The post Is this the secret to Viktor Hovland’s driver switch? appeared first on Golf.

The post Is this the secret to Viktor Hovland’s driver switch? appeared first on Golf.

I need to declare this at the top: In my opinion, the club head is most of the equation in terms of what makes a great driver. However two things can be true at the same time: The shaft is also VITAL to making that club head do what it’s designed to do. The club head has the responsibility of dictating spin, speed, launch, direction, start lines, etc. — and the shaft is what allows the player to find the middle of that club head. In my experience, shafts are very specific to the player, and when you find one you hit outta the guts time in and time out, fitters can cook the head to finish the job.

We had a fun case study in that with Viktor Hovland over the past few weeks. Someone I would call a “hard switcher,” Vik finally put his Ping G425 LST to the side and committed to the 440LST. There has been flirtations with the 440, but it was always on shaky ground — but after his win last week at the Travelers, I think it’s safe to say Viktor has his driver.

The transition into new equipment on Tour is rarely a straight line, and Hovland’s move into the Ping G440 LST driver is a perfect example. It’s a process that actually started back in the fall of 2024 during testing in Oklahoma.

Right out of the gate, the G440 head showed real promise. It was consistently faster, longer, and gave him more forgiveness across the face than his trusty G425 LST gamer. The hurdle, however, was the delivery. The new head kept producing a higher launch and more spin than Hovland was comfortable looking at, which ultimately kept it from earning a permanent spot in the bag for a week-to-week basis.

The breakthrough finally came when the testing protocol shifted to a crucial variable: the shaft.

Fujikura 2026 Ventus TR Black Wood Shaft (Velocore+)

Built for speed and control, the Fujikura VENTUS TR Black Shaft is engineered for players who generate powerful swings and demand maximum stability through impact. The shaft is powered by VeloCore+ technology, Fujikura’s advanced multi-material core structure designed to reduce twist and increase energy transfer throughout the swing. The result is a more stable delivery that helps aggressive players maintain tighter dispersion and consistent ball speed.

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For a long time, Hovland has relied on a Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX. It’s an incredibly stiff, low-spin profile, but its defining characteristic is a very rigid mid-section. That specific profile dictates how the club releases and feels through impact. Some players need a shaft that helps the toe square up; others, like Hovland, need resistance to that feeling to control their start lines.

During testing at the Truist Championship, he tried Fujikura’s new Ventus TR Black with Velo+ technology. This particular shaft features a much stiffer mid-section than previous Ventus Black profiles, making it the stoutest option in the lineup. The match was instant. The Velo+ TR Black gave him a noticeable jump in ball speed and significantly tightened up his start lines and down-range curvature.

PING G440 LST Custom Driver

The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple advancements, including PING’s deepest CG in a driver to date and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to ensure the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position back weight. HIGHLY FORGIVING Lighter head weight allows for heavier back weight.  FASTER FACE  Shallow, thinner, face increases ball speed for more distance, higher launch.  SOUND DESIGN New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs produce muted impact experience.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, increase forgiveness. Allows for more heel-side face flexing for consistent ball speed across face. 

Buy Now$619.00 from Fairway Jockey

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While Hovland preferred the G440 K head at the Truist, it brought a slight left miss into play. By the time the PGA Championship rolled around, the team shifted focus to the LST head. Hovland took the club home during his off weeks to practice without the pressure of tournament rounds, and by the time he arrived at the RBC Canadian Open, the old G425 didn’t even make the trip.

To get the final build exactly right, the fitting required a bit of fine-tuning to satisfy Hovland’s eye. Because the G440 LST naturally launches and spins a little higher than his previous driver, the team needed to drop the loft without making the face look visually unappealing or too delofted at address.

By setting a 9-degree head to 7.6 degrees in a flat standard hosel setting, and shifting 5 grams of weight forward, they found the exact window he needed.

Here is the final blueprint currently in Viktor’s bag:

At 178 mph ball speed, a 10-degree launch and 2,500 rpm of spin, the setup gives him the stability and anti-left reassurance he relies on, packaged in a much faster, more forgiving head. It took months of testing and patience to get the shaft and head to align, but the performance at the Canadian Open proved the grind was worth it.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Is this the secret to Viktor Hovland’s driver switch? appeared first on Golf.

The post Viktor Hovland’s Travelers Championship win stood out for 5 reasons appeared first on Golf.

The post Viktor Hovland’s Travelers Championship win stood out for 5 reasons appeared first on Golf.

The best part of Viktor Hovland’s Monday-morning extra-time victory at the Travelers Championship? It’s tough to pick just one — so here are five instead.

1. His mom was there.

One particularly special spectator took in Hovland’s Monday-morning win from behind the 18th green: his mother Galina. While Hovland’s win was his eighth on Tour, it was the first time he’s had a parent present.

“I won a few times now over the world, but never had my mom or dad watch me win one. So that was really cool to have her here,” Hovland said post-round. Even better: now he’s headed home for at least a week pre-Open.

“We get to go home together to Norway later today, so, yeah, couldn’t be a better way to win a golf tournament and celebrate going home.”

2. The rest of Norway was there, too.

Norway’s World Cup team played in New Jersey early last week. They played in Boston at the end of the week. What’s halfway between New Jersey and Boston? That’s right, folks: TPC River Highlands.

The result was a distinctly different type of red, white and blue-flavored fan than we’re used to at Tour events; Norwegian flags were everywhere. The effect was awesome. I can’t remember anything quite like it at a Tour event, with two groups of fans rooting fervently for opposing sides in such wholesome fashion. Hovland felt it, too — it hardly seems like a coincidence that their arrival brought his best tournament in years.

“But I thought it was super exciting. The crowds were super respectful and it just really motivated me to play better,” Hovland said. “Obviously with some Norwegian jerseys out there it brought the vibes, and I think the American crowds, I thought that was cool as well. I thought it made the event a lot more enjoyable. So, yeah, it was just a blast to play at a great golf tournament, a great golf course, in front of great fans. It was an absolute blast.”

3. It was over Scottie Scheffler.

Hovland admitted that, yeah, it does mean a little something extra to win in this fashion, over World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. (That it came via a short Scheffler miss didn’t much seem to matter.)

