Golf Digest - Feb 2022

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FEBRUARY / 2022

majlis magic The most famous view in Middle East golf has been primped and preened for the 33rd Desert Classic

12 Dallah Drama Good luck picking a winner of Dubai’s upgraded DP World Tour stop.

BY KENT GRAY

The Starter

BY KENT GRAY

8 Emirates Golf Club The Majlis course is primed for the 33rd hosting of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic.

16 How to Become a Cold-Blooded Competitor Collin Morikawa is a super nice guy, except when you’re trying to beat him.

Body 10 Power Chain Don’t allow the legs, core or upper body to be a weak link in your swing.

BY MATTHEW BROOKES

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BY DAN RAPAPORT

26 Paul Casey The Desert Classic defender recalibrates.

february 2022

28 Seeing Double How Al Hamra Golf Club made it to the big time. Twice over.

BY KENT GRAY

31 Teen Spirit Keep an eye on these two preciously talented Asian Tour teens at the 4th Saudi International.

BY KENT GRAY

34 Bryson 3.0 Bryson DeChambeau is finally comfortable in his own skin. The field at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club has been warned.

BY KENT GRAY

38 From Sir Nick With Love Welcome to Pakistan’s Rumanza Golf & Country Club - and a six-time major champion’s trickiest design challenge yet.

49 On the Basis of Gender The right clubs for a woman are the same as the right clubs for a man.

BY KENT GRAY

50 Mind Your Language A glossary of 25 terms to help you speak equipment fluently.

Hot List

Part 1

46 The Game You Want Starts With the Right Clubs Meet all the people who help us evaluate golf equipment, and learn about our annual Hot List test process.

BY MIKE STACHURA

BY JOEL BEALL

53 Drivers Everybody wants to hit bombs. Dialling in the right driver design makes them smart bombs. cover photograph by peter yang

majlis: david cannon

Features

6 Editor’s Letter Why golf’s decision to become reality TV fodder is genius.

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EDITOR’S LE TTER

Bingeworthy Will golf’s biggest names be as open with the streaming giant as the stars of Formula 1?

By Kent Gray

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F YOU LOVE GOLF – a fair assumption given you are reading a magazine devoted to the subject – you’ll likely adore the game’s all in with Netflix.

Golf’s answer to “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” is not only poised to take viewers inside the ropes and locker rooms of the PGA Tour but also into the inner sanctum of the men’s majors, perhaps even into the glitzy private lives of some of the game’s biggest names. In short, we’re all about to play voyeurs to the inner workings of tour life - all the personalities, politics and pettiness - like never before.

Even the normally reserved R&A and even more closely-guarded Augusta National Golf Club have granted access to the streaming giant to “capture the intensity of training, travel, victory and defeat through the lens of a diverse group of players and their support teams.”

It’s hard to imagine an ‘access all areas’ pass being granted by Augusta but the game’s gatekeepers similarly know they’ve almost nothing to lose given the runaway success of the motor-racing doco-series.

While Netflix is protective of its viewing figures, movie and TV show dataanalysis site FlixPatrol reports Drive to Survive ranked No.1 for TV series globally after season’s 3s release last March.

Even more astonishing, it attracted more viewers than the first season, an

“Heroes were created and villains unmasked, quickly converting nonpetrol heads.”

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almost “unheard of” scenario according to industry insiders. In the United States alone, ESPN’s average audience grew from 547,000 viewers in 2018 to nearly a million for each race last season while The New York Times quoted the promoter of the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas saying he was preparing to welcome an additional 20,000 spectators on the back of the show’s popularity alone.

Golf will hope to cash in as the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Ian Poulter, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson go about their day jobs with ever-present cameras.

super max New F1 champion Max Verstappen celebrates his unlikely Abu Dhabi GP triumph in Dec.

It desperately needs the reality TV assist too, notwithstanding the global surge in participation that has been a surprisingly spinoff of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Playing numbers might be way up but viewing figures are worryingly down, particularly for the fall events in the U.S. And for any tournament not featuring needle shifter Tiger Woods.

Woods is one of the players conspicuous by their absence from the PGA-Netflix deal, along with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. Perhaps they hold similar fears to freshly minted F1 world champion Max Verstappen who refused to appear on Drive to Survive as he believes the show creates false rivalries.

But even the most reluctant racers eventually couldn’t resist the ratings winner (read free advertising for sponsors). By season 2, Mercedes and Ferrari - the two most successful teams in F1 history - had reversed their decision not to feature.

“It showed me a new angle to attract a new audience, different to how I perceive F1,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. “This is why I decided to join and be part of Netflix in 2019.”

Perhaps we’ll get Brooks v Bryson in season 2 after all?

The secret to Drive to Survive’s success is that it isn’t a puff piece with PRsanitised answers and tiresome virtue signalling. It’s warts ‘n all personalities unleashed in the heat of the moment when tensions and egos are running high. The teams quickly learned to trust the producers and it translated in to utterly compelling television and a PR boon for F1. Heroes were created and villains unmasked, converting non-petrol heads into the new army of disciples described by since ousted McLaren Racing boss Zac Brown.

“People are going from ‘I’ve never watched a Formula 1 race in my life’ to ‘I’ll never miss a Formula 1 race again.’”

After the epic 2021 title race between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton that went down to the final controversial lap in Abu Dhabi, season 4 of Drive to Survive can’t come soon enough. Here’s hoping golf’s reality show proves just as binge-worthy; the PGA Tour, Augusta National Golf Club, The PGA of America, the USGA and the R&A are surely hoping for a similar ratings winner.

Over to you then Harry Higgs, Max Homa, Joel Dahmen and co. Those who love golf already know these cheeky characters but not as intimately as we soon will. Better still, a new generation of fans are poised to become converts thanks to the most welcome intrusion the royal and ancient game has ever witnessed.

kent.gray@motivate.ae @kentgraygolf / @golfdigestme

open book Reigning Open champion and Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic drawcard Collin Morikawa is one of those opening up to Netflix

editor-in- chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer managing partner & group editor Ian Fairservice editor Kent Gray art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores instruction editors Luke Tidmarsh, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Matthew Brookes, Lea Pouillard, Alex Riggs chief commercial officer Anthony Milne publisher David Burke gener al manager - production S. Sunil Kumar assistant production manager Binu Purandaran t h e g o l f d i g e s t p u b l i c at i o n s editor-in- chief Jerry Tarde director, business development & partnerships Greg Chatzinoff international editor Ju Kuang Tan golf digest usa editor-in- chief Jerry Tarde gener al manager Chris Reynolds editorial director Max Adler executive editor Peter Morrice art director Chloe Galkin managing editors Alan P. Pittman, Ryan Herrington (News) chief pl aying editor Tiger Woods pl aying editors Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Tom Watson

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GOLF DIGEST and HOW TO PLAY, WHAT TO PLAY, WHERE TO PLAY are registered trademarks of Discovery Golf, Inc. Copyright © 2021 Discovery Golf, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Volume 72, Issue 2. GOLF DIGEST (ISSN 0017-176X) is published eight times a year by Discovery Golf, Inc. Principal office: Golf Digest, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y., 10036. Discovery Golf, Inc.: Alex Kaplan, President & GM; Gunnar Wiedenfels, Chief Financial Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.

golfdigestme.com /GolfDigestME photographs by getty images

The Starter

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Emirates Golf Club The Majlis course is primed for its 31st hosting of the Dubai Desert Classic

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he Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic is the oldest DP World Tour event outside of continental Europe and key to the charm of the now $8 million Rolex Series event is the canvas on which it contested. The venerable Majlis layout at Emirates Golf Club is looking a picture after its recent greens renovation as this image capturing the green of the par-3 4th hole and beyond to the par-3 7th illustrates. There was a late spoke in the works with the 15th and 17th greens the victims of alleged vandalism but Dubai Golf chief Chris May was confident of the 33rd Desert Classic – the event was held at sister course Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 1999 and 2000 – presenting in top shape for players, spectators and TV viewers alike.

