Equipment

Tour Report: Fowler switches to a TaylorMade putter, JT makes a wedge change

Published

4 years ago

Feb 18, 2022

Tucked within the mansion-laden hills in Pacific Palisades, California, rests a beautiful and historic golf course – named The Riviera Country Club – where Tiger Woods hosts a yearly PGA Tour golf event.

As picturesque and story-filled the course may be, the competitors must properly prepare themselves for a challenging 72-hole test.

In this week’s Tour Report, I discuss the gear changes that the pros have made to properly arm themselves to tackle this week’s difficulties and other interesting findings from inside the ropes.

Enjoy this week’s eight hottest takeaways from the 2022 Genesis Invitational.

1) Kikuyu confusion

The fairways and rough at Riviera are made of Kikuyugrass – a native grass of Africa – that’s quite spongy. While nice to look at, the texture of the grass can cause issues with turf interaction on pitches and simple chip shots around the green.

To deal with the difficulties of Kikuyu, according to Titleist Vokey wedge rep Aaron Dill, players are either adding more bounce to add forgiveness or taking away bounce to allow the leading edge to work through the turf quicker. That means players are going with two opposing strategies to solve the same problem.

“This golf course is unique; this grass is unique,” Dill told GolfWRX. “Kikuyugrass is just weird. It’s a weird grass and in a weird way it makes wedges feel really sticky. It presents some challenges for chipping and wedge play. I’m seeing some guys switch bounces…you got JT, he’s going in with a K-grind this week. He knows that this grass just grabs stuff, so he wants to feel some forgiveness going out. Then you’ll see some guys gravitate to the opposite end, where they’ll say they want to feel the wedge working through the ground fast. And that usually means we have to reduce bounce, so we’ve seen some guys do that, as well.”

Justin Thomas has chosen the higher bounce option this week by adding in Vokey K-grind, a high-bounce wide-sole option to ensure his wedge doesn’t dig too much into the Kikuyu.

2) Rickie Fowler’s first time in a TaylorMade putter

@RiggsBarstool This is a big deal @RickieFowler @TaylorMadeGolf pic.twitter.com/sy2bNA1c1u

— Lesley (@DoinkTheCIown) February 17, 2022

Fowler, who’s most recently used Scotty Cameron and Cobra putters, has switched into TaylorMade’s new Spider GT Black mallet this week. While many versions of the new putter are available to Tour players, Fowler’s version has the following specs:

A single sightline on the crown
35 inches in length
3 degrees of loft
70-degree lie angle
A fluted shaft
TaylorMade rubber pistol grip

The company also says it’s Fowler’s first time ever using a TaylorMade putter in competition.

3) Beverly’s ports

It’s not completely uncommon for pros to use clubs that have holes in their back cavities; this process is also known as “porting.” Something was different about the placement of Beverly’s ports, though, so I had to ask Dill for his insight on the build.

According to Dill, the holes helped reduce his swing weights down to D3-D5, offsetting the weight added from his +0.5-inch lengths. They’re also placed out on the heel and toe portions to avoid intruding on the “Bob Vokey” wings. Now that’s how you pay respect to the wedge legend Bob Vokey himself.

To read the full story about Beverly’s wedges, click here!

4) Rory and DJ iron things out

Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are both switching things up at Riviera in the top end of their bags by removing a hybrid and replacing it with a 3-iron.

For McIlroy, he’s opting for a new TaylorMade P790 3-iron, equipped with an extra stout Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10TX shaft. Check out Rory’s full WITB here!

Johnson, on the other hand, has added in a TaylorMade DJ Proto blade 3-iron, equipped with his usual True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 iron shaft.

5) Hadwin’s Tour Drills

In a new segment called “Tour Drills,” I highlighted Adam Hadwin’s incredibly simple, yet effective, drills that he’s incorporated into his range practice at PGA Tour events. If you’re looking to shape your shots with better control, or you want more speed with the driver, these drills will be for you.

To learn how to conduct these drills for yourself, click here!

6) PGA Tour looper Reynolds Robinson provides real insight

PGA Tour veteran caddie Reynolds Robinson (caddie for Joseph Bramlett) dropped a bunch of gems on this week’s Caddie Corner. Click here for the full 15-question Q&A, and check out my favorite quote from him below regarding his advice for amateurs based on his time working with PGA Tour pros:

“Play within your means,” Robinson says. “Don’t try to hit the hero shot, just focus more on course management than you do on spectacular shots. If I had the swing to go with the knowledge I had now, I’d be a hell of a player. I just don’t have the swing these guys do. The one thing I learn from these guys is that even though they have the shots, they’ve learned how to manage their way around the golf course when it’s not looking good. They won’t take the hero shot. They’ll make the smart play. So for amateurs, play within yourself and don’t make the hero play, just manage the course and you’ll probably save a lot of strokes over the course of a round.”

7) Finau’s arrow

Tony Finau found winning success with this custom Ping PLD Anser 2D putter last year at The Northern Trust, and it still isn’t out of the bag.

Finau’s prototype is unique for two main reasons: 1) It’s made to perfectly match his look and feel preferences, and 2) It has alignment lines drawn on with permanent marker on both the top line near the hosel and on the head below the hosel portion.

In speaking with Ping tour rep Tony Serrano, we learned that Finau uses the lines to help with the position of his hands at setup.

“He uses the arrow and the line on top so when he gets behind a putt, he can get into the right address position,” Ping Tour rep Tony Serrano. “His hands tend to get too forward and drop a little bit, so the permanent marker lines help to get him in position. When he sees them disappear, he knows he’s good to fire.”

Just because he’s a PGA Tour winner doesn’t mean he’s too good for permanent marker lines on his custom putter.

8) Charl Schwartzel’s “Wilson” putter?!

While Schwartzel was testing putters on the putting green, I was confused when he started using a putter with an upside-down Wilson logo in the back cavity.

Upon further inspection, it was actually just a piece of Wilson lead tape that’s made for tennis, which he placed onto his 2007 Scotty Cameron Catalina Classic putter to add weight to the head.

Classic mixup by me. I promise I’ll be better next week as I report in from the 2022 Honda Classic.

See you next week!

Check out the rest of our photos from the 2022 Genesis Invitational here!

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

7 Comments

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ProjectX

Feb 21, 2022 at 8:05 am

So Finau just turned his Ping Putter into a Seemore…got it.

Reply Report comment
Professor

Feb 19, 2022 at 4:29 pm

Great read but I believe the Riv is 71 holes…

Reply Report comment
- Professor
  
  Feb 19, 2022 at 4:30 pm
  
  Sorry, par 71.
  
  Reply Report comment
Joe Intravaia

Feb 19, 2022 at 3:45 pm

Missing you on Fully Equipped good luck in the new job.

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

10 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

10 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

13 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.