“You always want to try to beat the best. What he’s been doing the last few years is just super impressive, and I have so much respect for him and his game. To go up against him and have a chance to beat him, I think it’s just super exciting,” Hovland said.

He also joins an interesting group: the players to win in Scheffler’s four runner-up finishes this season. Rory McIlroy edged him out at the Masters, Matt Fitzpatrick beat him in a playoff at the RBC Heritage, Cameron Young opened a gap at the Cadillac Championship and now Hovland beat him in another playoff. Considering those other three are Nos. 2, 3 and 4 in the world, Hovland’s in good company.

4. He conquered — for now — his greatest fear.

Hovland was insightful explaining what he’s been chasing in his four-, five- or six-hour range sessions. Sure, he’s hunting the best shots possible. But he’s probably even more focused on eliminating The Big Miss.

“Some of the shots that I’ve seen are just like, Whoa, how is that even possible? Like, I’ve never seen some of those shots before,” Hovland said. Even when he’s been playing good golf, he admitted, the possibility of a big miss lurks in the back of his mind.

“Even U.S. Open last week, I thought I drove it a lot better, but I had one big miss on the 12th hole out there in the left-to-right wind that went OB, so I had one bad shot that cost me two shots for the tournament and I missed the cut by a shot,” he said. “This week I just kind of went to work and felt comfortable.”

Hovland was particularly pleased with his driver, which was a weakness early in the season; he led the Travelers field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. That gave him confidence playing No. 18 Monday morning.

“In the practice rounds and even in the tournament rounds, on 18, I’ve absolutely hammered it every single day. Even the drive yesterday and today, just straight down the middle,” he said. “You don’t have to hope or steer it or guide it out there, you just swing and know that it’s going to go straight down the middle. That’s something that I’ve been missing for a long time.”

5. He proved something to himself.

When Hovland won last year’s Valspar Championship it didn’t seem to fill the gap in his golfing confidence; he left the tournament talking about how he still thought his swing was “still not great.”

This time, though? It sounds like he’ll allow himself some satisfaction in beating the best players in the world.

“At the end of the day I just proved a lot to myself that I have got the game now,” Hovland said. “I really made some big strides in just the way I’ve driven it all week, that’s been kind of one of the weaknesses this year. This week I drove it amazing. I did a lot of good stuff the whole week. I just want to continue that trend. Whether I win or lose or whatever, I just want to play good golf and have fun out here again.”

Golf fans want that for him, too.

Especially those in the red, blue and white.

The post Viktor Hovland’s Travelers Championship win stood out for 5 reasons appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Viktor Hovland finally retired his longtime driver for something new appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Viktor Hovland finally retired his longtime driver for something new appeared first on Golf.

When Viktor Hovland started testing drivers at the Truist Championship earlier this year, he was 117th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. This week in Connecticut, he led the category and he won the Travelers Championship in a playoff over Scottie Scheffler Monday morning.

What changed? He finally switched to a new driver.

From 2020 to 2024, Hovland was a top-25 driver every season courtesy of his Ping G425 LST. His comfort was the main reason it was so difficult for him to switch out of the now five-year-old club.

But in 2025, Hovland fell outside the top 80 and then cratered to outside the top-100 after the first four months of this season. That was despite previous attempts to move into Ping’s new G440 line both last year and at his first Tour start this season in Phoenix.

“I tried out the new 440 last year because it is faster,” Hovland said at the WM Phoenix Open, before putting the K in play for the first time. “The spin consistency off the face is a joke. If I hit it off the heel or the toe with a 425, the spin discrepancy is very large. Like if I hit it off the toe, I can spin it under 2000. If I hit it off the heel, I can maybe get up to 3000. Versus the 440, it’s very tight. It goes from maybe 2000 to 2600, so a huge gap.

“However, the problem is it launches a little bit higher for me. And for some reason, just with the setup that I’ve tested with, it tends to go a bit more to the right. Right now, with my golf swing, when I get stuck, my miss is already a high-right miss. If I hit this driver, it’s just getting accentuated.”

Starting at the Truist Championship and then continuing the following week at the PGA, Hovland began testing both the G440 K and G440 LST again. Ping Tour Rep Kenton Oates initially thought the more forgiving K would get the nod, but as they went on, the LST had a clear advantage in start-line, just a touch more right than the K.

Drivers

Viktor Hovland brought 1 driver to Canada. It wasn't his gamer | Tour Report

By: Jack Hirsh

Hovland also started liking the LST more when they tested it with a Fujikura Ventus TR Black+ 6-X shaft, which has a stiffer mid-section, more like the Speeder 661 TR shaft he plays in his 425. Ping has a very limited number of Speeders left for Hovland, so they only use them in backup 425 heads at this point.

“As he tightened his swing up a little bit, to me it felt like it was just coming out of the proper start-line every time,” Oates told GOLF. “TR Black Plus was a home run on paper right away because it should have dropped his spin, and it should give him a better feel.”

After getting comfortable with the new build at home, while taking three weeks off after the PGA, the new 440 LST was the only driver Hovland brought to Canada.

“That’s one way to switch,” Oates joked. “Leave your security blanket in Oklahoma and call it a day.”

This week at TPC River Highlands, Hovland was first in SG: OTT and missed just 13 fairways for the event. On both of his tee shots on the 18th hole — on Sunday, then on Monday morning in the playoff — he split the fairway, setting himself up for the clutch approach and the winning birdie putt in the playoff.

PING G440 LST Custom Driver

The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple advancements, including PING’s deepest CG in a driver to date and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to ensure the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position back weight. HIGHLY FORGIVING Lighter head weight allows for heavier back weight.  FASTER FACE  Shallow, thinner, face increases ball speed for more distance, higher launch.  SOUND DESIGN New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs produce muted impact experience.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, increase forgiveness. Allows for more heel-side face flexing for consistent ball speed across face. 

