Seen on tour
Bryson DeChambeau's putter tweak and Lee Westwood's unusual wedge setup highlight Bay Hill equipment storylines
Mike Ehrmann
Last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational featured two players in the final group—Bryson DeChambeau and Lee Westwood—battling for the title after having made significant equipment tweaks. We take a deeper dive into those changes, as well as highlight a tour veteran who used a prototype putter from a company not known for its flat sticks.
Bryson’s altered putter
Bryson DeChambeau rarely stands pat with his equipment, constantly tinkering to achieve any edge. That extends to his SIK Pro C Armlock putter, too.
DeChambeau recently had the hosel changed on his blade to make it longer and closer to the center line. They also removed some weight from the heel to keep the center of gravity in the same location. The tweak resulted in about 20 degrees less toe hang. DeChambeau thought the change not only felt better but was more stable.
According to Stephen Harrison, CEO and founder of SIK Golf, the change is something he and DeChambeau had discussed as an option for a long time. DeChambeau, however, was putting so well that he didn't want to make any changes to the setup he used to win the U.S. Open.
DeChambeau tried the new configuration during the break, liked it immediately and started gaming it at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
Mike Ehrmann
Westwood with a relatable wedge setup
Lee Westwood received a new set of Ping i210 irons this week, but it went beyond the typical 4-iron through pitching wedge setup. The new set also included i210 set gap and sand wedges—a move not all that uncommon for an everyday golfer but highly unusual for a tour pro.
According to Ping the irons were built in its tour van on Sunday before tournament week at Bay Hill. Westwood tested them early in the week using Trackman to gather data, resulting in some of the lofts on the short irons being bent slightly stronger to clean up some gapping issues.
Westwood—who also re-gripped his Ping Sigma 2 Fetch putter—finished second at Bay Hill, ranking third in strokes gained/approach-the-green, picking up 6.289 strokes on the field. He also finished second in greens in regulation at 70.83 percent.
Dufner’s Cobra prototype putter
Jason Dufner had a prototype Cobra putter in the bag at Bay Hill, but it wasn’t the King Supersport-35 3DP blade the company unveiled last November. Instead, Dufner wielded a large-headed mallet with the name Agera on the bottom.
According to Cobra, its tour rep, Ben Schomin, has been customizing the putter for Dufner, including the weights, shaft and grip and Dufner, who finished T-36 at Bay Hill, finally felt comfortable enough to put it in play.
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