News

Looking back on a golf genius: Anthony Kim (with final full bag specs)

Published

6 years ago

Mar 20, 2020

John Wunder

I can’t believe it’s been almost eight years since Anthony Kim teed it up last. He left us to get Achilles surgery in the summer of 2012, and we haven’t seen him since. It’s been well speculated as to the why and how he decided to leave the game, but ultimately no one really has the answer but the man himself.

Frankly, I’m grateful for the time he did give us. He was electric, fun, precise, wild, cocky, humble, and everything else. For every story of AK out on the town doing things that 20-somethings do, there is another story of his prolific generosity and humility.

LISTEN TO THE GEAR DIVE w/ Anthony Kim’s long-time swing coach Adam Schriber for the story of AK changing someone’s life with a big tip.

In my opinion, if he were still playing and healthy, he would be in that BK, Rory convo constantly. Let’s face it, he played well until injuries started to creep in. It’s a fact. His health went sideways in 2010, and it was uphill climb until he decided to hang it up.

I wanted to dive a little deeper into his gear, so I went to the person that worked with him closest. Ex-Nike tour tech and now @thetourvan‘s Ben Giunta.

SEE BELOW FOR AK’s final bag specs before he hung ’em up.

Ben Giunta, who worked with AK for years, had to say in regards to AK and his equipment.

JW: Not sure if TrackMan was really a thing back then but what kind of numbers did AK put up?

BG: So this is kinda weird in an era where TM is everywhere but I honestly don’t recall using a TM with AK. In those days, we used the big grey Nike talking box and don’t remember any of his data. I bet he was a 175-178 mph ball speed guy.

JW: Early on, he was known to use a low-lofted hybrid to replace his 3-wood. What was the process like to finally get him in that club?

BG: He hated hitting the ball left, especially with his woods. His fairway woods were always flat and bent open with hot-melt towards the toe. The only exception was in 2011, I built him a hot drawing 3-wood for Augusta. It wasn’t necessarily difficult to get him into a 3-wood, you just had to make sure it never went left (laughter).

JW: Did Mike Taylor do anything special to his irons? Or were they standard Nike blades?

BG: I’m sure MT touched his irons a bit, as he did for every Nike athlete, but he was pretty much a stock blade guy out of the box. His wedges, on the other hand, were MT specials. 54 and 59 every time with some specific toe-heel grinding on the 59. He was an incredible wedge player.

JW: Anything special overall you did for his equipment that stands out?

BG: AK was an incredible ball striker but when he missed it was left. I felt like we were always messing with woods…always open, always flat. AK wasn’t much of a tech guy, didn’t care much about what the product should do, just wanted it to work. 100 percent feel.

JW: Any fun AK stories from your time with him?

BG: Lots of AK stories, met the kid in 2007 at Q-School. He had just turned pro and at that time was followed by a ton of hype. I remember checking in with him to make sure he was good equipment-wise and he was as cool as could be smoking 4-iron after 4-iron, and I thought to myself this kid is going to be unbelievable.

15 months later he’s the hottest thing since sliced bread but still down to earth, at least inside the ropes. I remember seeing him in early 2013 with Adam at the Yard House in Palm Desert but the last event we actually did work was Quail in 2012 when he last showed up at a tour event. He was always good to me, great ball striker and competitor.

Anthony Kim’s final specs

Driver: Nike VR Pro LTD 9.5 @10, +3 Open, 55 Lie, D4 w/ UST Attas RK Proto 7X tipped 1 3/4 @44.75.