Buy Now$619.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore

Specs
Ping G440 LST 9.0
Actual loft: 7.4
Ping Trajectory 2.0 setting: Flat Dot
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black w/ Velocore+ 6-X
Tipping: 1″
Length: 45.75″ EOG
Swingweight: D5+
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Black/Blue 60R (+1 wrap)

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Why Viktor Hovland finally retired his longtime driver for something new appeared first on Golf.

The post Scottie Scheffler misses short putt to lose Travelers playoff to Viktor Hovland appeared first on Golf.

The post Scottie Scheffler misses short putt to lose Travelers playoff to Viktor Hovland appeared first on Golf.

Twelve hours before Scottie Scheffler stood over a 4-footer to extend a Monday playoff at the Travelers Championship, he had faced a putt twice that length just to force one.

On Sunday, Scheffler had been in the driver’s seat all round long at TPC River Highlands, but suddenly a furious charge from Viktor Hovland had threatened to make that all come undone. Scheffler had stuffed approaches on 16 and 17 to collect tidy pars to fend off Hovland, but now, on 18, he’d made a rare blunder. His birdie putt, a 25-footer, had ripped past the hole, an uncharacteristically ugly putt that opened the door for Hovland’s own playoff-clinching tap-in par.

Now, with Hovland in the house at 21 under, Scheffler needed a 8-footer to finish on the same number. With the tournament on the line in the dying moments of Sunday evening, Scheffler drained the putt, following it into the hole with a fist pump and appearing for the moment to seize the momentum heading into a Monday playoff with Hovland.

But then, 12 hours later, there Scheffler was again on the same hole, staring down another putt with the same stakes on the line. It didn’t seem like much — an 8-footer for birdie with a touch of left-to-right break — and yet the enormity of the moment was lost on nobody: a make and the tournament would continue; a miss and Scheffler would head home the loser.

Scheffler seemed at worst very likely to make his putt, but in reality it was more of a coin flip: The Tour make-rate from the same distance is 50% to 54%, depending upon the year (53.55% this year) — and that’s leaving out the stress of putting with a Signature title on the line.

Scheffler stepped to his putt, settled and gave it a good stroke, watching as the ball headed toward the hole. But he’d hit it too hard. The ball caught the left edge of the cup, looping around and out. A lip-out for the loss.

The World No. 1 could do nothing but watch as his ball laid just a tap-in away from its home. He put his head in his hands as the crowd looked on shocked. Afterward, there was little he could say.

“Maybe I hit it a little firmer than I intended to,” Scheffler said. “It looked like it got pretty far by the hole and I was playing it outside the hole, so I hit it down my line, just maybe the speed was a touch off.”

For Hovland, the win was just his second PGA Tour title since his breakout 2023 season and the first of a 2026 campaign that has featured no shortage of turbulent play.

“You always want to try to beat the best,” Hovland said. “What he’s been doing the last few years is just super impressive, and I have so much respect for him and his game. To go up against him and have a chance to beat him, I think it’s just super exciting. That’s what you wake up every day to get better, that’s for those moments right there.”

In the end, it was a reminder that golf is a game of great effort … and incredibly small margins.

“It’s been two really, really long weeks,” Scheffler said. “Being in contention both weeks. Any time after a major championship, especially a U.S. Open, I think you’re going to be pretty worn out. But like I said, I felt like I did some really nice things this week, which I’ll use that momentum going into the rest of the season.”

The post Scottie Scheffler misses short putt to lose Travelers playoff to Viktor Hovland appeared first on Golf.

The post Viktor Hovland’s clubs: Inside his Travelers-winning bag appeared first on Golf.

The post Viktor Hovland’s clubs: Inside his Travelers-winning bag appeared first on Golf.

Viktor Hovland defeated Scottie Scheffler in a one-hole playoff Monday morning to win the Travelers Championship for his eighth career PGA Tour victory.

Notably, six of Hovland’s seven prior wins came with his trusty Ping G425 LST driver, but Hovland seems to have finally retired that driver. Earlier this month at the RBC Canadian Open, Hovland brought only one driver to the event and it was a new Ping G440 LST.

Hovland and Ping have tried multiple times over the past two seasons to break into either the 440 LST or the G440 K, but Hovland kept returning to the safety net of the 425.

Finally, during the Truist Championship and PGA Championship, Hovland and Ping worked on a new 440 LST build with the new Fujikura Ventus TR Black shaft with VeloCore+. Hovland and Ping’s Kenton Oates saw the LST get to Hovland’s preferred start-line.

Hovland finally became comfortable at home during his three weeks off between the PGA and U.S. Open. A big factor was the TR Black+‘s stiffer mid-section, more like the Speeder 757 shaft he plays in his 425.

“As he tightened his swing up a little bit, to me it felt like it was just coming out of the proper start-line every time,” Oates told GOLF that week. “TR Black Plus was a home run on paper right away because it should have dropped his spin, and it should give him a better feel.”

The rest of Hovland’s bag is pretty similar to what he’s played his whole career. He’s still in the Ping i210 irons and using a Ping Glide 2.0 lob wedge, despite upgrading to the S259 sand and gap wedges.

“I think they (Ping) make phenomenal wedges, and the 56° and 50°, they just immediately go in the bag as soon as they come out with something new,” Hovland said at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this year. “It’s just the 60°. I’m still working a little bit with my technique, and that still has to get a little bit better.

“I do like in the old Glide 2.0 that the face is a little bit squarer and just how the heel is a little bit smaller, the sole is just a little bit smaller. And it’s just a feel thing, because when I try to compare the two, it’s very similar.”

For more on Hovland’s detailed setup, keep reading below.

Viktor Hovland’s winning clubs at the 2026 Travelers Championship

Driver: Ping G440 LST 9.0°
Actual Loft: 7.6˚
Trajectory 2.0 Sleeve: Flat Standard
CG Shifter: 29g neutral
Hot Melt: 5g forward
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black with VeloCore+ 7-X
Length: 45.75″ EOG
Tipping: 1″
Swingweight: D5+

PING G440 LST Custom Driver

The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple advancements, including PING’s deepest CG in a driver to date and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to ensure the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position back weight. HIGHLY FORGIVING Lighter head weight allows for heavier back weight.  FASTER FACE  Shallow, thinner, face increases ball speed for more distance, higher launch.  SOUND DESIGN New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs produce muted impact experience.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, increase forgiveness. Allows for more heel-side face flexing for consistent ball speed across face. 

