Thank goodness for old friends. A week after using a Wilson prototype driver at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and finishing in a tie for 20th, Padraig Harrington put his old Wilson Staff driver back in the bag.
The Dd6+, a European version of the Dd6 driver sold in the U.S., was in Harrington's bag when he won The Open Championship last month. But ever the tinkerer, Harrington decided to put it aside to try the new Smooth driver. The Smooth is completely made of titanium, but other details about its characteristics and release date are not yet available.
Harrington, who is known for having a hands-on approach to working with Wilson on new club offerings, decided to go with the driver he has used in the past for the week, then shot 66-66 in the final two rounds to win his third major by two shots.
"We continue to be energized by Padraig's performance and are thrilled to play a role in his historic achievement," said Wilson's General Manager, Tim Clarke.
HOLMES HITS NEW COBRA: J.B. Holmes, who led the PGA Championship at the halfway point, put a new Cobra driver in the bag for Oakland Hills. The L4VX is designed for players with high swing speeds and can help those heavy hitters to create more launch and less spin.
Holmes' new big stick was a 9-degree clubface. He used an Aldila Voodoo XVS8 shaft.
"Hitting it straight it's a big advantage," Holmes said after the second round. "You got to hit it right down the middle and you can't really attack these greens from the rough. I was lucky to hit most of the fairways today. So it's a big advantage if you can hit it in the fairway."
Holmes also uses two Cobra Speed LD-X Pro fairway woods (13 and 18 degrees) and Cobra Pro CB irons.
CURTIS USES NEW TITLEIST 3-WOOD: Ben Curtis may not have earned his second major at last week's PGA Championship, but he did get a spot on the Ryder Cup team, thanks to a bag full of Titleist equipment.
Curtis used a new 909 fairway wood at 13.5 degrees. Also in his bag: 907D2 driver (8.5 degrees), 585.H hybrids in 17 and 21 degrees, AP2 irons, Vokey Design wedges (52 and 60 degrees).
Armed with a Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 putter and Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, Curtis had 16 birdies for the week to shoot 1-under and tie for second at Oakland Hills.
Titleist's 909 driver has been in the bags of two recent PGA Tour winners. The fairway woods, 909F2 and 909F3, are successors to the popular 906F4 and F2, respectively. The F2 offers a mid- to high launch with mid-range spin, while the F3 has mid-launch and lower spin. Both have a slightly open face and are made of 17-4 stainless steel in the body and 275 steel face. The 909 fairways will be available at retail in October for an expected $199 each.
ACE HELPS JACOBSON: Did you think the par-3s at Oakland Hills seemed long? So did the pros, who were typically taking long irons off the tees at the course's so-called "short" holes.
But Swede Fredrik Jacobson managed to do quite well by the 193-yard 13th hole Sunday. Jacobson used his Callaway X-Forged 4-iron to ace the hole - the only hole-in-one of the week.
"It was into a stiff breeze," he said, explaining why he made his club selection.
"There was a lot of people around that green, and funny enough, I called it out when it was in the air, as well," he said. "It had a long ways to go, but it looked good all the way."
For his trouble, Jacobson finished in a tie for 24th with a 9-over total for the week.
"I didn't make a birdie all week on the back nine," he said.