“The greens are progressing well,” May said. “The team are working hard to get them where they need to be and with another week to go we are confident they will present and roll well.” It’s nothing more than the Middle East’s pioneering grass course deserves on its biggest week of the year. –kent gray

photograph courtesy by emirates golf club

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BODY / FITNESS POWER

POWER CHAIN Don’t allow the legs, core or upper body be a weak link in your swing

By Matthew Brookes

your chest. From this position we are going to throw the ball vertically into the air above you. It pays to make a couple lighter throws first just to get the coordination and timing of the throw correct. Once confident, find your rhythm and employ a minimal pause between each throw.

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WATCH THE VIDEO

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step and turn 3 cable Set the cable machine at chest overhead 1 kneeling slam With the use of a slam ball, start in a kneeling position grasping the ball. Now lift the ball above your head feeling a lengthening in the abdominals. You should feel a shortening and contraction in the abdominals as you slam the ball down into the ground as hard as you can.

height then take one step away, keeping your chest facing the machine and arms stretched. It’s important to note that the same width between your chest and hands is kept throughout this movement. With your feet starting together, take one step away from the machine and then rotate the shoulders away from the machine. Return to starting position and repeat on the other leg.

▶ Scan the QR Code to watch Matt bring this lesson to life.

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Never go too heavy with any of these exercises; good form when performing at speed is of utmost importance. We are looking for a fast movement and anything too heavy will slow you down.

Complete each exercise as a single set with 10 reps, 4 sets and 60 seconds rest.

If you’d like to go a little harder, make it a giant set and repeat each exercise one after the other with a two minute rest after each set.

matthew brookes is a PGA teaching professional and golf specific fitness trainer at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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joachim guay

LAST MONTH we examined how ground interaction can lead to more power in your golf game. Following on from my “From the Ground Up” article, we’re transitioning this month to amateurs who create sufficient ground forces but not necessarily the desired club-head speed.

This most likely occurs when there’s a weak link in your “Power Chain”. The chain is made of three links: the legs, core and upper body. If there is a weakness within one of these links, then energy created from the ground won’t necessarily make it into the ball at impact. Here are three exercises that’ll help increase the power.

chest pass 2 lying Start in a lying position with a soft medicine ball between both hands, sitting on

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DALLAH DRAMA

12 golfdigestme.com photographs by getty images february 2022

DP WORLD TOUR

THE ONLY GUARANTEE WHEN THE 33RD SLYNC.IO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC TAKES STARTERS ORDERS? YET MORE UNSCRIPTED THEATRE

BY KENT GRAY

Momentum.

It’s one of golf’s most sought-after, and utterly fickle, commodities. Offering mostly fleeting hope, it’s difficult to obtain and harder still to cling on to.

Some, heading into the 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, have it in ample supply. Take Thomas Pieters following his cool march to victory in Abu Dhabi while chaos ensued all around him on the Yas Links leaderboard.

The Belgian, who will turn 30 on the Thursday of Dubai’s upgraded Rolex Series event, amassed a mere five bogeys all week on a layout bearing its teeth and thus set course for Emirates Golf Club with authentic early season impetus in the form of a career-best sixth DP World Tour win.

The problem with success is that it often runs smack bang into sober reality the very next week; the last back-to-back winner on the European circuit was Tyrrell Hatton (Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Italian Open) in 2017. In the case of the now $8 million Desert Classic, Pieters will also confront history which records that no winner in Abu Dhabi has ever gone on to double-down in Dubai. That’s 16 editions, and counting. There’s also the not insignificant matter of Pieters’ ho-hum record on the Majlis, a share of 23rd in 2017 his best result in seven starts.

So, in full knowledge that history is there to be rewritten, let’s imagine for a moment that Pieters isn’t the player holding the fabled Dallah trophy aloft come Jan. 30. Who else brings genuine early season momentum to the ‘Major of the Middle East’?

Using the final Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship leaderboard as fresh evidence, there are a few usual suspects.

Rafa Cabrera Bello was joint runner-up with Shubhankar Sharma and, as 2012 Dubai Desert Classic champion, importantly knows how to get over the line at Emirates G.C. Mind you, like most of Pieter’s challengers at Yas Links, the Spaniard’s Sunday was a case of momentum ebbing and flowing and ebbing away again right at the wrong time. For Cabrera Bello, it was a pair of bogeys on 15 and 16, although his birdie on 18 was a positive and hugely profitable send-off to Dubai.

Viktor Hovland produced one of the shots of the final round in Abu Dhabi for an eagle on the 7th but also blotted his card with an earlier triple bogey and a late double of amateurish wedge proportions to finish T4. Tyrrell Hatton produced one of the best final rounds with a 67 and has a pair of third places in Dubai in 2017 and 2018. His Sunday best wasn’t quite as impressive as the bogey-free 65 from 2007 Dubai champion Henrik Stenson, a score matched by Adri february 2022

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DON’T FEEL LIKE I’VE HIT A FULL IRON SHOT THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, ALL KNOCK-DOWN. SOME KINDER WEATHER WOULD BE NICE GOING TO NEXT WEEK [DUBAI]

Arnaus. After rounds of 71-76 and 72 topsy turvy After struggling to the 27-year-old Spaniard looked set to make the cut at Yas positively skip up the road to Dubai Links, McIlroy made only to double bogey his 72nd hole. a dramatic charge for It was a costly blunder for Arnaus – a the Falcon trophy brilliant 63 or perhaps even 62 for a top-10 finish turned into a tie for 20th - and a reminder momentum is a fickle temptress.

Ian Poulter, Shane Lowry and the bearded Adam Scott were others to experience the giveth and taketh of Yas with the Aussie, set for his first Desert Classic appearance in 20 years, again hobbled by an uncooperative putter. The former Masters champion would be a billionaire by now if only he could roll the rock with a smidgeon more consistency.

For the ultimate yo-yo performance at Yas though, look no further than Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman admitted he’d “never been so glad to get off a golf course” after barely sneaking into the weekend with a 36th hole birdie in Friday’s gale.

Then he somehow transformed opening rounds of 72-75 into weekend scores of 67-69, which on the face of it, would suggest the four-time major champ has knocked off the winter rust and is trending very nicely for Dubai thank you very much.

McIlroy certainly become a compelling watch when he holed out for an eagle two on the 9th at Yas and proceeded to 14

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birdie three of his next four holes to roar into surprise contention. But just when an epic comeback looked possible – he started Sunday nine strokes adrift of the 54-hole leader Scott Jamieson - McIlroy tugged his drive left on 14 en-route to three bogeys in his final five holes and a tie for 12th.

“Honestly, just happy enough I got to play an extra two days,” McIlroy offered as a report card from Abu Dhabi. “I had to make a birdie at the last on Friday night to be here and almost made most of the weekend. Played well yesterday. Played really well today through 13 and then a couple of loose shots coming in that cost me but it was good to see where the game’s at. “… I thought the driver was good, irons were pretty good for the most part. Hopefully get to Dubai with some favourable conditions next week. Don’t feel like I’ve hit a full iron shot the last couple of days, all knock-down. Maybe some kinder weather would be nice going into next week.”

At least two-time Desert Classic champ McIlroy, back at Emirates G.C. for the first time since finishing runner-up to Haotong Li in 2018, is comfortable with the Majlis layout. He certainly appears to have more of that intangible early 2022 impetus than Collin Morikawa who finished five over par in a share of 62nd at Yas, notably two shots worse than Trump Dubai amateur Josh Hill.

After finishing T68 on debut last year, Morikawa doesn’t exactly have fond memories of the Majlis either. Then again, there’s a reason he’s a drawcard, a body of 2021 work that included the Claret Jug, a WGC title, the DP World Tour Championship title and Harry Vardon trophy as the first ever American to become European No.1. Momentum is temporary, class permanent and all that.