Buy Now$619.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

Fujikura 2026 Ventus TR Black Wood Shaft (Velocore+)

Built for speed and control, the Fujikura VENTUS TR Black Shaft is engineered for players who generate powerful swings and demand maximum stability through impact. The shaft is powered by VeloCore+ technology, Fujikura’s advanced multi-material core structure designed to reduce twist and increase energy transfer throughout the swing. The result is a more stable delivery that helps aggressive players maintain tighter dispersion and consistent ball speed.

Buy Now$350.00 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D 15˚
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue OG 7-X

TaylorMade Qi4D Custom Fairway Wood

PROVEN RECIPE TaylorMade Fairways have dominated on Tour for over a decade because of their unique performance recipe, which enables maximum distance and versatility. The Qi4D fairway is designed for golfers who want the most advanced technology while still prioritizing versatility and control with amazing distance. ADJUSTABLE PERFORMANCE Utilizing a single Trajectory Adjustment System weight (8g x1) provides the golfer a more mass efficient way to adjust flight, spin and swing weight. 4° loft sleeve can be used to adjust loft, lie and face angle for optimized flight and is available in all lofts. REFINED ATTRIBUTES, BIG CHANGES Engineers conducted an objective analysis of all the performance attributes and discovered new methods to enhance performance and confidence. Sit points, lie angles, address views, and center of gravity locations were all updated based on Tour feedback and the expertise of leading fitters worldwide, ensuring the optimal fairway across skill levels. TOUR-PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES New and improved cut-through Speed Pocket™ protects ball speed and reduces spin on low-face strikes. Advanced CAD modeling creates a design with a clean and powerful sound, a foundation for TaylorMade fairway performance. Twist Face™ features corrective face curvature designed to provide straighter shots on mishits. Multi-Material Construction allows engineers to maximize performance by increasing discretionary weight.

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3-Hybrid: Ping G440 20˚
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Hybrid X
Length: 40.25″
Swingweight: D1+

PING G440 Custom Hybrid

The G440 hybrids appeal to a variety of skill levels, each engineered to deliver different ball- flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-biased 2 hybrid for off-the-tee performance to the draw-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize gapping. They all share a new, shallower and thinner face design, which improves face contact for more ball speed and higher-launching shots that hit and hold the green.  FLIES HIGH LANDS SOFT Optimized launch and spin ensure distance with stopping power.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.  ROUNDED SOLE  Ensures pleasing face angle in all hosel settings  CARBONFLY WRAP  Lightweight carbon crown saves weight to increase MOI, lower CG. 

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Irons: Ping i210 4-PW
Length: -.25″ (36.75″ 7-iron)
Lie: 1.5˚ flat (60.5˚ 7-iron)
Loft Progression: 23/26.5/30/33.5/37.5/41.5/45.5
Shafts: KBS Tour-V 120 X
Swingweight: D2

PING i240 Custom Irons

The Tour-inspired i240 advances our popular Players technology, providing added forgiveness along with the control, look and feel that will appeal to a wide range of skill levels. It’s PING’s highest-launching Players model, giving golfers more control and the ability to consistently hit their distance numbers and stop the ball close to the hole. A new ABS badge in the true cavity-back design is 8.5g lighter, and combined with an elastomer insert allows for more perimeter weighting to increase the MOI in the mid and long irons. This helps achieve an 11% reduction in dispersion. The badge and insert contribute to a more desirable sound and a softer, responsive feel from the 431 stainless steel cast head.

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Wedges: Ping S259 (50-56), Ping Glide 2.0 (60)
Lofts/Grinds: 50/S, 56/S @ 55˚, 60/TS
Lengths: 35.25″/35″/34.75″
Lies: 62/62.5/62.5
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Swingweight: D4

PING s259 Custom Wedge

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Putter: Ping PLD Milled DS72
Hosel: Double Bend
Length: 37″
Loft: 2˚
Lie: 67˚
Finish: Patina
Grip: Winn 17″ AVS Red

PING Scottsdale DS72 Custom Putter

The Scottsdale family combines a one-piece face insert with a big jump in forgiveness across model styles and stroke types to fit every golfer and elevate performance on the greens. The lightweight PEBAX insert creates discretionary weight used to increase MOI while ensuring a soft feel, a pleasing sound, and consistent ball speeds. The Tour-inspired DS72 has a ball-width PEBAX face insert that matches the ball-width cavity to make aiming easier. The back cavity has perpendicular visual cues and a contrasting alignment line to create visual balance in this model that assists a straight stroke.

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Grip: Golf Pride MCC

Golf Pride MCC Swing Grip

MCC Swing Grip The MCC (New Decade MultiCompound) is an innovative hybrid grip that fuses the positive performance of rubber and cord. The MCC boasts the Golf Pride® exclusive Brushed Cotton Cord in the upper hand area for firm all-weather control, and a performance rubber material in the lower hand for ultimate feel and responsiveness. LARGER LOWER HAND The larger outside diameter simulates the feel of building up the grip with four extra wraps. This reduced taper encourages lighter grip pressure, promoting less tension in the hands and creating more fluidity and power throughout the swing. ALL-WEATHER CONTROL Our exclusive Brushed Cotton Cord fuses moisture-wicking cotton fibers into a new soft rubber material for added stability in any condition. MAXIMUM SURFACE TEXTURE Engineered for softer feel and strategically placed for high traction. A soft micro-texture increases traction and comfort, while texture placement is ideal for maximum hand coverage. Specifications: Grip Size: Standard, Midsize Cord Size: 60 Round

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Ball: 2021 Titleist Pro V1

Titleist Pro V1 2025 Personalized Golf Balls

h2>THE GREATEST COMBINATION OF SPEED, SPIN AND FEEL For players who prioritize total performance. New faster high gradient core Speed amplifying high-flex casing layer Spherically-tiled 388 tetrahedral dimple design Soft cast urethane elastomer cover Product Features New faster high gradient core delivers more speed and iron and wedge spin for more control Low long game spin from a speed amplifying high-flex casing layer Penetrating and consistent flight from a spherically-tiled 388 tetrahedral dimple design Excellent greenside spin from a soft cast urethane elastomer cover Player Benefits Extraordinary Distance Increased Drop-and-Stop™ control Very low long game spin Penetrating trajectory Consistent flight Very soft feel What’s New – (what performance attributes have improved) 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x produce more speed off the tee, more control with irons, more spin with wedges and more opportunity to shoot lower scores. Player Profile For players who prioritize total performance. Available Colors and Play Numbers White golf balls are available with play numbers 1-4, 5-8, and all the same play number 00 or 1- 99. High optic yellow golf balls are available with play numbers 1-4. Not available for purchase or shipment to Australia.

