Rory McIlroy added a single sight line to the crown of his TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter.
Jonathan Wall
The PGA Tour heads to Bay Hill this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. With Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and other marquee names in the field, GOLF.com equipment editor Jonathan Wall is on site to see what’s in their bags, as well as highlight any new gear and potential changes that could be in the works.
Keep checking this story over the next few days as additional photos are added.
Monday
Abraham Ancer has a thing for tacos and making money. Most golfers can relate.Swag Golf’s “Swagnum PI” headcover debuted last week at the Honda Classic.The “801CU” stamped on the bumper of this Anser-style Piretti putter denotes the copper material used to create the head.Kyle Stanley could be on the verge of replacing his Nike Vapor Fly Combo irons with a set of PXG 0311T.Luke List’s Titleist 718 AP2 irons.Based on the tee marks on Thorbjorn Olesen’s TaylorMade M5 driver, he rarely misses the center of the face.As one of the first players to use Ping’s Blueprint Forged irons, Harris English’s set already has some decent wear.Haotong Li spent weeks testing TaylorMade’s P760 irons before giving them the nod.Mizuno’s T7 wedges are only available in a plated finish at retail. But when you’re a Tour winner like Chris Kirk, you can order them raw.TaylorMade’s Spider X Tour putter is also offered in a dark midnight blue finish.
Tuesday
Rory McIlroy added a single sight line to the crown of his TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter.Instead of switching from TaylorMade M3 to M5, Tommy Fleetwood went with the more forgiving M6 driver.Francesco Molinari’s Callaway Apex MB irons were forged in Japan. Only three sets exist at the moment.Brendan Steele offered feedback on Wilson’s new prototype driving iron.Henrik Stenson’s Callaway Rogue 5-wood doesn’t get near the recognition as the nuclear Diablo 3-wood.Cobra tour rep Ben Schomin spent 17 hours building six custom iron for Bryson DeChambeau, who wanted to test different bounces, sole widths and grinds.TaylorMade unveiled a Spider Tour Mini in the same copper finish as Spider X.Bryson DeChambeau tested a Sik putter with a wider flange on Tuesday.Vijay Singh’s Srixon U65 utility iron is almost unrecognizable due to a ridiculous amount of lead tape. The red number stamped on his Mizuno MP-5 is due to the weaker loft he employs on each iron to reduce offset.Equipment free agent Hudson Swafford is using Cobra’s King Forged CB irons.Axis1 built Justin Rose an identical backup to the putter he’s using at the moment.Haotong Li’s custom Bettinardi BB-Zero putter is 34.5 inches with 3.75 degrees of loft.Steve Stricker is probably the only player on Tour still using Titleist’s 710 AP2 irons.TaylorMade designed a special edition headcover for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.Eddie Pepperell employs Mizuno’s JPX 919 Tour irons.
Wednesday
PXG built Charl Schwartxzel a backup Drone prototype putter with the weights in the sole, as opposed to along the perimeter of the crown.Bryson DeChambeau’s wedges are as unique as his swing. The head design helps with face closure at impact by placing more weight in the heel.Callaway’s Apex MB muscleback is part of Phil Mickelson mixed iron setup.How accurate is Brooks Koepka with the driver? Check out the tee marks in the center section of the adjustable track.Keith Mitchell used this TaylorMade Spider X Tour putter to win the Honda Classic.Kevin Streelman’s Wilson FG Tour V6 irons offer a bit more forgiveness on mis-hits.Ryan Moore switched to a shorter 32.5-inch PXG Brandon Prototype that allows his arms to hang freely at address.Jason Dufner is one of the few players on Tour who uses a stand bag on a regular basis.Jhonattan Vegas has logged multiple tour wins with this set of Mizuno MP-4 blades.Give me the “10 iron.” Justin Rose’s Honma Rose Proto irons are a bit unconventional with a “10” marked on the sole instead of “PW.”Brooks Koepka tested a Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Pro 3-iron on Wednesday.