Only once in the history of the Desert Classic, meanwhile, has a player captured the Dallah trophy back-to-back – Scot Stephen Gallacher in 2013-14. Paul Casey, who opted for the Asian Tour’s SMBC Singapore Open over Abu Dhabi for his Dubai title-defence tune-up, will draw confidence from that. A bit like McIlroy, the 44-year-old Englishman was set to touch down from Singapore on an upward, albeit slightly turbulent, trajectory. Casey was notably outscored, 68 to 76, by 14-year-old Thai amateur playing partner Ratchanon Chantananuwat in the opening round at Sentosa Golf Club but made the cut on the number with a gritty 68 and closed out his week with an equal best of Sunday 66 for a creditable share of 16th. The caveat of a closing round which started from the 10th tee? Lost momentum on his homeward nine when he cancelled out a lovely eagle on the 4th (impressively his third successive three on the par-5 4th) with a double bogey on his penultimate hole, the 8th.

Momentum. Golf’s most fleeting commodity and an utterly fickle way to predict what will happen from one hole to the next, much less from one early season Desert Swing event to the next. Enjoy the unpredictable drama. Rory, anyone?

SP ONSORED C ONTENT / MYGOLF D UBAI

Making golf yours with MyGolf

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rom hong kong to the Big Apple, and now his latest stop, Michael Zhao is bringing a new disruptive social and entertainment concept to the UAE: MyGolf, an indoor golf simulator experience.

“It’s a modern social and leisure platform that fosters genuine relationships within the community and brings together members from all walks of life through a shared passion for sports and entertainment,” Mr Zhao said.

As Dubai’s first premium indoor golf and entertainment lounge, it aims to be the ultimate ‘go-to’ place to expand social networks and meet other golfers.

“The first facility is just the beginning: the scale-up process is already in motion and we plan to spread the MyGolf lifestyle across the region.”

MyGolf operates with the latest premium technology, making your experi-

ence realistic with a software boasting over 190+ world-famous golf courses.

It’s also educative, providing a player’s scorecard and swing replays. The indoor concept plays an important role as well as it allows people to equally play throughout the year even during the hot summer months.

MyGolf features fully equipped private VIP rooms, the opportunity to join an exclusive private members club, a golf academy and special networking events. Nevertheless, selected premium food and beverages will also be available at the venue.

What makes the MyGolf experience so unique is the attention to detail: the concept is not only about welcoming golfers and novices who want to learn or improve their swing but it is also about creating an exclusive community, through ambassadors and members,

michael zhao

to make sure everyone gets to taste the MyGolf lifestyle.

“We want to ensure that MyGolf adds value to people’s lives and becomes part not only of Dubai’s unique social scene, but of their own routines.”

Visit mygolfdubai.com for more information. february 2022

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SLYNC.IO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC DRAWCARD COLLIN MORIKAWA IS A SUPER-NICE GUY, EXCEPT WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO BEAT HIM

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER YANG

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how does the world’s no. 2 player and top-ranked American—a goodlooking kid with global appeal, a radiant smile, two major championships, a college sweetheart-turned fiancee and a business degree from a top university—finish outside the top 10 in the PGA Tour’s popularity contest? The $40-million Player Impact Program is designed to reward players who bring the most attention to golf, and on paper, Collin Morikawa ticks all the superstar boxes. In actuality, he can come off as bland. His consistent game is decidedly unflashy; Tiger Woods described it as “like an athletic Jim Furyk.” Furyk never slammed clubs and neither does Morikawa. You won’t find him beefing with anyone on social media. He is, one could argue, too nice.

That’s the public perception, at least. As is often the case with public perceptions, the truth is more nuanced. Behind the toothy grin and unassuming disposition lies a young man addicted to winning, who uses golf as an outlet for an insatiable desire for competition. Collin Morikawa is not who you think he is.

“Competing is my life,” he says.

“I mean, I’m stupid competitive. It can become a problem with people who are not competitive. Like, it can get annoying.”

Consider his chippy reaction to presumably finishing one spot outside the PIP top 10 and missing out on a minimum $3-million payday (results will be announced in February). “My favourite number is 5,” he tweeted, “but maybe I’ll make it 11 now.” Soon after, he changed his Instagram and Twitter bio to include “Co11in.” Not exactly a nice18

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guy move, putting the tour on blast in a public forum and turning a perceived slight into motivation. He has an edge; it’s just beginning to show.

“I’m not aware of any other sports league that includes a player-impact program where just the top 10 people are getting paid on the side,” Morikawa says. “Is it weird? Absolutely. Are guys that miss out going to complain? Prob-

ably. But, look, what that proves is that I need to engage more. That’s what people want to see.”

What they’ve already seen is a historically fruitful start to a career. About a year ago, he had amassed three PGA Tour wins, including a major championship before turning 24. His rise to the summit of the sport had been remarkable for its linearity: great junior ca-

IN PLAY OR GO DEEP?

ADJUST YOUR START TO DRIVE IT STRAIGHT OR FAR

BY COLLIN MORIKAWA Get it in the short grass When it’s crucial to hit the fairway, I go with a little cut shape off the tee. My typical miss is to over-cut the ball. It happens when my arms get disconnected from my body on the backswing. To make sure a cut doesn’t become a slice, I treat my arms and torso as one unit as I start back. Try it. You’ll feel like your backswing is abbreviated, yet fully wound (opposite page).

Air one out When I want to reach back for a few extra yards, I tee the ball higher and make a bigger turn, which makes my swing longer (left). I’ll sometimes put my right hand on my right hip and mimic a backswing to rehearse this longer drive. I want to feel my right leg straightening and my right shoulder moving back and around my body. If I copy that when I swing, I can really turn it loose.

reer, terrific college player, world No. 1 amateur, a PGA Tour card within two months of turning professional, a win a month later, a major the next year.

Each of his three worldwide victories in 2021 carried significance. He won his first World Golf Championship in February; in November, he won the DP World Tour Championship to become the first American to win the

European Tour’s season-long points race; in between, he doubled his major tally with a masterful performance in his first Open Championship. Just as impressive is the way he seized them: He closed the WGC with 16 bogey-free holes; the Open with 31 straight bogeyfree holes; and the DP World with 41 bogey-free holes. With those commanding, mistake-free performances, february 2022

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STOCK IRON OR SHAPE IT?

LET YOUR FINISH HELP YOU EXECUTE THE RIGHT SHOT Try my go-to for reliability Iron play is all about controlling ball flight. For me, that means playing a mid-trajectory shot that peels off to the right just a bit. I set up a little left of my target and swing to the top with my left wrist bowed to put the clubface in the position I want it to stay in through impact. Then, for consistency, I rely on body rotation in the downswing—not my hands— to control the face, so it’s a hair open to my swing path at impact.

Another key: I make sure I finish tall like I am here (above).

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Shape it with your arms I don’t do it often, but I won’t hesitate to draw the ball when it’s the right play. I address it slightly farther back than normal, roughly centreed between my feet. I also adjust my stance so that I’m oriented a little right (closed) in relation to my target. I think about swinging around my body into this lower finish position (opposite page) with my right arm moving more across my chest than it would for my usual cut.

he has emerged as the game’s premier closer—the rare player who feels most at ease in high-leverage moments.

“Everyone likes to say that his putting is a weakness, that he needs to improve that part of his game,” says his caddie, J.J. Jakovac, “but all he has done under pressure is make putts that matter. You don’t do that unless you have some extra level of focus when you need it. He is a ferocious competitor.”

Morikawa had no links golf experience when he played the Scottish Open right before the Open Championship.

The finest iron player in the world couldn’t find the centre of the face all week at the Renaissance Club and hated the way his clubs interacted with

the firm Scottish turf. He also struggled with speed control on the slower putting surfaces. After a disappointing T-71 finish, it would have been easy for him to view his first Open Championship as a learning experience, go through the motions and head home.