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Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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The post Travelers Championship Monday Playoff Live Updates: Viktor Hovland beats Scottie Scheffler appeared first on Golf.

The post Travelers Championship Monday Playoff Live Updates: Viktor Hovland beats Scottie Scheffler appeared first on Golf.

Good morning — actually, more like great morning, because we have PGA Tour playoff golf to enjoy over our coffee and hash browns. The main event: a Scottie Scheffler vs. Viktor Hovland sudden-death duel at 9 a.m. ET to decide the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. 

The golf spilled over from Sunday on account of inclement weather that caused a 83-minute delay in the fourth round. When Scheffler and Hovland, who were playing in the final pairing together, both made par on the 72nd hole, it left them in a deadlock at 21 under for the week, one better than Collin Morikawa. With dwindling light, the playoff was pushed to Monday morning. So, here we are . . . live updates of the action will be coming soon!

In the meantime, check out Josh Schrock’s breakdown of the thrilling fourth round, which included a clutch putt from Scheffler in dying light at the last.

And here’s how to watch the playoff this morning.

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The post Scottie Scheffler’s clutch par saves set up Monday Travelers playoff vs. Viktor Hovland appeared first on Golf.

The last time Scottie Scheffler won the Travelers Championship, he did so in extra holes, besting Tom Kim in a playoff in 2024.

On Monday, he’ll have a chance to do the same thanks to two massive par saves as darkness descended on TPC River Highlands on Sunday night.

Scheffler started the day one shot back of Viktor Hovland, but the two tossed the lead back and forth throughout the opening 12 holes. The duo had three one-shot swings and two two-shot swings in the opening five holes. By the time they got to the 12th hole, Scheffler led Hovland by two and seemed primed to pull away from the Norwegian.

Then came the downpour. Both Scheffler and Hovland birdied the par-5 13th in the rain before the horn blew due to lightning. After an almost two-hour delay, Hovland came out and birdied 14 and 15 to tie Scheffler.

It was there on the drivable par-4 15th, that Scheffler made the first of two massive par saves.

The World No. 1’s tee shot landed in the left rough in front of the green. Expecting the soaked greens to slow down his chip, Scheffler tried to put a little extra on it to get it to the back-right hole location for an easy birdie. Instead, his chip raced past the hole and off the back of the green. His chip coming back left him seven feet for par. With Hovland already in for birdie, Scheffler needed to make the putt to stay tied. He buried it.

“I thought with it coming out and being a little bit softer, the greens would slow down a touch,” Scheffler said of his chip on 15. “I thought I cozied that one up there pretty nice, and it just seemed like it kept going. But did a good job of staying in it. That’s part of golf. When conditions change, the golf course changes, and you got to take the good with the bad. Did a good job of getting that one up-and-down and keep myself in it.”

The two exchanged pars on 16 and 17 before reaching the closing hole. With the sun about to set, the 72nd hole of the tournament would be Sunday’s final hole, whether a winner was crowned or not.

Hovland split the fairway and hit his approach to 24 feet. Scheffler’s tee shot found the left rough, but he got a good lie and was able to land his approach on the back of the green. Scheffler’s birdie attempt was high the whole way and ran eight feet past the cup. Hovland missed his birdie attempt but tapped in for par, leaving Scheffler with a testy par putt to determine if there would be a sudden-death playoff on Monday or if Hovland would be the champion.

Scheffler surveyed the putt in the dark and poured it in the heart. As his ball found the bottom of the cup, Scheffler pieced the air with a massive fist pump to put an exclamation point on a chaotic day of golf in Cromwell, Connecticut.

“It’s nice to be able to hole those putts, keep myself in the tournament,” Scheffler said after the round. “It’s more fun when you’re making the ones to win, but to keep yourself in it is also nice. Like I said, I live another day until tomorrow, and will be coming out in the morning and see what I can do.”

Hovland said the weather delay allowed him to reboot, something he felt he needed as Scheffler started to pull away from him on the back nine. Once play resumed, Hovland felt he was in more control of his game.

“I played a lot of great golf this week, so I’m feeling pretty good,” Hovland said. “Obviously I would have liked to have gotten it done in regulation, but to have a chance again tomorrow to win, feeling pretty good about that. So try to get a good night’s sleep and be fresh.”

It just wasn’t enough to vanquish the World No. 1. That will have to wait until Monday. Scheffler made sure of it.

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The post 2026 Travelers Championship Sunday TV coverage: How to watch Round 4 appeared first on Golf.

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You’re reading our viewer’s guide for Sunday’s final round of the 2026 Travelers Championship. For complete TV coverage and streaming information for the Monday playoff, click here.

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The fourth round of the 2026 Travelers Championship gets underway Sunday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament, including full TV coverage, streaming info and Round 4 tee times.

How to watch the Travelers Championship on Sunday

A week after Norwegian soccer fans went viral for rowing, Viking-like, up an escalator in Boston, a Norwegian golfer is putting on his own show in Connecticut.

Paired with Scottie Scheffler on Saturday at TPC River Highlands, Viktor Hovland out-birdied the World No. 1 in the third round of the Travelers Championship, carding a six-under 64 to take a one shot lead into Sunday’s finale. Hovland is at 20-under for the week. Scheffler, following a third-round 67, is right behind him, with Patrick Cantlay and Akshay Bhatia tied for third, five shots off Hovland’s pace.

