 Titleist's 909 drivers earned a PGA Tour victory last week when champion Chez Reavie was one of 17 players to use the 909D2 at the RBC Canadian Open. |
Reavie used a 909D2 driver, a 460cc titanium head club that delivers mid-range launch and spin. Sixteen other players at the Canadian Open also used a 909 model, including Zach Johnson, Bill Haas, Davis Love III and Nicholas Thompson.
The clubhead isn't the only new thing about Reavie's driver. He also used a new 79-gram graphite Proforce AXIVCore shaft from UST. AXIV technology incorporates a single layer of carbon fiber material that's woven in four directions to give feel and control with stability. The special weave is incorporated in the butt end of the shaft and helps resist deformation at impact.
The combination helped Reavie finish fourth in driving accuracy, with 78.6 percent of fairways hit for the week. The self-proclaimed shorter hitter also averaged 282.3 yards off the tee, good for T-34 in the field.
Titleist plans to introduce the 909 drivers to golfers in the U.S. in October, while the UST Proforce AXIVCore shaft will be available in November.
NEW PING IRONS WIN: Speaking of first wins for new equipment, Ping's new irons, the S57s, earned a win for the first time at the Nationwide Tour last week.
Bill Lunde had the new set in his bag for his win at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. He had 13 birdies for the week and finished with 65.3 percent of greens in regulation (T26), despite a poor day on Friday where he hit just 44 percent.
The S57 blades are constructed of stainless steel and are the next step up from Ping's popular S58 irons. They boast a smaller head and less offset than the S58s, and use tungsten weighting in the toe to increase stability, much like Ping's Tour-W wedges.
They debuted on the PGA and European Tours in mid-June. Daniel Chopra, Jeff Maggert and Ted Purdy have all used them in competition. Consumers in the U.S. can expect to see them in stores this fall.
SECOND PLACE FOR OLD PUTTER: Nationwide runner-up Dustin Bray relied on an old putter his dad bought him when he was a high school sophomore and found his comfort level on the greens.
"It's an old Pat. Pending Anser II," Bray said. "Last year I was telling guys I've been putting with it for 12 years, so it's 13 years. It was '95 when he got it for me."
Bray said that although he had more three-putts than he would have liked - he finished T71 in putts per round with 31.8 - he felt better on the greens and made some really big putts.
"I had had good vibes on these greens with that putter in the past and I finished 17th at the nationals here when I was in college, and all in all, I just tried to take that little bit of confidence that I had from the college event I played here," he said.
Bray said he also put an older set of TaylorMade irons back into his bag for the week. He was first in greens in regulation with 81.9 percent.
COMING UP: Callaway and Nike are both set to unveil new drivers. While both are in the rumor stage, it sounds like Callaway's new offering will be called the FT-9 and Nike's will be the Dymo. The Dymo was listed on the USGA's approved list this week. Look for them both to debut on tour in the next few weeks.