Screw that. He got to work, all by himself. Many modern tour pros insulate themselves behind their agents, their mental-game gurus, their swing coaches. The idea is to control as many variables as possible, to keep the machine churning without incident. Change, especially during major-championship weeks, is the enemy. Morikawa instead embraced the urgency of the moment and began searching for answers. He

aggressively tinkered on Monday and Tuesday before settling on two big changes: He would use a different grip for longer putts, and he would switch out three of his irons for more forgiving models. These were massive leaps of faith on the eve of a massive event.

By the back nine on Sunday, he found himself in a three-way race with two sentimental favourites: Louis Oosthuizen, overdue for a second major championship after all his near-misses, and Jordan Spieth, on the comeback trail.

Sorry, no time for feel-good stories.

Morikawa became the first player to win two separate majors in his first try.

“This intangible that Collin has—he’s a smiling assassin,” says Paul Azinger,

‘COMPETING IS MY LIFE. I MEAN, I’M STUPID COMPETITIVE. IT CAN BE A PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT COMPETITIVE.’

february 2022

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‘ALL HE HAS DONE UNDER PRESSURE IS MAKE PUTTS THAT MATTER. YOU DON’T DO THAT UNLESS YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA LEVEL OF FOCUS WHEN YOU NEED IT. ’ who called Morikawa’s victory for NBC and has helped with his chipping. “His strength is that he seems so harmless.

Whereas Tiger had this intimidating [aura]—it was almost a character he’d become, in the red and black—Morikawa doesn’t give you that appearance.

He’s just a normal guy, small in stature.

But he takes down the big players.”

After Brooks Koepka won his first U.S. Open, he headed to Las Vegas for a week-plus of grown-up fun. Shane Lowry tossed back pint after pint after he won the Open Championship.

Conversely, Morikawa had a low-key dinner with his inner circle: Jakovac, longtime coach Rick Sessinghaus, fiancee Katherine Zhu and agent Andrew Kipper. With the Olympics around the corner, he believed he had more work to do. There is always more work to be done.

“I probably don’t take time to appreciate success as much as some other players do because I always want more,” he says. “I want to keep winning. It’s addicting. When you play against the best in the world, and you come out on top, it’s incredible—pure joy. It’s extremely gratifying.”

“He always wants the next thing,” says Sessinghaus, who has coached Morikawa since he was 8 years old. “We talk about a mastery mind-set. It’s always about the future, never the past, and that’s what I admire about him. He is so good at learning and moving forward. It’s been that way since he was a kid. He wants to get better tomorrow.”

The motivation, interestingly, does not stem from a lifelong romance with golf. He hardly ever watched golf as a kid. “I couldn’t have cared less that tournament X was on.” But he got good quickly, and he loves being 22

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good, so golf it was. Still, given the option of a free day tomorrow, he says he would rather go to Six Flags than play Pebble Beach. He’s not one to discuss the nuances of golf-course architecture or spend time gawking at pictures of Bobby Jones. Sure, he will pick the brain of a decorated old-timer— Azinger showed him how to avoid taking divots when chipping off grainy

Bermuda. Mark O’Meara is behind his “saw-like” putting grip, and a conversation with Woods is the main reason Morikawa tries to draw his wedges just a hair—but he views those exchanges through a utilitarian lens. The objective is to leverage these chats to his advantage, not to kiss any rings.

“I stayed all four years in college so that when I turned pro, I knew I would

GOOD SPEED OR LINE?

GRIP IT RELATIVE TO THE PUTT’S LENGTH Add flow to your longer strokes Putting doesn’t come as naturally to me as the full swing, but I’ve managed to roll it great in each of my tournament wins. I use a conventional grip (opposite page) for longer putts. It helps put some flow into the stroke and get the ball to the hole. Interestingly, I don’t have a set distance where it’s time to switch to my other grip (left). It’s a feel thing.

Steady the face to hole more I first tried this grip last February after a conversation with Mark O’Meara. My right hand was too active on short putts, making it hard to control the face. Mark suggested this style, which essentially takes the right hand out of the stroke. I’ve noticed significant improvement in my start lines, which is absolutely crucial if you want to hole a putt.

be fully ready. What I mean by that is that I wouldn’t be afraid of anyone or anything.”

This borderline pathological competitiveness reveals itself on the golf course, obviously, but also in heated board-game sessions during Masters week, or shooting hoops, or in goodnatured banter, where he always manages to get the last word. (He also fan-

cies himself a bit of an adrenaline junkie and is keen to try skydiving. Kipper is less pumped about the idea of his client jumping out of an airplane.)

At his first Ryder Cup in September, Morikawa paired with Dustin Johnson to go 3-0-0 in the team sessions. Collin and his famously laconic partner didn’t talk much, but when they had a lead over Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland on february 2022

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BUMP IT OR FLOAT IT?

SHORT-GAME SUCCESS STARTS WITH THE RIGHT PLAY Simplify your swing to repeat it For consistency, I keep things pretty straightforward when I chip.

If the lie isn’t awful or I’m not trying to get some extra height on the shot, I always use my stock chip.

I have my weight on the front foot, play the ball slightly back of centre and keep my lower body really quiet through the strike. Notice how straight my left arm is in the backswing (near right). That’s a key to solid contact. I often see amateurs trying to chip with both arms bent, and it hardly ever goes well.

Get aggressive on special occasions You need some speed to hit a flop or to slide the club through the thick grass. To get it, I widen my stance, move my left foot back with toes toward the target and set my weight 50-50. When I swing, I feel like I’m picking the club up steeper (opposite page). Then it’s just keeping flex in the knees and staying committed in the throughswing. The shot takes some practice, but it saves strokes.

Friday morning, Morikawa made an effort to say something to DJ: “Let’s step on their necks.” It’s a mantra he repeated throughout the week, and those five words provide an unvarnished look at the type of golfer Morikawa is. He relished the combative nature of the competition and fist-pumped more in those three days than he had in nearly three 24

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years as a pro. Morikawa capped his first Ryder Cup by winning the clinching half-point in singles on Sunday. Two months later, dressed in a business-like all-black outfit, he won the DP World to put himself within reach of supplanting Jon Rahm as world No. 1. When Morikawa led December’s Hero World Challenge by five with 18 holes to play, it

‘HE SEEMS SO HARMLESS. . . .

HE’S JUST A NORMAL GUY, SMALL IN STATURE. BUT HE TAKES DOWN THE BIG PLAYERS.’

seemed inevitable, but he squandered that chance with a bitterly disappointing final-round 76.

“As great as Collin is, he’s not infallible, and that’s a thing that amateurs have to understand—even the very best players struggle sometimes in big moments,” says Dr. Bhrett McCabe, a sports psychologist who works with

many tour players. “But one of the things Collin does brilliantly well is, he sticks to what his strengths are. He doesn’t try to do things he’s not capable of doing. He never tries to be someone he’s not or match a player in his group.

He’s going to play his game, and that’s a hugely underrated skill.”

No two players comport exactly the

same in big-time moments. The best in the world embrace their sui generis swagger, and Morikawa has found his.

Whereas Rory McIlroy bounces around the golf course when he’s in contention and Jordan Spieth rides an emotional roller coaster, Morikawa’s levelheadedness borders on meditative. He could have used some of that equanimity in the lead-up to his proposal.

Morikawa popped the question in spectacular fashion—he and Kat were in the Bahamas for the Hero World Challenge, and Collin arranged for a boat to drive them around. As they rode jet skis toward a private beach, he worried the ring would fall into the Atlantic. Alas, it successfully found its way to her finger. Wedding plans are in their inchoate stages, but two things are definite: First, he wants it catered by Takeshi Tsujita, the chef behind their favourite ramen spots in his native Los Angeles. (When out to eat, they love to order two types of broth-noodle combos and switch bowls halfway.) Second, the wedding will have to take place during the offseason because Collin is not one to let his guard down when trophies are there for the taking.