Hovland hasn’t won since last year’s Valspar Championship, but he has two top 10s in 2026 and has shown flashes of fine form this season, intermingled with disappointments, including missed cuts in both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. Famously inquisitive about the swing, and seemingly forever tinkering with his mechanics, Hovland said that he has been focusing on process this week at the Travelers, sticking to his routine, envisioning shots and trying to execute without worrying about results. It’s been working

“It was really fun. Just had a great time. You know, it’s been a while since I’ve been in this position,” Hovland said of his Saturday showing. “To go head-to-head against the best player in the world and pull off some great shots, it was just a lot of fun.”

He has a chance to do it again today. He and Scheffler tee off in the final pairing at 2.55 p.m. ET.

You can watch the fourth round of the Travelers on TV via Golf Channel, which will air coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Live TV coverage on NBC begins at 4 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide streaming coverage starting at 9 a.m. ET., with Peacock joining the streaming coverage at 4 p.m. ET.

Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the fourth round of the 2026 Travelers Championship

How to watch on TV Sunday

Golf Channel will provide fourth-round TV coverage of the 2026 Travelers Championship from 2-4 p.m. ET on Sunday, followed by NBC coverage from 4-7 p.m. ET.

How to stream online Sunday

You can stream the fourth round of the 2026 Travelers Championship via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage 9 a.m. – 7p.m. ET on Sunday in addition to featured group and hole coverage. Live streaming starts on Peacock is from 4-7 p.m. ET. You can also stream a live simulcast of Golf Channel’s TV coverage on the GOLF App.

Check out the complete Round 4 tee times and pairings for the Travelers Championship below.

Hoping to wager on the Travelers Championship? Sign up for Fanatics Sportsbook with code “SUBPAR” to receive a special welcome offer.

2026 Travelers Championship tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)

Tee No. 1

8:45 a.m. — Gary Woodland, Sepp Straka
8:55 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Jordan Spieth
9:05 a.m. — Lucas Glover, Mark Hubbard
9:15 a.m. — Cameron Young, Min Woo Lee
9:25 a.m. — Sam Stevens, Alex Smalley
9:35 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Sahith Theegala
9:45 a.m. — Ryan Gerard, Jhonattan Vegas
9:55 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Ludvig Aberg
10:10 a.m. — Adam Scott, Jacob Bridgeman
10:20 a.m. — Alex Noren, J.T. Poston
10:30 a.m. — Jason Day, Harry Hall
10:40 a.m. — Brandt Snedeker, Jake Knapp
10:50 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau
11:00 a.m. — Brian Campbell, Nicolai Hojgaard
11:10 a.m. — Ben James, Michael Kim
11:25 a.m. — Mac Meissner, Rickie Fowler
11:35 a.m. — Maverick McNealy, Nick Taylor
11:45 a.m. — Harris English, Keegan Bradley
11:55 a.m. — Tom Hoge, Daniel Berger
12:05 p.m. — Matt McCarty, Ryo Hisatsune
12:15 p.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Tommy Fleetwood
12:25 p.m. — Denny McCarthy, Nico Echavarría
12:40 p.m. — Bud Cauley, Russell Henley
12:50 p.m. — Kristoffer Reitan, Corey Conners
1:00 p.m. — Sungjae Im, Aaron Rai
1:10 p.m.— J.J. Spaun, Hideki Matsuyama
1:20 p.m. — Justin Thomas, Robert MacIntyre
1:30 p.m. — Jackson Suber, Alex Fitzpatrick
1:40 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Chris Gotterup
1:55 p.m. — Brian Harman, Justin Rose
2:05 p.m. — Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim
2:15 p.m. — Eric Cole, Keith Mitchell
2:25 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin
2:35 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark
2:45 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Akshay Bhatia
2:55 p.m. — Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler

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The post Riviera shut down Viktor Hovland’s sneaky shortcut. He’s not amused appeared first on Golf.

The post Riviera shut down Viktor Hovland’s sneaky shortcut. He’s not amused appeared first on Golf.

To the list of famous trees in golf — the Eisenhower Tree, the Lone Cypress, the Ghost Tree — we can now add two more: the Hovland Trees.

A pair of sycamores, to be precise, now planted hard along the right side of Riviera’s 487-yard dogleg-right par-4 15th, a hole that ranks second-toughest on the scorecard and typically rates among the nastiest in the Genesis Invitational, too.

The trees weren’t added for aesthetics. They were installed as a defense against their namesake, Viktor Hovland, who in past Genesis starts has attacked the 15th unconventionally, launching his drive to the right, up the neighboring 17th fairway. It’s not the route Riviera’s designer, George Thomas, had in mind, but it opens up a wider landing area and a clean view of the 15th green. (Several other players have taken the same alternate route, but none has done so as frequently as Hovland).

Last year, of course, Riviera never got the chance to defend itself. Wildfires forced the Genesis to Torrey Pines. But in Hovland’s last appearance in the event at Riviera, he played the 15th in even par for the week — two pars, a birdie and a bogey. How much of an advantage that detour provided is impossible to say without having access to the alternate reality where he played the hole conventionally.

Regardless, this year, Riviera closed the loophole. In practice rounds, the trees appear to have served their purpose.

But if they’ve stymied Hovland, they haven’t silenced him. On Instagram, Hovland posted photos (above) of the new look with a caption that required no translation: SMH.

Hovland is hardly the first Tour pro to take a creative line in search of a competitive edge. At the Sony Open in Hawaii, Charley Hoffman has taken his drive on the par-5 18th down the 11th fairway. At the now-defunct Dell Technologies Championship, Justin Thomas and several others played the par-4 12th up the adjacent 13th.

Just as players get creative, so do courses and tournament committees, whether by planting trees or installing internal out-of-bounds. In 2023, Riviera tried a different kind of deterrent, positioning a tournament scoreboard in Hovland’s alternate line.

Hovland simply hit over it.

Good luck trying that this week.

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The post Ping’s G440 K just got two major conversions | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post Ping’s G440 K just got two major conversions | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to GOLF’s Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Each Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh will run you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ping’s G440 K just earned perhaps its toughest conversion yet.

