As the final regular season event on the PGA Tour kicks off this week at the Wyndham Championship, there is a lot on the line for many players. With some players looking to cement a top 50 spot on the FedEx Cup and secure invites to the signature events in 2025, there are other players just looking to breach the top 70 and keep their season rolling.
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At this stage in the season many golfers will have played the same equipment for most of the year but those seeking a change in fortunes means there is always an abundance of new equipment popping up on the practice ground at this stage of the season.
From new drivers and putters to custom shafts, below we take a look into some of the unique gear spotted this week at Sedgefield Country Club, North Carolina.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-4 Driver
The PXG 0311 Black Ops driver and fairway wood really impressed us upon testing at the beginning of the year and both saw massive performance gains over their predecessors. While there was a Tour model released at the start of this year, a new prototype Tour 4 model emerged on the PGA Tour this week and was expertly captured by the guys at Golf WRX. This Tour-4 model seems to boast a similar stealth-like aesthetic to the released Black Ops Tour-1 model but the face appears to be a little deeper and the weights on the sole seem to have been pushed towards the perimeter, presumably for additional forgiveness and stability. While it’s unknown if any players will game this driver this week, keep an eye out for Eric Cole’s bag over the next couple of weeks as he is a PXG staff player who currently plays the Tour-1 model.
Odyssey Ai One Wing Back Putter And New Grip
Odyssey released its Ai One putter range in November and it instantly became popular with tour players. The faces are designed with the use of Artificial Intelligence to create a face with variable thickness, helping the ball roll off the face at a consistent speed regardless of strike location. Each week, notable putter manufacturers will showcase their putters on the putting greens, giving the players a chance to try something new and Golf WRX managed to get a great look at this new putter model.
On the practice putting green this week, a new Odyssey Ai One Wing Back model has been spotted. This is a mallet style putter that has large wings and a dual-weighting system on the sole for maximum forgiveness. Not only is this a new putter model, the Ai One Wing Back putter is sporting a never seen before Odyssey Fate Line putter grip. The grip is an oversized style, similar to a SuperStroke grip - often considered one of the best putter grips, and looks as though it has flat edges in the shape of a pentagon.
Camilo Villegas Scotty Cameron Cirlce T T-11 putter
Camilo Villegas was desperately searching for his game a few years ago following some tragic family news but was once again crowned a PGA Tour champion in Bermuda last year. It was actually after speaking to Adam Scott that Villegas made the switch to a L.A.B Golf Mezz 1 putter and helped him claim his 5th PGA Tour victory. Villegas has been spotted this week with what looks to be Scotty Cameron’s answer to a lie angle balanced putter. Cleverly snapped by Golf WRX, this Tour Only offering is a centre shafted version of the number 11 model and boasts a short sight line and TPT shaft. As we head into the final event of the PGA Tour before the Playoffs begin, Villegas currently sits at 194th on the FedEx Cup standings and while normally in that position he would have to win to have a chance at keeping his card for 2025, he is exempt following his win in 2023.
Custom KBS 'ROSE' Shafts
Rose has been known to tinker with equipment since becoming a free agent on the PGA Tour, gaming irons from Titleist, Cobra and Ping but it’s actually his iron shafts this week that caught our eye. The Englishman has used KBS C-Taper S+ iron shafts for some time now but this week in North Carolina, Rose is sporting some custom ‘Rose’ KBS C-Taper shafts. We don't know how this shaft differs to the conventional KBS shaft but it's a cool detail nonetheless. The former Olympic Gold Medalist and US Open Champion currently sits 52nd on the FedEx Cup and will be looking for a strong finish this week to guarantee starts in the signature events next season.