The young couple recently closed on a mansion near Vegas’ ritzy Summit Club, where Collin practices and finished second in last fall’s CJ Cup. This wasn’t always the plan, moving on so quickly from the modest but plentynice home he purchased shortly after turning professional. Life has changed drastically—and quickly. When he orders delivery, he does so under a pseudonym. He has to be more selective with what he says, where he eats, who he lets in—while still managing to engage more with the public so as to avoid another dreaded 11th-place finish in the PIP. Because even in a popularity contest, Co11in hates to lose. february 2022

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“It’s one of the coolest DEFENDING CHAMPION AND ROLEX TESTIMONEE PAUL CASEY REFLECTS ON HIS WIN AT EMIRATES GOLF CLUB 12 MONTHS AGO AND THE OVERDUE UPGRADING OF THE ‘MAJOR OF THE MIDDLE EAST’

photograph by chris turvey

events on tour”

W

ith the Slync.io Dubai Deser t Classic becoming a new Rolex Series event, has your defence become bigger due to the prestige of it? I feel like it has finally been elevated to the position that I think a lot of us felt it was.

For an event which is so new, it has gained a lot of prestige amongst the players. I think the trophy also helps. I think we can all agree that the trophies in the UAE are quite stunning.

To me, it’s fantastic news. Rolex’s continued support to golf is acutely aware to everyone and I think the brand is appreciated by golf fans globally. There is a massive difference between normal events and Rolex Series events.

••• Your focus a year ago was to win Majors and to get into the Olympics and Ryder Cup team. What’s the goal for 2022? I’ve had this discussion with a few guys and I wonder if specific categories is what I need to focus on. So, if I’m 100th in the world in one specific category, maybe I want to get into the top 25 and have that as the goal. These aims inform my practice but I’m certainly not lacking any motivation at all.

••• What advice would you give to players in the amateur scene out here in the UAE looking to follow in your footsteps? I don’t know the amateur scene well enough out here and what opportunities they have in place for the trajectory of their golf career but in the UK, you either turn professional or you worked in a shop. I tip my hat to Ian Poulter because very few people make it professional from his position. You can’t really go to university and play golf as education and golf don’t mix. Both of those first two options seemed scary, and my parents were keen on me furthering my education so the college route for me just made sense. After six months in the USA I got quite home sick but everything you do as a college student prepares you well for being a professional, especially because you’re away from home. I was playing against the likes of Adam Scott and Luke Donald, so the standard was so high. There are thousands of kids who try to make it in golf, but fail, so education is so important. Maybe they end up in business and golf remains a great tool for them but the underlying thing for me has always been about taking opportunities whether that’s a job opportunity, college golf, or professional golf.

••• Is there a moment from last January’s win at the Dubai Desert Classic that sticks out, maybe something behind the scenes?

Well, I arrived on a Tuesday night because I had played golf in the United States the week before. I woke up on Wednesday morning having no clue where I was before playing the Pro-Am quickly in a total daze due to the jet lag. I ended going on to win the event, but interestingly I was physically exhausted due to heavy jet lag.

It shows that energy can sometimes come from another source. At that point we were heavily locked down with Covid-19, not being allowed to leave our hotel rooms. At the course we had about 500/800 spectators who were largely members and guests, but when we got to these pockets of fans on the golf course it was so brilliant because we literally hadn’t played in front of anyone. To me it’s just one of the coolest events on the tour.

33RD SLYNC.IO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

You were very emotional that week, so 12 months on, what did that famous event mean to you and why were you so emotional?

I really struggled with the temporary pause that we had on the PGA Tour because of Covid-19 and I wasn’t playing well at the time. I struggled for the rest of that season and then I just had to re-focus and get 2020 behind me. Our performances on course are what are always talked about but I had a rubbish time off the course as well as I couldn’t operate the way I normally could, just like everyone else. I think it was a culmination of it being my 15th win at what is obviously an amazing tournament, and also the fact that 2020 was a write off. I wanted to start fresh in 2021 and I managed to get a win early on. I turned it around very quickly and that doesn’t always happen.

••• Somebody asked you at that point if you were better after 40 than you were before it. You explained that you had matured a bit – would you say you are more relaxed now? Yes, I think I am. I used to live and die by the results in my 20’s and 30’s which I understand.

But, when you’re trying to become a successful athlete and you never know if you’re going to make it, people talking in your ear.

You then start to look back and think am I under achieving? I think there’s just so many expectations and a whole lot of noise and it can be hard to process sometimes.

A LOT OF ATHLETES SAY DON’T LOOK BACK UNTIL YOU’RE FINISHED, BUT I’M DEFINITELY ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND THINK THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD VICTORY IN DUBAI ••• Do you have the longevity of a Rolex timepiece? Well, I’m not as consistent! If I was a second-hand watch, it might not be as beautiful and sweet. I feel like I’ve been trying to strike a balance between reflecting on my career, for example the Olympics – it was a goal which I achieved. A lot of athletes say don’t look back until you’re finished, but I’m definitely able to look back and think that was a really good victory in Dubai, but it doesn’t make me ‘soft’ for this week and trying to win. What is success? It’s not really about the trophy and of course I want to win, but it’s about the fact that I’ve got a happy and healthy family, and a great group of friends.

••• What is your earliest memory of a watch? I remember my dad losing one in the ocean when I was young, but I think it was my Grandad and listening to the mechanism of his watch on my ear that first caught my interest. My knowledge of watches was very limited until I was a young adult and then just a fascination began.

I have a fascination for all things mechanical, for example I love my cars as well. It’s old and new as well because it’s vintage and modern. The first Rolex I bought was in 2001 as I had won the Scottish PGA the week before, so to reward myself I walked in and I bought a ‘Pepsi’ dialled GMT which I still have. I’m not generally a jewellery wearer, but watches I just love. february 2022

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Seeing Double

The Desert Swing has a new venue. Twice over.

By Kent Gray

W

hat could possibly be better than securing a coveted week in the DP World Tour’s annual schedule? Being asked to double-down as a back-to-back host, that’s what. ▶ Al Hamra Golf Club’s promotion from a former Challenge Tour site to fully-fledged main circuit venue was confirmed in October with the announcement of the Feb. 3-6 Ras Al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital.

Then, as late as Jan. 18, the DP World Tour announced another $2 million event, the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, would be played at Al Hamra from Feb. 10-13. It is an 11th hour replacement for the 25th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters which has reportedly been postponed until “later this spring” as a result of “ongoing restrictions associated with the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

Set to follow the week after the 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the RAK Championship critically goes head-to-head with the now Asian Tour-sanctioned and $5 million Saudi International. While no marquee players had been announced at the time of press, the DP World Tour can’t hope to match Golf Saudi’s star pulling power but the RAK events are nonetheless important as the circuit continually pivots to ensure its membership playing opportunities.

Al Hamra previously hosted the European Challenge Tour over three consecutive years from 2016–2018. It was initially the venue for the RAK Golf Challenge in 2016 and 2017, before hosting the RAK Challenge Tour Grand Final as the final stop on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah in 2018. photograph by kevin murray

A

GIFT

THE

FOR YOU SCAN HERE

COUNTRY

CLUB TURNS

GYM

&

POOL PASS *T&C’s apply

A SIAN TOUR

Teen Spirit Major champions and Ryder Cup stars abound in the star-studded field for 4TH SAUDI INTERNATIONAL but watch for a pair of preciously talented teens at the ASIAN TOUR’S $5 MILLION SEASON-OPENER, writes Kent Gray

T

HE SAME WEEKEND Hideki Matsuyama was enriching his reputation as the Emperor of Asian golf with a walkoff, extra-time eagle to win the Sony Open in Hawaii, the coronation of the continent’s next gen was quietly taking place in Singapore.

The rise and rise of Joohyung Kim (pictured) continued apace at the Singapore International as the 19-year-old Korean captured his second Asian Tour title with a gritty playoff birdie. Solo third at tricky Tanah Merah Country Club, meanwhile, was Thai phenom Ratchanon Chantananuwat, a 14-year-old who humbly exudes the self-belief of a grizzled tour veteran.