3-wood: Nike VR Pro LTD 15 @15.5, +3 Open, 56 Lie, D4 w/ Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana Ahina 80X@43

5-wood: Nike VR Pro LTD 19 @17, +4 Open, 56 Lie, D4 1/2 w/ UST AxivCore Tour Red 89X @42

Irons: Nike VR Pro Split CB (3) NIKE VR Pro MB (4-P) w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400. All Irons at D3 and Std Length (38 inch 5 Iron, 35 3/4 PW)

Wedges: Nike VR Pro “MT Grind”: (54, 59) w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400, 54 @D4, 59@D 4 1/2

Lofts and lies per club

3: 20, 56 1/2
4: 23, 56 1/2
5: 27, 58 1/2
6: 30, 59 3/4
7: 34, 60 1/2
8: 38, 61
9: 42, 61 1/2
PW: 46, 62
SW: 54, 61 1/2
LW: 59, 61 1/2

Putter: Switched between a Scotty Cameron “Button Back” Newport 2 and a Nike Method

Grips: Golf Pride BCT 60R Logo Down

When you look closely, you can see exactly what Ben was alluding to as far as the flatness of AK’s sticks. It was fun to dig into his bag a bit further but ultimately it’s bittersweet. I want AK to come back in a blaze of glory. He’s good for the game on every level. He’s a star, and I don’t think we ever saw exactly what he was capable of, just glancing blows.

Come back to work, pro. Right now!

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24 Comments

Pingback: WITB Time Machine: Anthony Kim’s 2012 Wells Fargo Championship WITB | GolfTechie
Pingback: WITB Time Machine: Anthony Kim’s 2012 Wells Fargo Championship WITB – GolfWRX
Hoganben

Apr 8, 2020 at 11:42 am

What do you want the writers to write about?….Belerussian soccer is being played I think…we could read about their diets…vodka and borscht

Reply Report comment
Joe

Apr 5, 2020 at 6:20 pm

Genius, is really over used.

Reply Report comment
MW

Apr 3, 2020 at 7:49 pm

Must be pretty desperate in the journalism department these days. How is this even an article?

Reply Report comment
Kim Anthony

Apr 2, 2020 at 8:32 pm

The legend that never was

Reply Report comment
the dude

Apr 1, 2020 at 9:31 am

How’d this guy get “genius” status……gimme a break..

Reply Report comment
- Speedy
  
  Apr 2, 2020 at 3:38 pm
  
  Right on, Dude. Overrated.
  
  Reply Report comment
MajDuffer

Mar 23, 2020 at 12:34 pm

AK became consumed with the hype of famedom. He became a diva and spent time being a
rock star versus practice and physical training to keep his body in top shape. The golf swing is very repetitive motion and as such puts tremendous stress on various parts of your body. Just ask TW, but his conditioning regimes allowed him to continue to
play/rehab due to his physical conditioning. AK let himself down and thought his talent would overcome conditioning. Didn’t happen and then everything started changing and soon it was gone. Talent in golf will only take you so far, but hard work and conditioning will provide years of rewards.

Reply Report comment
- Nack Jicklaus
  
  May 2, 2020 at 7:34 am
  
  This made me think of John Daly. I wonder how much more success he could have had if he had tried to get in good physical condition…Maybe a lot more, who knows?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jon Burrows
    
    Mar 29, 2021 at 5:58 pm
    
    Daly just shows you how overrated AK was. Daly won 2 majors his 1st 4 years on tour. AK only acted like he did and then quit at the 1st sign of adversity.
    
    Reply Report comment
TomAce

Mar 23, 2020 at 10:10 am

AK AK AK, I mean I wish he kept playing but WRX been talking about his absence for years. Give it a rest. He couldn’t give one microgram of thought to any of you.

Reply Report comment
- Scott Mack
  
  Mar 24, 2020 at 8:25 pm
  
  I wish AK health and happiness. Stay cool
  
  Reply Report comment
Stricks

Mar 22, 2020 at 4:20 pm

AK and that shinny diamond belt, smoked Sergio at Ryders.
I remember seeing him early on at Harbortown, he seemed nice enough. A year later saw him at the bar in San Diego and he was cocky, rich, spoiled and treated people with disrespect.

Glad he’s doing well with his $10 Mil, but don’t miss him on Sundays.