Viktor Hovland has a boatload of golf clubs still in his bag from 2019-2020, the years of his first two wins on the PGA Tour. But he has one less this week as his venerable G425 LST driver took a back seat to Ping’s new G440 K driver.

Hovland is a notoriously hard switcher when it comes to his gear, still playing Ping’s i210 irons and a Ping Glide 2.0 60˚ wedge. When it comes to the driver, he’s been close to switching to one of Ping’s new G440 line of drivers before. He made a surprise switch to G440 LST at the Masters last year before returning to the 425 before his next event.

But he was really impressed with the new 440 K in his initial testing.

“The spin consistency off the face is a joke,” he said on Tuesday. “If I hit it off the heel or the toe with a 425, the spin discrepancy is very large. Like if I hit it off the toe, I can spin it under 2000. If I hit it off the heel, I can maybe get up to 3000. Versus the 440, it’s very tight. It goes from maybe 2000 to 2600, so a huge gap. And it’s also faster.

“However, the problem is it launches a little bit higher for me. And for some reason, just with the setup that I’ve tested with, it tends to go a bit more to the right. Right now, with my golf swing, when I get stuck, my miss is already a high-right miss.”

Hovland would have been content to stick with the G425 this week, had it not been for poor performance off the tee on Monday, leading to an evening text to Ping Tour Rep Kenton Oates.

“Monday night, he wanted to try some shorter drivers, 45 inches,” Oates told GOLF. “And I was like, ‘Well, this is a perfect time to keep trying the K because the shorter length will take off some height and should help reduce the right miss.”

PING G440 K Custom Driver

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

What’s interesting is that the unique properties of the K driver, a large profile driver with an extremely deep and low CG, should help players square the club face. In early testing, it didn’t go as far right as the 440 LST did, but it was still far enough right for Hovland to start the season in Dubai with his trusty G425.

But this week, Oates decided not only to have Hovland test the K with a shorter build, but also with a different shaft, the Mitsubishi Whiteboard 73 TX.

“The one thing that we’ve always noticed and seen is very good start line tendencies. It’ll start where you’re swinging it and kind of just stay with you really well,” Oates said. “That WB did exactly kind of what Viktor needs this K to do: go a little bit lower and go a little bit more left.”

That was the final build Hovland went with. Despite the .75″ shorter shaft than his previous driver, Hovland was still retaining a 173-175 mph ball speed with more consistentcy and hitting his optimal 9˚-10˚ launch window with 2300 rpm of spin.

If you look closely at the shaft, you’ll see the shaft graphics are actually facing up, the opposite side on what they previously are. That’s because the shaft was actually built earlier this week for Ben Griffin, who also tested it in a G440 K.

Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana WB Wood Shaft

  The board is back. After a few years away, the vintage surfboard always associated with Diamana™ makes its return with Diamana WB. Built on an extraordinarily popular and tour-proven platform, WB brings classic low-low performance and the legendary stability and control you’ve come to expect after two decades. The first in the 6th Generation Diamana™ family, WB is designed with all the traditional branding that made Diamana™ so beloved, including flowers in the handle section, a surfboard behind the Diamana logo, and return to the original 53/63/73/83 weight class designations. But rest assured, the only thing throwback about Diamana™ WB is its appearance. Indeed, super high-modulus 80-ton Dialead Pitch Fiber is used in the butt section to deliver maximum stability and increased energy transfer and high modulus 46-ton fiber is used in the shaft’s angle plies to reduce torque without increasing weight for improved control and stability. Carbon fiber orientation at the tip section is optimized to further lower torque. The classic feel of this Diamana™ profile is achieved through the use of our proprietary Xlink Tech™ Resin System and MR70 technologies. Our Xlink Tech™ Resin System increases the strength and durability of the shaft while driving carbon fiber volume up for better feel. Feel and strength is further increased through the use of our aerospace-grade MR70 fiber – our strongest fiber to date.

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“The shaft that Victor’s played for 5 years was a James Hahn backup driver because Hovland broke his driver in Mexico,” Oates joked. “So maybe that’s our key to getting Viktor into new product is just build stuff for other players and then work for him.”

Griffin plays his drivers at 44.75″ and neutral but Hovland uses his driver Ping’s flat setting, the opposite side of the adaptor. So the shaft ended up at 45″ when installed in Hovland’s preferred setting.

Griffin also ended up making the move to the 440 K from his G430 Max 10K this week because he was actually seeing the driver reduce his miss.

New Ping G440 K driver officially in play for Ben Griffin at WM.

Watching him crank this thing on the range on Monday was fun, but he actually seemed like he was gonna stick with his G430 Max 10k.

Ben has loved to test new gear lately, but he says he rarely likes to switch.… pic.twitter.com/0ZYyT8tJhy

— Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) February 5, 2026

Ping built him several drivers to test at home while he took last week off but he didn’t end up trying them until he got to TPC Scottsdale on Monday. During a Monday afternoon session, Griffin dialed in both a 440 K build and new 430 Max 10K build that could potentially go in, but after playing with it during the week, Griffin went with the new K and his gamer UST Lin-Q Powercore White 7TX shaft.

The three-time winner in 2025 is also using a new Maxfli Tour X-LS golf ball, which he said allows him to swing hard at the ball with his driver and not worry about the ball spinning too much.

Maxfli announced a three-year extension with Ben Griffin, which is now the only equipment partnership the three-time PGA Tour winner has for this season.

Had a really fun chat with Ben on Monday on going going the free agent route for his clubs, and he said Maxfli was the gear… pic.twitter.com/KGKf9fwd0l

— Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) February 4, 2026

“I’m a pretty high ball flight player. I’m able to put a lot of spin on the ball,” Griffin told GOLF this week. “So this new golf ball that’s come out, the Tour X-LS, is able to keep the same profile ball that I’m playing, yet knock down the spin numbers a little bit and knock down the trajectory height for me and it’s going to be a perfect golf ball.”

Why a game improvement hybrid is trending on Tour

Last week, Cam Young did something very strange with his bag.