Matsuyama, still only 29 himself, understandably hogged the headlines with his eighth PGA Tour title and a second since bringing great honour to Japan by winning the 2021 Masters. In a similar vein, the rock star PGA and DP World Tour players headed to King Abdullah Economic City will undoubtedly draw the majority of attention as the 4th PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers plays out from Feb. 3-6.

But don’t be surprised to see the likes of Kim and Chantananuwat feature at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. The occasion – the Asian Tour’s $5 million 2022 season opener with a best in circuit history field including the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Olympic champion Xander Schauffele- could and probably should get the better of the teens.

photographs by paul lakatos/asian tour

february 2022

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wunderkind Chantananuwat, just 14, has made four successive Asian Tour cuts.

Discount the lesser known Asian Tour players at your peril, though. Kim will arrive in the Kingdom as the freshly-minted Asian Tour No.1 after a pandemic disrupted season of dizzying consistency. In the eight events spanning the Hong Kong Open of January 2020 and SMBC Singapore Open of January 2022, the Seoul pro rattled off results of T18, 4th, 4th, T84 (for a sole missed cut), T2, T7, 1st and T2.

In between times, Kim twice won on the Korean PGA Tour and become the youngest winner of his home circuit’s Order of Merit title with a swing so compact you could almost capture it in a bottle. Indeed, Kim is an iron striker of rare ability which perhaps over emphasises the only noticeable fallibility in his game in recent months - the odd putt missed from short range. When you hit it so close so often, the putter invariably can’t cooperate every time.

Kim has secured a start in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in early March but will be focused on footing it with the superstars in Saudi first and maintaining his steady rise up the world rankings – to a career best 79 after the Singapore Open. He sprung to prominence by capturing the Panasonic Indian Open in 2019 in just this third Asian Tour start after winning a “battlefield” promotion to the main circuit following three Asian Development Tour wins. It made him the second youngest player to win on the Asian Tour at 17 years and 149 days; countryman Seungyul Noh bettered that by six days when he captured the 2008 Midea China Classic.

“It’s all happening really fast, you know,” said Kim after his Singapore Int. triumph.

“Winning the Korean Order of Merit [was] definitely a goal of mine last year and [I’m] very fortunate to achieve it. Obviously very fortunate [now] to have that second win. It’s been a while since I won on the Asian Tour with COVID and stuff so very pleased and hopefully we can get a lot more…”

If the Asian Tour is proud of Kim’s ascension, it is positively giddy with anticipation about Chantananuwat’s emergence. And why not.

Nicknamed ‘TK’ (the initials of his parents including father and caddie Tara), Chantananuwat gave hint of his ability by finishing T15 and T30 in the Asian Tour’s Phuket double-header at Blue Canyon and Laguna Phuket before Christmas. He played the weekend at Blue Canyon 11 under par after becoming the third youngest player to make the cut (on the number) in an Asian Tour event.

As impressive as that was in home conditions, it was another matter altogether teeing it up in his first professional event on foreign soil at the Sin32

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gapore International early last month. Unfazed despite again suffering from heat stroke in the early rounds, Chantananuwat held the lead at the turn in both the third and final rounds and joined only Kim and runner-up Rattanon Wannasrichan in red figures after a devilishly tough week around the windswept Tampines layout at Tanah Merah.

Had he not played the back nine on Saturday in a frustrating 41 strokes, history could easily record the Thai teen as the youngest ever winner of a OWGR event and even a main tour event, records respectively set by Dubai’s own Josh Hill (15 years, 6 months, 27 days) in the MENA Tour’s Al Ain Open in 2019, and by Atthaya Thitkul who won the LETs 2017 Thailand Open at 14 years, 4 months and 19 days.

A week later Chantananuwat was at it again, sensationally outscoring playing partner and tournament drawcard Paul Casey 68 to 76 on a challenging Thursday on the Serapong course at Sentosa. The 270 yard three-wood he shaped into the waterhugged par-5 7th in that opening round, before coolly draining a downhill right to left putt for eagle from 12-foot, was a thing of beauty.

“He has goals that other kids or parents don’t even think of.”

— RATCHANON CHANTANANUWAT ON HIS FATHER AND CADDIE, TARA

“I’m looking forward to trying to catch him over the weekend,” said Casey, pointing towards Chantananuwat after the teen had made his fourth successive cut with rounds of 68-74 to be two shots to the good of the 15-time DP World Tour winner and five-time Ryder Cupper through 36 holes.

“I’m just going to say he’s way ahead of me when I was 14. He’s got a great future.”

Most amateurs are happy to tee it up in professional events let alone survive the weekend.

But Chantananuwat is different, a by-product of an upbringing that has included golf since the age of 3½.

After the genuine disappointment of letting an unlikely victory slip at Tanah Merah, he set his sights on winning at Sentosa and, as a minimum, on claiming one of the four 150th Open Championship spots on offer at the season finale (Kim achieved that with his joint runner-up finish, amends for being unable to play last year’s Open at Royal St. George’s via the same qualifying route due to COVID-19 travel restrictions). At 14, it’s not about experience gathering for Chantananuwat.

It’s already about winning and on initial inspec-

tion, he seems to have the game to match the ambition. Goodness knows what he will achieve when he physically matures.

“When I’m in the zone, I think — all I see is my ball and the hole and what’s in between. I just go on feel,” Chantananuwat said. “Sometimes my swing could look one way and I still hit it, like, really good because sometimes I [can] compensate.”

The challenge now for everyone responsible for Chantananuwat’s development is to ensure burnout is avoided. Returning to lessons at Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok will ice the increasingly high expectations somewhat but it’s clear he’s on a carefully choreographed career path.

“I’m only at this stage, really fast at 14, because my Dad has had really high expectations and whenever I accomplish something he just moves on to the next thing. He has goals that other kids or parents don’t even think of,” Chantananuwat said.

“The only thing he believes in is hitting balls,” the teen continued with a wry smile. “Golf, the more you practice, the better you get and the luckier you get. The harder you practice, you get rewarded. Maybe it’s not just 10 good shots in a row but it’s a kick off the fringe, like really close to the hole. That’s what hard work gets you.”

Chantananuwat was unable to secure his ticket to St Andrews, eventually settling for a share of 34th place at Sentosa, 14 strokes behind eventual winner Sadom Kaewkanjana who is another Thai on a tear. But the way he negotiated the final four events of the 2020-21-22 season, don’t be surprised if the kid becomes a familiar name on major championship leaderboards in the not too distant future.

Before then, count on Chantananuwat repaying the special invitee favour at the beginning of a new era for the Asian Tour with another confident display in Saudi, notwithstanding the reputations of the superstars surrounding him on the range. Belief breeds confidence and in his case, confidence can seemingly trump inexperience.

After all the glitz and glamour of the Asian Tour’s new “flagship” Saudi International, and perhaps after a bit of catch-up school work, Chantananuwat shapes as a future standard bearer for circuit emboldened by a well-documented $200 million Saudi investment. Will he or Kim become the next Matsuyama? It’s far too early to call. But the future with players the ilk of the Korean and Thai teens looks bright.

The PGA and DP World Tour stars will come and go but at least the Asian production line is whirring back into life after a 20-month pandemic enforced shutdown. It’s clear Kim and Chantananuwat are already up and running, forcing all those ancient 20 and 30-somethings on tour to lift their games. And that, for all the naysayers, is growing the game in a region determined to become a giant finally awoken. february 2022

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ASIAN TO UR

Bryson reimagined.

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Again

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU is learning

to be comfortable in his own skin.

The field at the SAUDI INTERNATIONAL has been warned. By Kent Gray

photographs by getty images

boom DeChambeau is promising even longer driving stats in 2022 courtesy of a new, lower lofted driver head and yet more speed

“Golf throws stuff at you that you’d never expect.”

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It was PR gold. Speaking via video link as part of the preview push for the 4th Saudi International, Bryson DeChambeau let journalists know that a new, lower-lofted driver head was in the mail.

“You’ll be seeing a lot longer drives,” promised the 28-year-old American Ryder Cupper, already welldocumented as one of the longest hitters in golf.

