We are live at Aronimink Golf Club this week for the 108th playing of the PGA Championship. The second major is here, and we are off and running in a hurry. GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore captured shots of a few gear changes this week, such as which clubs to use off the tee and which bounce to use with wedges around the tree. Nothing too unfamiliar in the bag on the week of a major championship.

We definitely see some new players in the mix, with the top 20 PGA Professionals qualifying this week through the PGA Professional Championship, held at Bandon Dunes just a couple of weeks ago. This championship spans the globe of professional tour golf and is looking to be an exciting finish come Sunday. But to the nitty-gritty, let’s see who has some lead tape on their clubs this week for this PGA Championship edition of The Lead Tape Report.

Dustin Johnson

Kicking things off this week for the Lead Tape Report is Dustin Johnson. Now, the equipment free agent has a Titleist GTS 2 driver in the bag, even with a little bit of lead tape on the toe, helping with a little cut shot off the tee. The B2 setting on the driver makes it for the standard loft, but .75 degrees more upright. The driver has his familiar Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X. DJ’s free agency with his bag setup goes with a Titleist driver, familiar TaylorMade fairway woods and irons, Vokey wedges, and TaylorMade Spider putter. He has played in every PGA Championship since 2009.

Austin Hurt

Playing in his second PGA Championship, Austin Hurt makes his way to Aronimink qualifying at Bandon Dunes at the PGA Professional Championship. He tied for 4th place and kicked off that event with an 8-under par 64 on the Bandon Dunes course. His first PGA Championship was at Southern Hills in 2022. We can see there is some lead tape on the wedges. A nice raw finish at that. 

On a personal level, this is someone I have played golf with since high school. Shout out to the 3A Metro League in Seattle. Austin played at Bainbridge High School and myself at Nathan Hale. It was a big deal to miss a half day of school and head over to play a match at Wing Point Country Club on Bainbridge Island, just across Puget Sound from downtown Seattle. Austin is now the Head Golf Professional at Wing Point Golf and Country Club, representing the Pacific Northwest PGA Section at this week’s PGA Championship.

Ian Holt

The current points leader on the Korn Ferry Tour, Ian Holt, is in the field this week. With two wins this year and six top 25 finishes this season, this is going to be a great week to get in the mix. Another great club to get in the mix is the Srixon ZX driving iron, a nice slab of high-density tape on the back flange. This Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX shaft has some bag wear, showing this club has been there through thick and thin. With no stranger taking it deep, this will be a fun follow this week with Ian and his PGA Championship debut.

Michael Block

Playing in his 8th PGA Championship this week, Block’s clubs have the level of customization we love to see. Battle-tested and game-used! Blockie is the topic of a lot of media attention, and for good reason, but we’re happy to see the clubs he plays have plenty of lead tape. This Taylormade Tour Preferred MC iron set is from 2014. We also see one of his wedges with a custom sole grind. He’s also rolling a classic Odyssey 2-Ball putter. This putter has been in the bag for some great moments around the club, to the bright lights on the professional stage. 

Derek Berg

Derek Berg makes his first appearance at the PGA Championship this week via the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes. Derek represents the Pacific Northwest PGA Section, where he is a teacher at the PNW Golf Academy. He is one of the Northwest’s most decorated players when it comes to PGA section majors. With his Ping woods, wedges, and putter, we do not see any lead tape, but that changes with the Srixon irons. Just to get the feel just right. Another personal note is that Derek, growing up in the Seattle area and a developing player, used to go to my Dad’s golf shop to get his equipment fit to his specifications. As a northwest native, it’s really cool to see some of our guys in the field this week!