Equipment
Michael Phelps’ mind-blowing gold Scotty Cameron + 10 awesome WM Phoenix Open photos
The WMPhoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale provides golf fans and party-goers the perfect environment to celebrate what they love to do most: Watch golf, and party.
As such, the WMPO also provides apparel and equipment companies the perfect inspirations to make cool, fun and custom gear for the people to enjoy.
The creative and custom merch never ceases to please, and this year was no different. Actually, I think everyone turned up the heat on making cool stuff for this year.
Also, as always, we had some celebrity sightings during the Wednesday Pro-Am, and we dove into the celebs bags to see what kind of golf clubs they’re using. Big names such as Michael Phelps, Alex Rodriguez, Nick Saban, and DJ Kygo lead the way.
Below are 10 stand-out equipment stories from the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, and don’t forget to click here for all of our photos from the week.
1) Michael Phelps’ gold 1-of-1 Scotty Cameron putter (and Olympic Gold Medal TaylorMade wedges) 
Michael Phelps, a 23-time Gold medal-winning Olympic Swimmer, deserves to play a custom golden putter, and Scotty Cameron delivered.
Based on the “DSS” stamping in the back cavity of the putter, it’s made of Demascus Stainless Steel, with a glistening gold finish.
“Scotty sent me the putter, and I told him I don’t know if I even want to play it [because of how beautiful it is],” Phelps told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at TPC Scottsdale. “Scotty said, ‘You better play it.’”
So, as instructed, Phelps used it in the WMPO Pro-Am on Wednesday.
If the gold 1-of-1 putter wasn’t enough, Phelps also uses custom TaylorMade MG2 wedges, which feature gold-and-silver star stampings that represent each of Phelps’ medal wins, in the precise order that he won them.
If I’m being 100% honest, that’s the coolest wedge stamping I’ve ever seen. Not sure how anything could top it, especially since you’d need at least 23 Gold medals to even compete. Looks like Phelps wins again.
See more Phelps WITB photos here
2) Alex Rodriguez, and his blacked out irons
Legendary baseball player Alex Rodriguez showed off a set all-black PXG 0311P Gen6 irons, which his caddie confirmed with GolfWRX.com that they were new in the bag for the event. He also uses a game-improvement Miura PI-401 long iron to add a touch of forgiveness at the top of the set.
Anecdotally speaking, for anyone curious about A-Rod’s power off the tee, he drove the ball nearly greenside on hole No. 10, which measures 373 yards from the Resort tees. It remains unconfirmed whether the ball took its first bounce off a cart path, but on a wet-and-rainy Wednesday, it was a colossal drive regardless. A-Rod has certified home-run power on the golf course (as much it pains this New York Mets fan to say).
See all the clubs Alex Rodgriquez has in the bag
3) DJ Kygo joins Cobra’s “Palm Tree Crew”
Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, a.k.a. DJ Kygo, is a world-famous music DJ from Norway, and he wow’d the golf equipment world by having a new Cobra Darkspeed “Palm Tree Crew” custom driver in the bag at the 2024 WMPO.
Some would even say his new driver Stole the Show…
4) Nicolo Galleti’s Silkyy custom Ping PLD putter
With all the talk of celebrities so far, I wanted to remind everyone that a serious PGA Tour event is also being played this week, and Monday qualifier Nicolo Galletti – a former ASU golfer and roommate of Jon Rahm – will be using this raw Ping PLD putter.
5) Waste Management custom gear
As discussed previously, the equipment companies turned up this year at the 2024 WMPO with their custom gear.
Below is a collection of photos from Bettinardi, Ping, SuperStroke, Odyssey and Swag Golf.
6) Higgo switches to a DF3 for south paws
In case you didn’t know, L.A.B. Golf recently launched a new line of DF3 (Directed Force 3) mallet putters, and left-hander Garrick Higgo has one in his bag this week.
7) Coach Nick Saban is still Coach Nick Saban
The legendary Nick Saban recently retired from his longtime head coaching gig at the University of Alabama, and accepted a job as an analyst for College GameDay. Although Saban will now be part of the media, he’s still Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide at heart, as displayed by his “Roll Tide” Ping Glide 4.0 wedge, and “Coach Nick Saban” stitched golf bag.
Check out Coach Nick Saban’s full WITB here
8) The 2021 National League Cy Young winner, Corbin Burnes, brings the heat
Three-time MLB All-Star Corbin Burnes, formerly a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, and currently a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, had a TaylorMade SIM “Rocket” 14-degree 3-wood in the bag, and this custom TaylorMade Spider GT putter on Tuesday at TPC Scottsdale.
9) Spotted: New Scotty Cameron T-9 and T-9.5 putters
Scotty Cameron unveiled a slew of new T-9 and T-9.5 model putters this week, including compact mallet shapes with a slew of new alignment lines on the crown, and several different hosel styles. The one-piece milled crown allows Scotty Cameron a clean canvas for extended sightlines, while still providing angular shapes within the design to frame the ball at address.
Check out all of the new Scotty Cameron putters here
10) A 16th Hole miracle
The rain-shortened Wednesday Pro-Am, which also featured a brief hail storm, turned into a closest-to-the-pin contest for all of the celebrities on the 16th Hole. Within minutes following the contest, a double rainbow sprouted out of the grandstands.
Somehow, the photo above isn’t an A.I.-generated advertisement for Whoop, but a real photo that I took of a double-rainbow hovering over the 16th green.
Truly awesome.
And, with that, we say goodbye to the biggest party on grass, and we’ll see you next week at Tiger’s event: The 2024 Genesis Open in L.A.
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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