Cue the “Bryson Proofed” headlines, a sure-fire ticket seller and global TV prompt for the Asian Tour’s new, $5 million season-opener starting Feb. 3.

“We’ll need to get some hard hats out on the course then,” the moderator said. He was only half-pie joking too as DeChambeau was pumping drivers out over the driving range onto the 12th hole at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club last year.

It turns out tournament organisers, Golf Saudi, had already erected a fence at the end of the range in anticipation of DeChambeau’s warm-up projectiles this year. Still, it was a nice early headline focused on the tournament, rather than on why he hasn’t signed up to be part of the PGA Tour’s upcoming Netflix exposé. Thankfully, much like DeChambeau’s game beyond the eye-popping driving statistics, there was much more depth to come.

Like how he hit a low ebb after contracting COVID-19, forcing him to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics. february 2022

“I was quarantined at home, stayed inside, the whole thing. It was just a very, very sad moment in my life. There are other moments that were kind of sad for me, but that was more like, man, I’m missing the Olympics. Something that I qualified and worked my whole life for.”

The other sad moments? Caused mostly by the haters, some big names inside the ropes and countless more faceless trolls online that accompany DeChambeau wherever he goes. It got to the point where he even contemplated walking away from the game. The weight of expectation on DeChambeau after his 2020 U.S. Open win, some of it admittedly brought on himself as he willingly brought the fans along for the ride on his controversial bulk up and bully it regime, was becoming too much to bear.

“It was changing my perspective on everything,” DeChambeau explained. “Everything was so heightened with how far ahead -- oh, he’s going to win every week. He’s going to do this or that or whatever.

Sometimes the let downs were super difficult.

“Then last year with everything going against me, whether it was media, the players or whatever it was, it became a lot on a human being. It’s amazing what people can do when they tell you you’re this or that all the time [even] when you know it’s

focus “I’m going to continue to grow my game...being a better putter, chipper, wedger, long driver, everything.”

not true personally in the background.

“You’re doing a lot for charity. You’re doing a lot for people around you… and continue to provide the best entertainment for the world of golf, and it becomes difficult sometimes. But as time goes on, you have to realise what are you doing this for? And how can you continue to improve in that quest in inspiring a next generation or inspiring someone to work harder?

“Sometimes it’s difficult. Sometimes I fail at it. Sometimes I get mad and frustrated like everyone else does, we’re all human. The biggest part is I hope people realise we’re all human. As much as I’m trying to influence the game of golf in a positive way, people are like, no, we don’t like that or we don’t want that change, that’s not what is good for the game. Whatever their thoughts are, I just hope people have a different level of respect no matter what. They don’t try and push anyone away.”

The world No.9 will tee it up at Royal Greens having finished a disappointing T25 in the Sentry Tournament of Champions last month before a wrist injury, brought on by training for long driving competitions, forced his withdrawal from the Sony Open the following week. He added the Farmers Insurance Open to his schedule the week before Saudi as a result so was scheduled to land in the Kingdom sharpened by recent tournament play.

“So definitely have my sights on Augusta and can’t wait to see what I can do with this new length and new driver, less spin rate, more control. Hopefully that’s a huge asset for me when I play,” DeChambeau said of plan beyond the ambition to contest at Royal Greens.

“Because it’s funny, like at Kapalua, my 50 yards to 150 yards, I was No. 1 in strokes gained

that week. What the heck? I never practised it, and I was No. 1.

“It’s kind of weird how the game of golf works.

It throws stuff at you that you’d never expect, and that’s what’s so beautiful about it.”

What isn’t weird is the realisation DeChambeau has to rein in the self-expectation, a product of the “Thanksgiving Masters” in 2020 when he went in as an overwhelming favourite after overpowering Winged Foot for a six-stroke U.S. Open victory over Matthew Wolff.

“I had so much pressure on me, and it was definitely a different feeling that everyone was watching me and seeing how I’m going to play the golf course and what not.

“That definitely threw me for a loop. I’m okay with it. I’m still learning. Now that time has gone on and people realise that distance isn’t everything but it’s a huge factor and it’s fun to watch.

“For me, I’m going to continue to grow my game in the best way I possibly can, being a better putter, chipper, wedger, long driver, everything. As time goes on, I have to rein in those expectations and just learn to be me. Don’t try and be anybody else.”

Just stick with being Bryson DeChambeau.

Sounds simple.

“That’s honestly all I want. I don’t want to be a super controversial figure. I just want to be someone that people can look up to and aspire to be like and just inspire them to work harder.

“As time has gone on, the expectation levels have definitely changed from a look and performance standpoint. Do I still want to win every week? Do I want to be the best player in the world?

Absolutely. But I feel like as time is going on, I’m settling into a figure that I’m very, very comfortable with.” february 2022

“Then last year with everything going against me, whether it was media, the players or whatever it was, it became a lot on a human being.”

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NEW COURSE

FROM SIR NICK WITH LOVE

WELCOME TO PAKISTAN’S FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP SIGNATURE COURSE – AND ONE OF SIR NICK FALDO’S MOST EXCITING DESIGN CHALLENGES YET

BY KENT GRAY

any course with sir nick faldo’s signature on it rouses serious curiosity and especially so a new layout imagined into life in an emerging golf nation.

Welcome, then, to Rumanza Golf & Country Club, Pakistan’s first signature championship course located on the outskirts of Multan, the country’s fifth largest city in the southern confines of the Punjab region.

Featuring four lakes, 49 “eco” bunkers with revetted faces and desert, wetland and woodland zones, the 7533-yard, par-72 layout is the centrepiece of the new Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Multan residential and lifestyle community.

The region’s first pure sand course is on 38

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point ecologically and proudly so with the build undertaken with 100 percent local materials. The native sand has been dressed with Platinum TE paspalum grass to “ensure speed and precision”, trademarks of Faldo’s “hard and fast running” links upbringing and contemporary design ethos. It is has been carefully routed around mango and orange orchards and indigenous Deras - vernacular mud brick dwellings surrounded by walls which form a courtyard.

“These local touches make it a truly unique playing experience,” says Sam Clayton, General Manager of Golf Operations.

“I have no doubt it will become a must-visit for avid golf tourists.”

Faldo, who is set to officially attend the soft opening of the course on 25 - 26 February before it’s official opening to the public this month, concurs.

“I think we’ve created something very unique and very special. Hopefully people will want to come from far and wide to see it and play it and experience it and enjoy themselves. That’s the most important thing,” the English Knight said.

Fellow major champion Graeme McDowell, four-time DP World Tour winner Rafa Cabrera Bello and LET/LPGA Tour stars Charley Hull and Mel Reid are also scheduled to tee it up in the Rumanza Inaugural on Feb. 25-26, a tournament designed to herald Pakistan’s arrival as a serious golf tourism destination.

above Revetted bunkers are a feature of the Rumanza layout. left Well-travelled GM of Golf, Sam Clayton

“The course and its facilities are state-of-the-art and modern but they also incorporate the natural charm of Pakistan and the enchanting surroundings of Multan. It’s a truly unique experience that can’t be found elsewhere in the world.”

Quite aside from Faldo’s globally recognised portfolio of courses, Clayton agreed having a sixtime major champion put his name to the Multan project undoubtedly helps sell the sizzle. Built on agricultural land, Rumanza is set to become one of Pakistan’s most advanced, smart, eco-friendly and aesthetically designed residential communities. It will eventually include high-end apartments and villas, a five-star hotel, commercial retail space, multiple sports and lifestyle facilities, a mosque, photograph by sam clayton

education facilities, health care services and extensive F&B outlets.

At the heart of it all though is the Faldo layout.

“As a country that is starting out in the world of golf, Sir Nick Faldo undoubtedly adds a huge amount of credibility to Rumanza, both as a six-time major winner and as the designer of world-class courses across five continents and 20 countries,” Clayton said. “In Faldo’s own words ‘Pakistan belongs on the world golf map’. The Rumanza Golf & Country Club development will play a pivotal role in spring boarding the country onto the global golf scene.”

