s only used a mallet putter for two rounds in his entire life, and both rounds came at last year’s Korn Ferry Tour finals.
While he wasn’t positive on switching, he called it a 1-to-2 week experiment if anything. We’ll have to keep an eye on Theegala over the next few weeks to see what he ends up deciding.
See more photos of Sahith’s Ping PLD mallet putter here
And with that, we say goodbye to the Motor City. We’ll see you next week in Greensboro, N.C. for the 2022 Wyndham Championship.
Want more equipment news? Check out the following links:
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
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
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
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% |
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Brandon
Jul 30, 2022 at 8:47 am
And Rickie missed the cut, again.Im fully convinced those ridiculous signature blades he tried to play and couldn’t completely destroyed him. Saw him make a double for the middle of the fairway, 110 yards out yesterday. That’s what I do, not pro golfers.