The new year brings new hope for PGA Tour pros as they embark on the 2026 PGA Tour regular season, the promise of a career changing/defining victory awaiting each and every week. In chronicling each tournament, it's notable—and fun—to explore what equipment the pros used to capture victory. In this case here, we're specifically curious about what driver was put in play as it provides a window into how pros use modern equipment to squeeze out any advantage possible in the race to winning a title. Throughout the year, we'll track the different makes and models used by each tour winner. Chris Gotterup's victory at the WM Phoenix Open gave Ping its second win in 2026, one more than TaylorMade and Callaway in the early 2026 driver count. Each week we'll provide a few details about the club and a key stat that provides some context on how the newly minted champion wound up in the winner's circle.
Chris Gotterup, WM Phoenix Open
Justin Edmonds
Driver: Ping G440 LST (HZRDUS Smoke Black 70), 7.5 degrees
Key driving stat: As was the case during his victory in Hawaii in January, Gotterup was impressive with his driving all week at TPC Scottsdale. He ranked seventh in SG/off the tee (+4.042) and fourth in the field in distance with a 332.2-yard average.
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Justin Rose, Farmers Insurance Open
Orlando Ramirez
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max, Mitsubishi Diamana WB 63 TX, 8.5 degrees
Key driving stat: His strokes gained/off the tee number for the week only ranked 21st, but he was 10th during the third round, the day he distanced himself from the field at Torrey Pines and turned 13th career PGA Tour victory into a runaway.
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Scottie Scheffler, The American Express
Eric Brown Jr./ISI Photos
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (Fujikura Ventus Black 7X), 8 degrees
Key driving stat: Scheffler has finished either first or second on strokes gained/off the tee in each of the last three years, so it's no surprise that he was among the leaders at The American Express en route to victory, finishing fourth on the week (+2.877).
Among the improvements here—beyond better overall stability on mis-hits on the heel and toe and high and low—is the increased use of carbon composite in the crown. Now stretching almost seamlessly to the top of the face, the crown saves weight to help increase stability on off-center hits and to lower the center of gravity for reduced spin and better energy transfer. The structure of the channel in the sole now gives more at impact to deliver extra flex to the face for faster ball speed, particularly on lower hits on the face.
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Chris Gotterup, Sony Open in Hawaii
Cliff Hawkins
Driver: Ping G440 LST (HZRDUS Smoke Black 70), 7.5 degrees
Key driving stat: In grabbing his third career PGA Tour title, Gotterup was more than solid off the tee, finishing first in SG: off the tee for the week (+4.352). He was helped by being ninth in the field in distance with a 319.70 yard average.