Reply Report comment
jim

Mar 22, 2020 at 2:07 pm

golfwrx the home of the Golfwrx moderator douchbags

Reply Report comment
- Scott G
  
  Mar 23, 2020 at 8:52 am
  
  Agreed/ You cannot post anything these guys disagree with or you will be blocked. Complete douche control … no chance of appeal.
  
  Reply Report comment
Alex

Mar 22, 2020 at 12:29 am

I think he either would have figured it out and stayed around and won a major off of talent alone much like Adam Scott or Sergio. Basically too much of a great ball striker with length that one week it would have been inevitable or…he would have flamed out due to lack of discipline. That’s where you have to hand it to Sergio. Lifelong dbag, but also lifelong grinder that never threw in the towel.

Reply Report comment
Michael Joyce

Mar 21, 2020 at 2:52 pm

AK had a problem with drugs alcohol and women just like Tiger. Too much to soon two young to bad. No mun no fun your son
Too bad so sad your dad.

Reply Report comment
Sailfishchris

Mar 21, 2020 at 11:06 am

…..coulda……..woulda……..shoulda…….

Reply Report comment
Bob Parsons

Mar 20, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Isn’t he basically not playing because it would be insurance fraud?

Reply Report comment
- SCOTT
  
  Mar 21, 2020 at 1:09 am
  
  That’s what I heard as well. Most people are not aware that he can’t be seen in public hitting a golf ball or he will lose $…..
  
  Reply Report comment
  - 19_Majors
    
    Mar 21, 2020 at 2:01 pm
    
    It wouldn’t be insurance fraud, his policy would just be over. His policy is most likely one of being compensated for loss of income due to injury. If he can prove that he can golf again, then his insurance policy would be over since he could make money from golf again. So his only options are to either try to practice and get good enough for the PGA Tour again, or keep his sticks in the closet and pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars per year from insurance.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Mike
      
      Apr 5, 2020 at 6:38 pm
      
      Remember the “leave the gun, take the cannolis” line from Godfather? In this case, “leave the clubs (in the closet), cash the check”!
      
      Reply Report comment
- Mike
  
  Apr 5, 2020 at 6:35 pm
  
  BINGO!!! Thank you for putting it out there. He (or someone) was smart enough to buy that policy. He had, what, 2, maybe 3 good seasons 10+ YEARS AGO? WHO CARES ABOUT AK in 2020?????????? Let’s let this storyline fade into obscurity ASAP.
  
  Reply Report comment

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News

WITB Time Machine: Phil Mickelson’s winning WITB, 2021 PGA Championship

Published

19 hours ago

May 13, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Phil Mickelson made history at the 2021 PGA Championship on Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. At 50, he became the oldest player to win a major, breaking Julius Boros’s record. Starting the final round with a slim lead, Lefty faced tough competition from Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen. He pulled ahead with key birdies and a standout 366-yard drive on the 16th hole. Finishing 6 under par and two shots ahead, Mickelson claimed his sixth major and second PGA Championship. Many saw his win as an inspiring comeback, showing that experience and determination can still lead to victory in professional golf — and, sometimes, age is just a number.

Driver: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (6 degrees @5.5 , green dot cog)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X (47.9 inches)

2-wood: TaylorMade “Original One” Mini Driver (11.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X

4-wood (Sunday only): Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (16) (Thursday-Saturday), Callaway X21 UT Proto (19 degrees @20.5, 25), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (small groove) (6-PW)
Shafts: (16) MCA MMT 105 TX, KBS Tour V 125 S+

Wedges: Callaway PM Grind ’19 “Raw” (52-12@50, 55-12, 60-10)
Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 S+

Putter: Odyssey Milled Blade “Phil Mickelson”
Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X (Triple Track)

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

More photos of Phil Mickelson’s WITB here.

