2016 Masters: The Leaders' Equipment

By E. Michael Johnson

Heading into the weekend at the Masters there are just seven players under par after 36 holes. Here’s a look at some of their equipment

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 09: Smylie Kaufman of the United States reacts on the 13th hole during the third round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2016 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

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Jordan Spieth

Talk about bad timing. Spieth cracked the face of his 9.5-degree Titleist 915D2 driver on Wednesday. “I was hitting balls and it was just a bit of an odd ball flight … just a little higher and looked like it was shorter.” His coach, Cameron McCormack, took the club and said, “We’ve got a problem.” The issue was a slight crack in the face. Luckily for Spieth, with adjustable clubs he could keep the same shaft and simply tried four different heads until he found the right combination.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has a couple of new additions this week, one cosmetic and the other functional. The four-time major champ is playing a Nike RZN Platinum ball with a green-colored swoosh and RM5 in green as well. The rationale? To remind McIlroy the Masters would be his fifth major win (why anyone would need such a reminder is a different story). McIlroy also added a 19-degree Nike Vapor Speed 5-wood, feeling the added height would work better at Augusta National than that of a long iron.

Danny Lee

Normally on fast greens players will, if anything, use less loft on their putters. High loft is normally reserved for shaggier greens in order to lift the ball above the grass. At the Masters, however, Lee is using an Odyssey Milled Collection RSX Prototype putter. The club is 35 inches long and has 5 degrees of loft (standard for a putter is 3 degrees).

Brandt Snedeker

Like McIlroy, Snedeker also has added a 5-wood this week—Bridgestone’s JGR model. Snedeker also uses the JGR driver, a club he switched to earlier this year and had immediate success with (a T-3 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, a playoff loss at the Sony Open and a win at the Farmers Insurance Open). The most noticeable aspect of the JGR driver is the milling pattern on the face that reduces the amount the ball slides up the face, thus reducing spin.

Scott Piercy

Piercy is tied for fourth in greens in regulation (hitting 26 of 36) using a split set of irons. Piercy’s set is comprised of Titleist’s 716 AP2 (4-iron); 690 MB (5-iron) and 680 (6-PW). In his only other Masters start in 2013 Piercy ranked 35th in greens in regulation.

Soren Kjeldsen

Like Piercy, Kjeldsen is relying on his iron play this week, hitting three-quarters of his greens in regulation (ranked second). Kjeldsen uses a set of irons that has a few miles on them, Cleveland’s 588PF irons, which he has had in the bag since 2013.

Hideki Matsuyama

Matsuyama returned this week to his Srixon Z30 driver, a Japan-only model from 2008 and a club that Matsuyama has used as his primary gamer since before he turned pro in 2013. The club has a Graphite Design DI-8 TX shaft and is 44.75 inches in length with a D-3 swingweight.

Smylie Kaufman

Ranking T-9 in both total putts and putts per round along with only one three-putt through 54 holes, there’s no doubting that Kaufman’s putter is his key club. It’s one he is familiar with as well. Kaufman has been using his Scotty Cameron by Titleist T-10 for eight years. “I love the look, especially the topline,” Kaufman told Golf Digest. “For some reason it just always has me lined up to hit it in the center.”

Bernhard Langer

The 58-year-old senior star employs a split set of irons with long irons being a model that date back to 1999. Langer uses Ben Hogan Apex Forged irons (4- and 5-irons) along with Adams Idea Pro Black MB irons (6-iron through pitching wedge). It is a combination he has had in the bag for more than five years.

Danny Willett

Odyssey’s Versa putters feature an alternating color scheme on the head to promote alignment. Willet uses the Versa #1 Wide with a White/Black/White combination and through three rounds at the Masters is T-6 in total putts.

Jason Day

Day has become one of the best putters in the game over the past year and the fine work he’s doing on the greens has continued at the Masters where he is eighth in putts per greens in regulation through 54 holes. The putter the Aussie wields is a TaylorMade Ghost Itsy Bitsy Spider. Ironcially, Day’s “Ghost” putter is black, not white, at his request.

Dustin Johnson

When you talk Dustin Johnson, it’s all about the long ball and DJ leads the field in driving distance after three rounds at Augusta National averaging 300.1 yards with his TaylorMade M1 driver. Johnson’s driver has 10.5 degrees of loft with the front-to-back weight set slightly back to assist launch angle. It’s swing weight is a heavy D-7.