Golf World Monday - September 13, 2010

�debuts like the original (which was one of the best-selling irons of 2009), burner 2.0 promises enhanced distance, using varying face thicknesses in each iron to promote more speed in the long irons, with added feel and control in the short irons. improvements have also been made in the sole design and center of gravity location. taylormade president mark king introduced the iron via webcast last week, during which he offered his views on the future of golf-club innovation. To view the video, click here.

�van insider titleist won the driver count by one ( 22 to 21) at the bmw championship. why is that significant? it marks the first time in more than seven years that taylormade did not occupy the top spot in drivers at a pga tour event. yes, the bmw is a limited-field tournament, but keeping the driver-win streak intact was important enough to taylormade that one pro said the company offered him five figures to change drivers.

�old school a few champions tour players turned to old favorites at the posco e&c songdo championship in korea. Jerry pate used a titleist 975J-vs driver (a club that first debuted in 2002 and boasts a clubhead measuring a mere 312cc; most of today’s drivers are 460cc), and mike reid a 20-year-old set of ben hogan apex irons. in fact, nearly all of reid’s bag consisted of clubs no longer in production, including his 365cc titleist 983k driver.

�on the radar small putter companies had a good week at the champions tour event in korea. bruce fleisher put the medicus overspin (a mallet that resembles taylormade’s spider) in play while michael goodes had a f2 hamilton putter (a club with a textured face insert and adjustable heel and toe weights) in the bag (as did des smyth). of the trio, goodes finished the highest at t-26, while smyth was t-39 and fleisher t-42.

equipment// e. michael Johnson
titleist ends taylor made’s driver streak

�changes k.J. choi switched to ping’s new scottsdale tomcat blade-style putter at cog hill and finished t- 3 at the bmw championship, ranking t- 6 in both putts per round and putts per gir. choi had ranked t-104 and t-88 in those stats, respectively, prior to the bmw. … another timely putter change was made by ryan moore, who used a prototype scotty cameron by titleist model to also finish t- 3, ranking 27th in putts per gir.

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP// WINNer’S BAg

�in the bag
(Dustin Johnson’s lineup)
ball: TaylorMade Penta TP
driver: TaylorMade R9 (Fujikura
Motore F1 2.0), 10. 5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade R9,
15 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade R9,
19 degrees
irons ( 3-9): TaylorMade R9 TP;
(Pw): TaylorMade TP xFT
wedges: TaylorMade TP xFT
(54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by
Titleist prototype