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Inside the recent club changes that propelled Matt Fitzpatrick to victory

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Matt Fitzpatrick has been on a heater. He’s already collected two PGA Tour titles this season, doubling his win total on the Tour, and it all comes in a three-tournament stretch after a runner-up finish at The Players Championship.

Seven days after that 72nd-hole heartbreak at the 2026 Players Championship, Fitzpatrick found redemption with a 72nd-hole birdie at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course, rolling in a 14-foot putt to win the Valspar Championship. This past Sunday, he defeated Scottie Scheffler on the first playoff hole at Harbour Town to win the RBC Heritage for the second time in his career.

Interestingly, both Fitzpatrick’s victories this season come off the back of some key club decisions.

Just a few weeks before Fitzpatrick’s first win of the season, he had returned to his trusty Bettinardi BB1 Fitz blade putter, with the sole focus on draining putts from the exact range he capped off his third victory on the PGA Tour.

“I think make rates with my blade was significantly better, but strokes gained in general was pretty equal,” Fitzpatrick said Wednesday at the Valspar after returning to his Bettinardi BB1 Fitz blade putter. “I think my make rates sort of between 5 to 15 feet were much better with the blade, and that kind of convinced me to go back.”

It’s no surprise that Fitzpatrick found the answer after a six or so-month spell with a different Bettinardi BB48 Prototype. The Englishman is renowned for keeping notes on every shot he hits in competition, and while he says the strokes-gained stats were similar between the two, it was more about how many times he found the bottom of the cup from scoring positions.

“I just kind of looked at the data, felt like I had long enough with the mallet and, happy to be back using what I have now,” Fitzpatrick added.

The data does not lie. Despite a season-ending victory on the DP World Tour at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai with the mallet prototype, Fitzpatrick’s make rates from that 5-to-15 foot distance were less than stellar to start 2026. Prior to his switch back to the trusty blade, Fitzpatrick ranked 130th on Tour in putter average from that distance, at 42.42 percent and holing just 42 of 99 attempts. Fast-forward through his now two victories on Tour this season, and Fitzpatrick is already up to 67th and above Tour average.

Fitzpatrick’s custom putter has an interesting backstory, dating back to his amateur days and to a company that no longer exists. Fitzpatrick’s blade, which he’s used to win the 2022 U.S. Open, is designed around an old Yes! Tracy II putter. Funnily enough, The Country Club in Brookline, where Fitzpatrick captured his major championship victory, is also the spot where Fitzpatrick used the Yes! Golf putter to win the 2013 U.S. Amateur just nine years earlier.

After Yes! Golf went into bankruptcy in 2010, Fitzpatrick was forced to find replacement putters on eBay. It was at that point that the Englishman began talks with Betternadi to design something similar. Around 30 prototypes later, and the addition of the same C-Groove milling for on the original Yes! Golf putter faces, Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi BB1 was born.

“The (Yes! Golf) C-Groove has grooves that are milled at an angle, and after studying them, we learned they got the ball into a forward roll, or a true roll faster,” Sam Bettinardi, now president of Bettinardi Golf, previously told GolfWRX. “We took that and perfected it, and took it into our Roll Control face, which is what you see in our Inovai and Studio Stock line now. So we bettered that C-Groove for feel purposes, and got the grooves a little bit sharper with our precision machining techniques. … The best part for us was that the company was out of business and the patent on the C-Groove expired.”

The final product that Fitzpatrick has used to win twice this season is made of double-annealed stainless steel, which means it’s double heat-treated to offer a softer feel and sound. The final head weight is around 345 grams and features Bettinardi’s flow neck. Fitzpatrick’s beloved soccer club, Sheffield United Football Club, is stamped “SUFC” on the heel.

Ironically, the club is nicknamed…“The Blades.”

It wasn’t the only gear switch that has resulted in victories for Fitzpatrick this season. The Englishman made some club trades throughout his RBC Heritage victory.

Ahead of the first major of the season, Fitzpatrick added a 7-wood to his bag for the Masters. It was actually part of a 3-, 5-, and 7-wood setup (all TaylorMade Qi35), the Englishman was utilizing at Augusta National instead of his 4- and 3-irons. And it was a strategy Fitzpatrick returned to for the middle two rounds at Harbour Town, before ultimately making the decision to return to the 4-iron for Sunday’s final round. It proved to be pivotal, as on the first playoff hole, Fitzpatrick used the club to set up a birdie to defeat Scheffler.

“But it was such a great number for 4-iron, and it’s the only round all week we’ve had 4-iron in the bag. Sorry, no, maybe the first round, but didn’t even hit a shot with it on the first round,” Fitzpatrick said after victory and the decision to re-add the club.

Fitzpatrick tees it up this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, alongside his brother Alex, who also has a win this season, at the DP World Tour’s Hero Indian Open. We’ll make sure to keep an eye on their bags for any game-time decision-making.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Charles Incharge

    Apr 21, 2026 at 1:26 pm

    ^ What he said!! GO FITZ!! Classless Yanks screaming all that nonsense had no effect!!

  2. Benny

    Apr 21, 2026 at 1:14 pm

    Awesome stuff Wrx, thank you!

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Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

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Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game. 

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag. 

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026. 

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Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly. 

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
  • MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
  • dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

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Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo.  4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades.  5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft.   Standard Length, Lie and Lofts.  These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me.  Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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