Young, who had been playing a GT2 hybrid, switched to to a 20-degree GT1 hybrid with a Mitsubishi Diamana PD 80TX fairway wood shaft last week for Torrey Pines’ deep rough. It’s stayed in his bag for this week at TPC Scottsdale too. Tom Kim is doing the same with one in a hybrid shaft.

Really cool story going on with @Titleist right now with both Cam Young and Tom Kim adding the GT1 hybrid to the bag last week and keeping it for this week.

Young's (pictured) especially because it was built with a fairway wood shaft to play as a 5-wood.

The GT1 has a really… pic.twitter.com/2uyUSopeuV

— Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) February 6, 2026

The GT1 is a unique club in the Titleist lineup with an oversized, almost fairway wood-like profile and the unique ability to accept both fairway wood and hybrid shafts. Unlike the other two GT hybrids which have left-to-right CG adjustability, the GT1 has fore-and-aft adjustability.

While the GT1 fairway wood, with a large and shallow profile, has gained traction on the PGA Tour, Titleist Senior Director of Player Promotions JJ Van Wezenbeeck said last week at Torrey Pines offered an opportunity to reintroduce the GT1 hybrid to players looking for versatility.

“When we look at GT1, we’re not looking at it solely for slower speed players,” Van Wezenbeeck told GOLF. “We’re looking for trajectory reasons. This is an opportunity for us to do kind of these unique builds on this in-between club.”

The GT1 has a sharp leading edge that allows it to sit close to the turf, making it easy to launch. That high ball flight was great for the rough at Torrey Pines or the firm desert greens this week at TPC Scottsdale.

Titleist GT1 Custom Hybrid

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist

But it’s the ability of the GT1 to take a fairway wood shaft, which will play softer than a larger tip diameter hybrid shaft, that makes the club so versitile for fitting.

“For Cam Young, we were trying to create more of a 5-wood type golf club, so we were able to build it with a 5-wood shaft and use a .335 tip on the interior diameter, but a hybrid outside diameter [on the hosel]. We get kind of the best of both,” Van Wezenbeeck said.

Big Tone goes low torque

Tony Finau made an under-the-radar switch to a new Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset putter last week during his T11 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Finau hasn’t gained strokes putting for a PGA Tour season since 2022 and had lost more than a stroke in each of the first two events of the season. So he showed up at Torrey Pines looking to try a mallet from his PLD Milled Anser 2D.

This isn’t the first time Finau has used a mallet as he tried an PLD Milled Ally Blue Onset previously at last summer’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Ping Tour rep Dylan Goodwin told GOLF they started with the new and unreleased Scottsdale Tec mallet putters since they just arrived on Tour at the end of last season at the RSM Classic.

“Tony gravitated towards the Ally Blue Onset again and the Ketsch 4, which has a hosel he had used in the past on a blade putter,” Goodwin said. “After going back and forth between the putters, the Ally Blue Onset ultimately matched better to his stroke and delivered the face at impact more consistently. As a result, his start line improved, and he liked the contrast between the white finish of the head and the black sight line, which he found easier to line up with.”

While the Scottsdale Tec version and the PLD Milled version of the Ally Blue Onset are the same shape, they have different optics, alignment features and perhaps most importantly, feels. This new Scottsdale Tec marks the first time Finau hasn’t used a milled putter face.

However, the putters sounded the same to him, so he didn’t mind the softer feel of the insert.

In his opening round Thursday, Finau gained .611 strokes on the greens, despite shooting a two-over 73.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to one cool photo we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out Tony Finau’s Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Brooks Koepka led all gear news this week with his switch to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-neck putter. He missed the cut and lost more than 3.3 strokes putting. He did improve to gain nearly .3 strokes putting in the second round … Collin Morikawa also changed to a Spider Tour X, but with a flow neck … Jordan Spieth switched to the new Titleist SM11 wedges and a GT2 hybrid, replacing his longtime TSi2 … Marco Penge moved back to a Scotty Cameron Newport Tour Prototype and switched to SM11s … Sam Burns also added SM11s along with Tony Finau (just 60), Michael Kim, Bud Cauley, and Eric Cole … Aldrich Potgieter traded his Scotty Cameron 009M gamer for a new Fastback 2 Tour prototype … Chris Kirk added a Quantum Triple Diamond, keeping up momentum for Callaway staff conversions … Justin Rose’s putter last week at the Farmers was actually a backup after his gamer was damaged beyond repair.

3 things you should read/watch

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Here’s why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Fully Fit 2026 – Johnny Wunder introduces you to Fully Fit 2026, our new hope for all of our 2026 golf club review coverage and why we’re changing things up.

TaylorMade’s 2026 TP5, TP5x golf balls show why paint matters – TaylorMade launched their new TP5 and TP5x golf balls which feature a new microcoating technique aimed at making each golf ball fly exactly the same as the last.

TaylorMade 2026 TP5 Golf Balls

The best players in the world, like 2025 champion in Augusta and career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa have already made the switch to the fastest ever TP5. It’s time for you to make the switch, too. Microcoating No two golf balls are the same, but the all-new TP5 sets out to solve an invisible problem through our revolutionary microcoating finish process. Uneven paint and excess pooling in the dimples can compromise distance and accuracy. Microcoating uses precision application technology to ensure uniform coverage across the ball’s entire surface. Click on the video for a deep dive. Thinner Than a Human Hair Microcoating is thinner than a human hair and delivers measurable performance advantages: more consistent ball flight, optimized distance, and tight left-to-right dispersion. The Fastest TP5 Ever  TP5 has long been our softest five-layer Tour ball, but now it’s faster than ever. Employing our largest Tour core to date, the TP5 retains more energy at impact, which results in faster ball speeds and more distance at the top of your bag. Tour Flight The reengineered Tour Flight Dimple Pattern features new dimples that when combined with microcoating, promote a more predictable, penetrating ball flight with optimized peak height performance and increased accuracy.

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6 full-bag club fittings with 6 different clubmakers?! Here’s how that went | Fully Fit 2026 – Take a peek behind the curtain of Fully Fit 2026 and see what the greatest golf gear nerd trip ever was really like.

The author welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Ping’s G440 K just got two major conversions | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.