Hot List: Major-Winning Drivers

August 15, 2011

By Mike Stachura

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At the close of the PGA Championship, we review the drivers that have won at the highest level.

2011 PGA Championship Cleveland Launcher Ultralite TL310

Cleveland's second generation of lightweight drivers features three models: the XL270 weighs about 25 grams less than the 2010 Launcher DST; the SL290 is a bit shorter and 20 grams heavier than the XL270; and the TL310, which Keegan Bradley used to win the 2011 PGA Championship, is the shortest and heaviest of the three. The drivers earned Gold on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List.

2011 British Open TaylorMade R11

The R11's adjustability makes it easier than ever for golfers to get the most from their swing. Movable weights of the original r7 and the adjustable hosel of the R9 are joined by a rotating soleplate that independently changes the driver's face angle for 48 possible settings. Darren Clarke used a 9-degree R11 to win the 2011 British Open, and it earned Gold on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List.

2011 U.S. Open Titleist 910D2

Rory McIlroy set the 72-hole scoring record for the U.S. Open by going 16-under at Congressional Country Club using the Titleist 910D2 driver, which was Gold on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List. He played an 8.5-degree loft with the adjustable hosel set to C-2. He averaged 310.6 yards off the tee for the week.

2011 Masters Nike VR Tour

Charl Schwartzel used a glued-in version of the adjustable VR Tour Str8-Fit, which was Gold on the 2010 Hot List.

2010 PGA Championship TaylorMade R9 SuperTri

Martin Kaymer won with a line extension of the R9 driver that came to the market too late for a full consideration in our annual Hot List process, although in our writeup of the R9, which was Gold on the 2010 Hot List, we noted, "For the same price, the new R9 SuperTri, coming out soon, seems to be a longer and smarter product."

2010 British Open Ping Rapture V2

A low-spin favorite among faster swingers, the Rapture V2, used by Louis Oosthuizen to win at the Old Course, was Gold on the 2009 Hot List.

2010 U.S. Open Callaway FT-3

A big win for a throwback driver, the FT-3 was Callaway's first 460 cc driver to use the company's unique multimaterial cup-face construction. Graeme McDowell put it in play, and it was named to the 2006 Hot List.

2010 Masters Callaway FT Tour TA

Phil Mickelson used the FT Tour. Although the driver never made the Hot List proper (we categorized its better player focus as too narrow for a Hot List designation), though it was touted in a sidebar in the 2010 edition of the Hot List.

2009 PGA Championship TaylorMade r7 Limited

Y.E. Yang was one of the few players in the field using the TaylorMade r7 Limited, which was Gold on the 2009 Hot List.

2009 British & U.S. Open Nike SQ Sumo2 Tour

Lucas Glover became the first player to win a major championship with a square driver, which was a more compact version of the SQ Sumo2 5900 named Gold on the 2008 Hot List. Stewart Cink made it back-to-back wins for the same club with his win at Turnberry.

2009 Masters Ping Rapture

Big hitter Angel Cabrera won his second major with the same driver he used to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 2007. The Ping Rapture earned Gold on the 2007 Hot List.

2008 PGA Championship and British Open Wilson Staff Dd6+

Prior to Padraig Harrington's back-to-back wins, the last Wilson driver to win a major was the quirky Invex, used by John Daly at the 1995 British Open. Dd6 was the U.S. version of the Dd6+ that Harrington favored. It was named to the 2006 Hot List.

2008 U.S. Open Nike SQ Tour

Tiger Woods' victory at Torrey Pines marked the fourth and final major he won with the Nike SQ Tour driver, which he switched to at the start of 2006. It was named to the 2006 Hot List.

2008 Masters Nike SQ Sumo 5000

Trevor Immelman's win at the Masters actually combined two Hot List winning driver technologies. His prototype driver featured a SQ Sumo 5000 head (2008 Hot List, Silver) and the adjustable shaft technology that would become the core technology of the SQ Dymo Str8-Fit (2009 Hot List Gold).

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