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Seen on Tour: PGA Tour

By E. Michael Johnson
Photos by Dom Furore

The backstory behind some of the equipment that has made its way into the bags of the pros in May: There are intriguing equipment stories every week on the PGA Tour. Whether it's a product introduction from manufacturers or players tinkering with their own clubs, we're always keeping an eye on what the pros are doing. Maybe that extra stick of lead tape, or added weight to the putter, is something worth bringing to your own equipment game. With an eye toward the most interesting, Golf Digest has a collection of what we've seen on the range so far in May at PGA Tour stops.

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Seen on Tour Zurich New Orleans Dom Furore
Photo by Dom Furore
AT&T Byron NelsonMartin Piller is married to LPGA Tour pro Gerina Piller. And her Christmas gift to Martin is evidenced on his bag: A set of headcovers with the Texas state flag on them (above). The headcovers are the perfect gift for Martin, who was born in Dallas, grew up in Duncanville and graduated from Texas A&M. Oh, and his first professional win also came in the Lone Star state, the 2008 Texas State Open.
AT&T Byron NelsonThis 15-degree TaylorMade M1 HL 3-wood belongs to Trevor Immelman. The 2008 Masters champion has both movable weights positioned toward the heel in an effort to produce a ball flight with a slight draw bias.
AT&T Byron NelsonClearly getting this 19-degree Adams Super Idea DHy utility iron out of Henrik Nolander’s bag is a tough chore. The club debuted in 2013, and Norlander has obviously put this one through its paces, as evidenced by the paint chipping off the back of the club.
AT&T Byron NelsonKeeping the ball low is always a favorable trait in Texas, with the effect of the winds on most shots. Richard H. Lee’s Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 3-wood is not only 14 degrees (about one degree stronger than most 3-woods), but he has positioned the 16-gram weight in the front position, and the 3-gram weight in the rear position, to further promote a penetrating trajectory.
The PlayersThe purple-and-yellow “SK” stamping is a clear sign these Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 wedges (above) belong to LSU alum Smylie Kaufman. Kaufman’s gapping is a little unconventional as he uses a 52-, 58- and 62-degree setup. “I can do whatever I need to do around the greens with the 62-degree,” Kaufman said. “Out here, there are a lot of short-sided shots, and this is more of a weapon club for me for those shots.”
The PlayersIf you’re going to offer input into the design of an iron, you might as well play it. That’s exactly what K.J. Choi did with the Miura CB-1007 irons he first put in play at the Farmers Insurance Open. The irons are a compact cavity-back design with varying thicknesses in the cavity to assist feel as well as forgiveness. The cavity also features “KJ Choi” stamped in rather large letters.
The PlayersMatt Every has used Callaway’s Great Big Bertha driver since last fall. Every has the adjustable hosel in the N/minus 1 position (neutral directional and minus 1 degree loft on the 9-degree head). Every used to have the sliding directional weight in the fade position (out near the toe), but over time has moved it to more of a neutral setting.
The PlayersVaughn Taylor goes a little old school with his TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB irons, using some lead tape to get his swingweight just right. The clubs worked well for Taylor at this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he notched his third PGA Tour title and first in nearly 11 years to earn a berth in the Players.
Wells Fargo ChampionshipCharles Howell III signed an endorsement deal with Parsons Xtreme Golf in January, and a couple of months later, he put the company’s prototype Darkness driver in play. The Darkness features 10 weights positioned toward the sides of the sole (five on each side) in an effort to move the center of gravity slightly forward, a trait many tour players benefit from.
Wells Fargo ChampionshipWith his putter cover Patrick Rodgers doesn’t hide his college allegiance. Rodgers went to school at Stanford prior to turning pro in 2014. The reference to ”The Farm“ is a nickname for the school’s campus, which was formerly a stock farm.
Wells Fargo ChampionshipThe champion at Quail Hollow, James Hahn, must have had the force with him in Charlotte as Titleist’s Vokey tour rep Aaron Dill tweeted this photo of a creation he made for Hahn earlier in the week.
Wells Fargo ChampionshipMost consider Boo Weekley to be a bit old school. That extends to his equipment where Weekley continues to use a set of muscleback blade irons, Callaway’s Apex MB.
Wells Fargo ChampionshipMichael Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea but the former University of California golfer currently lives in Del Mar, Calif. That explains why Kim, who clearly eats out a lot, has the names of some of his favorite Del Mar restaurants on his Titleist Vokey SM6 wedges.
Zurich Classic of New OrleansWith five top-10 finishes in the 2015-'16 season, including a runner-up this past week, Jamie Lovemark has shown a consistency that had previously been lacking in his game. Much of his improved play can be attributed to being on target with his Nike Vapor Pro irons (left), as Lovemark currently ranks T-16 on tour in greens in regulation. The irons are bent 3 degrees upright to accommodate the 6-foot-4 Lovemark’s posture and boast a simple “JL” stamping on the back.
Zurich Classic of New OrleansCharley Hoffman might have a bit of rust on his Titleist Vokey SM5 wedges, but his use of them was fairly clean during his win at the Valero Texas Open where he got up and down 15 out of 23 times, for a 65.2 percent clip -- far better than his year-to-date mark of 45.5 percent.
Zurich Classic of New OrleansThere’s no mistaking that this Titleist Vokey SM6 61-degree wedge belongs to Byeong-Hun An. The club is adorned with An’s unique logo inspired by his initials, which he also uses to mark his Titleist Pro V1x ball.
Zurich Classic of New OrleansHarold Varner III’s headcovers always grab some attention. In addition to paying homage to his college team, the East Carolina Pirates, Varner’s driver headcover has become something of a celebrity in its own right. “Gerald” has its own Twitter account, currently with 98 followers including Varner.
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