Did Tiger Woods tweak his equipment for the PNC Championship?
US golfer Tiger Woods was seen in action at the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida. He took part in the coveted tournament with his 13-year-old son Charlie. The pair finished 2-par, at T-8. Nevertheless, they displayed a great performance.
It was noticed by several eagle-eyed fans that Woods had made some changes in his golf equipments. It appeared that he made slight adjustments to his driver and 3-wood. He also added weight to his putter head and changed his long-time putter grip. Woods made changes to his golf ball as well.
What changes did Tiger Woods make in his driver?
Tiger Woods used a lighter 10-gram weight this week. While at the PGA Championship, he had used a 15-gram adjustable sole weight, and his TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9-degree driver was placed slightly towards the draw side of the neutral setting.
Now, though, the driver is in a neutral position. The head change has made driver slightly lighter and comparatively less draw biased. It now seems the driver has a 58.75 degree lie angle instead of the previous 57.25 degrees, according to TaylorMade’s Stealth hosel setting chart.
A more upright lie angle generally means that the driver head will release more easily through impact. Woods’ driver now has a lighter sole weight, a more neutral sole weight and a more upright lie angle.
What changes did Woods make in his 3-wood?
Tiger Woods uses a TaylorMade SIM Titanium 15-degree 3-wood. Like his driver, he made changes in his hosel settings in his 3-wood as well.
His 3-wood is now set to be 1.5 degree open. It has -0.75 degree of loft and has a 59.5 degree lie angle. Woods has been using the same Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70TX shaft for a long time.
There doesn’t seem to be any changes to the weight of the head. His 3-wood should now have slightly more spin and launch. It also have a draw-bias due to the upright lie angle.
What changes has Tiger Woods made in his putter?
Throughout his entire career, Tiger Woods has used a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype putter with a Ping PP58 putter grip. It has a notably thin and light construction. He has had brief experimental stints with other putter grips, but the PP58 has been a constant.
While Woods used the same putter head this week at the PNC Championship, he has switched into what looks to be a Scotty Cameron Pistolini Plus grip, which has a heavier 77-80 gram weight.
Based on the wear mark on the center of the putter face, Woods hasn’t missed the center very often in his long career. However, the tweaks in the set-up must mean something significant.
Which golf ball did Woods use?
Tiger Woods has been using the Bridgestone Tour B XS TW Edition golf ball for years. He co-designed it with Bridgestone. It achieves increased spin on approach shots and a soft feel.
This week, he used the Bridgestone Tour B X model, which has a relatively lower-spinning design. That allows Woods to pick up more distance on longer shots, but he will make a small sacrifice on workability and stopping power.