News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

Jon Rahm +1300
Cameron Young +1500
Bryson DeChambeau +1700
Xander Schauffele +1850
Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Tommy Fleetwood +2600
Collin Morikawa +3500
Brooks Koepka +3900
Justin Rose +4300
Russell Henley +4600
Si Woo Kim +4700
Justin Thomas +4800
Robert MacIntyre +5300
Patrick Cantlay +5300
Viktor Hovland +5400
Tyrrell Hatton +5500
Jordan Spieth +5900
Sam Burns +6000
Hideki Matsuyama +6200
Adam Scott +6400
Rickie Fowler +7000
Chris Gotterup +7400
Patrick Reed +7400
Min Woo Lee +7800
Ben Griffin +8000
Sepp Straka +8400
Shane Lowry +9000
Akshay Bhatia +9200
Maverick McNealy +9200
Joaquin Niemann +9200
Jake Knapp +9200
Jason Day +9600
Kurt Kitayama +10000
J.J. Spaun +10000
Harris English +10500
Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
Gary Woodland +11000
David Puig +11000
Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
Jacob Bridgeman +12000
Keegan Bradley +12500
Corey Conners +14000
Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
Sungjae Im +15500
Sahith Theegala +15500
Harry Hall +15500
Alex Noren +16000
Thomas Detry +16500
Marco Penge +16500
Kristoffer Reitan +17000
Alex Smalley +17000
Wyndham Clark +17500
Sam Stevens +17500
Keith Mitchell +17500
Daniel Berger +18500
Ryan Gerard +20000
Nick Taylor +20000
Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
Dustin Johnson +21000
Pierceson Coody +23000
Aaron Rai +24000
Jordan Smith +24000
Angel Ayora +24000
Bud Cauley +25000
Matt McCarty +26000
Jayden Schaper +26000
Brian Harman +27000
Taylor Pendrith +27000
Ryan Fox +27000
J.T. Poston +27000
Cameron Smith +29000
Ryo Hisatsune +29000
Michael Kim +29000
Max Homa +29000
Denny McCarthy +29000
Tom McKibbin +30000
Rico Hoey +32000
Matt Wallace +32500
Ricky Castillo +33000
Haotong Li +33000
Michael Brennan +34000
Max Greyserman +36000
Stephan Jaeger +37500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
Aldrich Potgieter +40000
Andrew Novak +42000
Patrick Rodgers +42500
Daniel Hillier +42500
Max McGreevy +46000
Billy Horschel +48000
Chris Kirk +48000
Ian Holt +49000
Casey Jarvis +49000
William Mouw +50000
Steven Fisk +50000
John Parry +50000
Nico Echavarria +52500
Garrick Higgo +52500
John Keefer+55000
Matthias Schmid +57500
Austin Smotherman +57500
Sami Valimaki +60000
Andrew Putnam +60000
Lucas Glover +62500
Daniel Brown +62500
Jhonattan Vegas +75000
Emiliano Grillo +80000
Mikael Lindberg +85000
Adrien Saddier +100000
Bernd Wiesberger +100000
Elvis Smylie +110000
Stewart Cink +130000
Kota Kaneko +130000
David Lipsky +150000
Chandler Blanchet +150000
Andy Sullivan +150000
Joe Highsmith +180000
Adam Schenk +200000
Travis Smyth +200000
Davis Riley +225000
Martin Kaymer +400000
Brian Campbell +400000
Padraig Harrington +450000
Kazuki Higa +450000
Jordan Gumberg +450000
Ryan Vermeer +500000
Austin Hurt +500000
Tyler Collet +500000
Timothy Wiseman +500000
Shaun Micheel +500000
Y.E. Yang +500000
Michael Block+500000
Mark Geddes+500000
Luke Donald+500000
Bryce Fisher+500000
Jimmy Walker +500000
Jason Dufner +500000
Jesse Droemer +500000
Jared Jones +500000
Garrett Sapp +500000
Francisco Bide +500000
Zach Haynes +500000
Paul McClure+500000
Derek Berg +500000
Chris Gabriele +500000
Braden Shattuck +500000
Ben Polland +500000
Ben Kern +50000

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

3 days ago

May 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.