This wedge has become a popular option at the 2025 PGA Championship for 1 reason

CHARLOTTE — Vokey tour rep Aaron Dill doesn't stand still for long during a major championship week. One second he's offering wedge feedback on the range, the next, he's back in the Titleist truck building a fresh lob wedge for a club pro who might be lucky to see him once per year.

It's all about making sure the best players in the world are squared with their scoring tools before Thursday morning.

In most cases, Dill tries to get ahead of the major championship wedge requests by building as much product as possible in the weeks leading up to the event. Doing so allows him to remain nimble if the course conditions change and he's forced to call a few audibles, as was the case this week.

Dill knew rain was in the forecast, but he wasn't anticipating the deluge that pounded Quail Hollow for the first few days of the week.

Soft conditions at a major championship venue can compel pros to make some tough decisions regarding the clubs in their bag. Do you stick with what's working or make adjustments on the fly to better match the current setup and conditions?

Unfortunately, not even Dill has a one-size-fits-all wedge solution.

"It's tough, you have to make sacrifices," he said on Wednesday afternoon while aboard the Titleist truck. "I would love to be the guy who says a wedge does everything, but at the end of the day, you have to have an honest discussion about what you're trading for another thing. If you focus on improving the weaknesses, everything seems to fall into place."

Thanks to the recent precipitation, players are dealing with two issues that Dill believes could make the lob wedge a key club in the bag.

"The fairways are fairly saturated," he said. "We're not seeing a lot of rollout, which I think puts a lot of pressure on wedge play, because those longer clubs are going to force players to hit some shots that may not make the greens. You're going to see balls run off into these collection areas with longer clubs into the greens. You'll see a lot of pitching and chipping from those places. I think the lob wedges are going to get a workout."

If Quail Hollow were playing firm and fast, players would likely opt for a lob wedge with lower bounce to allow the leading edge to scoot under the ball at impact. But it's the polar opposite at the moment. The increased moisture is causing players to go the other way and increase bounce.

On the flip side, the bunkers are proving to be firmer than advertised due to added moisture that's compacting the sand.

"You're feeling a lot more pressure from that bunker than you normally would," said Dill. "Some players are testing more bounce to see if it's a better feel. In those compact and moist conditions, players are struggling to get a lot of speed out of those bunkers, so they are venturing into some wider options."

One of those wider options increasing in popularity this week is Vokey's K-Star. Xander Schauffele is one of several pros who will likely use the specialized wedge at Quail Hollow after testing it on the course. Justin Thomas is another pro who alternates between 60K-Star and 60T depending on the conditions. Rory McIlroy also carried a 58K-Star during two wins earlier this year. The list of users is impressive.

Compared to the standard K and low bounce K, the Star offers a steeper wear on the leading edge, along with heel, toe and trailing edge relief, for forgiveness from square- and open-faced positions.

In the square position, the “narrow ribbon” of additional bounce keeps the leading edge from digging into the ground at impact. Even if there isn't a perfect wedge for every pro, the reason so many players are gravitating to K-Star is due to its versatility on soft turf and in firm bunkers.

"There are players who are leaning a little bit on more flange to increase how far that ball is traveling," Dill said. "You're trying to get a little bit more spin and friction on the golf ball. And with the bunkers being a question, the wider skid plate helps create height and spin to get the head sliding through firmer spots."

It's the kind of scoring tool that could help someone hoist the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday evening.