Exterior of a minor distinction in loft, Clark’s putter is sort of an identical to Fowler’s.
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Thanks, Rick
Skilled golfers normally know when it’s time to make an gear change. Coming off a T27 displaying on the Gamers Championship, Wyndham Clark figured it was time to shake issues up with the putter after seeing too many putts inside 10 toes slide by the opening.
“[In] the again of my thoughts, I used to be like, I wanna strive the putter,” Clark mentioned.
The putter Clark referenced belongs to none aside from 5-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Folwer. To be clear, Clark didn’t swipe certainly one of Fowler’s putters. He simply occurred to do the following smartest thing: He requested Odyssey to construct him an actual reproduction.
To know Clark’s newest putter swap, let’s return to January when Fowler made a putter change of his personal at the American Categorical.
After making an attempt out caddie Ricky Romano’s Odyssey O-Works Jailbird mallet, Fowler requested Odyssey Tour rep Joe Toulon if he may construct one thing comparable. The putter, which encompasses a slab of lead tape on the only and a blacked-out Microhinge face insert, has performed a key function in a profession resurgence for Fowler. (He’s logged 10 top-25 finishes in 14 begins this season.)
The putter caught Clark’s eye throughout a cash recreation at Medalist Golf Membership, the place Fowler was burying every part in sight from inside 10 toes.
“[We were] out of Medalist taking part in the cash recreation and he was placing with it and didn’t miss inside 10 toes,” Clark mentioned. “When anybody’s placing that good, you’re sometimes like, Let me check out that. We practiced afterward and I used to be placing with mine, after which I attempted his a little bit bit and it felt actually good.”
Clark wasn’t prepared to change on the time, however issues modified following the Gamers Championship. In keeping with Toulon, Clark requested for Fowler’s construct, all the best way all the way down to the longer SuperStroke Tour 3.0 grip and 20-plus grams of lead tape located on the only. The one distinction is Clark performs with 2.5 levels of loft in comparison with Fowler’s 2.25. That’s it.
“Gotta give a shoutout to Rickie Fowler,” mentioned Clark. “The top is fairly heavy and also you don’t really feel like you may miss it offline. So far as brief putts, it’s so dialed that you simply really feel such as you’re going to make it each time.”
The Fowler-inspired putter (or is it a Romano-inspired putter?) has rejuvenated Clark’s recreation on the greens. He’s completed no worse than T29 in his final six begins to go together with 4 top-6 finishes.
After Sunday’s win in Charlotte — the place he ranked third in SG: Placing (plus-7.465) — Fowler would possibly wish to begin asking for royalties if Clark’s heater continues.
Change is sweet
Rory McIlroy returned to TaylorMade’s Spider Hydro Blast mallet however opted to exchange the SuperStroke Ryder Cup grip with a contemporary SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour that had “Rors” emblazoned on the entrance.
McIlroy confirmed the grip change was as a consequence of one thing he observed when he picked up his Spider putter lately.
“I turned it round and that ridge on the underside hand was getting a little bit twisted, which was getting my hand on the facet of it a little bit bit,” he mentioned. “As soon as I put a brand new grip on and squared it up a little bit bit, it felt like I may get my proper hand extra on high, reasonably than across the facet since you’re all the time desirous to get again to impartial, proper? It’s one thing I in all probability ought to have picked up earlier than, however I didn’t.”
A return to the outdated mallet with a contemporary grip didn’t get issues occurring the greens, as McIlroy completed forty fifth in SG: Placing (minus-0.247) en path to a T47 displaying.
Lastly on Tour
When Ping’s G430 lineup launched in January, many golfers picked up on a gap within the fairway wooden lineup. As a substitute of releasing a low-spin mannequin concurrently G430 SFT and G430 Max, Ping selected to attend till the Wells Fargo Championship to launch G430 LST.
Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates confirmed Stephan Jaeger (15.5 levels) and Andrew Landry (16 levels) had been the primary two staffers to make the green wooden swap official.
“Each gamers had been in a position to play additional loft and nonetheless see a rise in pace,” Oates mentioned. “The additional loft will increase their launch and the low-spin nature of the top managed spin to create an optimum flight for distance.”
We’ll have to attend for technical particulars, however the addition of beneficiant sole and again weights (it seems to be to be adjustable) makes us imagine there may very well be a substantial quantity of CG motion obtainable for the higher participant.
Fast-hitters: Rory McIlroy and TaylorMade have been working on a particular wedge grind. … How a intelligent gear hack solved this Tour winner’s sweaty-hands dilemma. … Adam Scott was noticed with a number of completely different utility irons final week. … Adam Scott moved right into a 48-degree Titleist Vokey Design pitching wedge after switching from KBS Tour 130 shafts to True Mood Dynamic Gold Tour Difficulty X100.
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