Faldo put ink to the Multan contract in 2018 and personally broke ground on the project that November. Sir Nick has been a regular visitor since despite the challenges of the pandemic and is pleased with the finished product.

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clockwise from top left The penultimate hole stretches from 115 to 202 yards from the tips; water and sand everywhere; Sir Nick Faldo; Time your round for just before dusk or just after dawn and holes like the 15th will reveal their true character.

The former world No.1 has had to walk the tightrope between strategic challenge – protecting the course from advances in club and ball technology long term – while keeping playability at the forefront of his thinking. As such, the layout will feature multiple teeing options to suit all abilities.

“My design philosophy has a couple of important points. First of all, of course, [is] playability,” said Faldo. “We quite possibly will have golfers playing their very first round of golf at Rumanza so I would strongly suggest a lesson or two and maybe a little bit of practice will help set you up for the day. But the important thing is the golf course will be very accessible for any level of golfer.

“The better golfers, we want to teach them the importance of strategy and choice making on the golf course. And then [secondly], there’s memorability. Each hole will have its own design, its own

rumanza gc: sam cl ayton

NEW COURSE

sir nick faldo: getty images

“IN SIR NICK FALDO’S OWN WORDS ‘PAKISTAN BELONGS ON THE WORLD GOLF MAP’.” — SAM CLAYTON

style and maybe its own character and if you’ve played a couple of them really well, hopefully you leave with some great memories.”

Faldo is content he’s ticked the memorability column from a visual standpoint. UAE golfers familiar with the Faldo layout at Emirates Golf Club can assume pleasing variety from hole to hole – and ample challenge - will come standard too.

“We have some fantastic, especially designed eco bunkers that will look amazing at sunrise and at sunset and we have four large lakes that will feature a gradually revealing peninsula. I do feel our landscape artwork in creating these lakes really will add to your visual enjoyment of the golf course.”

For Clayton, who has spent more than 25 years in the golf construction and club management industry in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Fiji, Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam and now Pakistan, there isn’t

a signature hole “per se”. “Every hole is worldclass,” he insists.

Press a little harder, though, and Clayton gives up a couple of personal favourites, the par-3 12th, a tester at 243-yards off the tips, and the 558-yard par-5 16th which is already shaping up as Rumanza’s stroke index 1.

“Hole 12 is one of the most memorable on the course. Rumanza has four unique design features - revetted bunker faces, desert waste areas, fruit orchards and Dera walls – and this hole showcases all of them beautifully,” he said.

“The 16th is our toughest hole. It predominantly has a headwind and features an aggressive [driving] line over a revetted bunker wall, set at 278 yards to clear from the back tee. If successful, the green is reachable in two shots. If unsuccessful, the golfer will ultimately be playing backwards or sideways. february 2022

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“One of the key objectives of developing this course is to get future generations of Pakistani golfers accustomed to elite golf courses. This hole will certainly do that.”

Rumanza’s game development ethos extends beyond the clubhouse and 18-hole course to a double-ended driving range with 30 bays, short game area and golf academy. Holes 1 - 9 are lit by MUSCO golf for play at night, while the driving range and shortgame area are also floodlit. They’re all key tenets in the overarching strategy to grow the game in Pakistan as well as announcing the country’s arrival on the global golf map.

“Introducing more Pakistanis to golf and developing and nurturing the local talent is certainly a key objective of Rumanza. Pakistan is currently a relatively untapped market when it comes to golf and we’re keen to change that,” said Clayton.

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clockwise from top left The gate to a luxury golf lifestyle; Hole 18; There are ample hazards in Faldo’s latest design as the 14th illustrates.

strategy to continually inspire the new generation of Pakistani golfers and to expose Multan as a desirable golf holiday destination.

“Hosting a tour event in the near future is a clear goal for Rumanza Golf & Country Club. The facilities, stunning location and warm hospitality of the Pakistani people will make it a fantastic venue to welcome the world’s best golfers,” Clayton continued.

Rumanza Golf & Country Club is an affiliate member of International Management Group. IMG Prestige is an elite international network of courses that covers over 200 clubs around the world. Rumanza members will get privileged access to these clubs and can enjoy several benefits such as preferred access, special green fee rates, club discounts and many other privileges offered by clubs and resorts in network.

(3) sam cl ayton

NEW COURSE

A new era of excellence

25 – 26 February 2022 R u m a n z a G ol f & C o un t ry C lub , M ulta n w w w. r u m a n z a . g o l f

The official launch of the Rumanza Golf & Country Club.

Pakistan's first signature Championship golf course, designed by Sir Nick Faldo.

Featuring a plethora of global and local golf stars.

in association with

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UNBIASED CLUB REVIEWS

part 1 DRIVERS february 2022

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j.d. cuban

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in association with

the hot list

THE GAME YOU WANT STARTS WITH THE RIGHT CLUBS w h at ’ s b e t t e r t h a n getting new equipment? getting the best clubs for you. the hot list is here to help ▶ Golf, we’ve heard, is booming. The problem with a boom isn’t that it goes bust. It’s that it gets going so fast you can’t keep up. Golf clubs are like that. From an innovation standpoint, clubs have been booming since the 1980s and haven’t let up. Today, the right clubs for the game you want not only exist but are more accessible than ever. We’re not talking about some collective “you” but you and you alone right there in your living room wondering where you can find another 15 yards off the tee, or four more greens a round, or, Lord, please, the end of three-putting.

After our extensive review and testing process, including player evaluations at the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, Nev., there are more clubs on the Hot List this year than ever. One (true) answer is that they’re better than ever. Another explanation is more complex.

The best golf clubs we have identified—138 Gold and Silver medalists out of 289 considered—matter because they resonate, adapt or discover ways to optimise each golfer’s potential, not just via more shafts or adjustable wrenches or even the undeniable and strongly encouraged benefits of custom-fitting. No, designers know the number of golfer types goes beyond the two categories of tour professional and everyday golfer. Before this equipment technology parade passes you by, stop sitting on the sidelines and hoping. Get into the Hot List and start learning how the game you want can be had with the clubs in these pages. ▶

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THE PROCESS

ta k e s 3 j u d ge s , 5 s c ie nti s t s , 1 9 go lfe rs , 1 fit te r , 2 te ac he rs , 5 re ta ile rs , 1 4 days at the h o t li s t s u mmit a nd a y e a r’s wo r th o f go lf- ind u s try re s e a rc h .

▶ c r iteria

▶hot list judges

OUR JUDGES, listed at right, cast the only votes in the Hot List, but they gather insight from three independent panels.

The Scientists advise us on Innovation. Retailers assess Demand. Players evaluate Performance and Look/ Sound/Feel. Those criteria are not equally weighted, as indicated below. A product’s final score is based on its weighted average in these four criteria. Performance, Innovation and Look/Sound/ Feel largely determine the total score. All scoring is based on a 100-point scale for each of the four criteria, relative to the entries in a category.

technology is explained to the public and to our editors.

JOHN McPHEE, PH.D.

look• sound• feel

Professor, Systems Design

20%

demand

45%

5%

MIKE STACHURA

Engineering,

GARY ABBOT T • 34

Senior Editor (Equipment)

University of Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario Handicap: 15

Using input from the player panelists, our judges evaluate the relative excellence of the visual, auditory and tactile experience of using a particular club. The more the club resonates with our understanding of what a golf club should be, the higher the grade it receives. In short, this is a grade of what the player experiences when viewing, holding, swinging and hitting the club.

performance

Based on interviews with our player panelists, the judges assess the utility of each product. In other words, this is a grade of what happens to the ball when a player hits it. (Note: Both Foresight Sports GCQuad and Rapsodo MLM launch monitors are used at every hitting station.)

E. MICHAEL

DICK RUGGE

JOHNSON

Senior Technical Director

THOMAS B. ALLEN

Equipment Editor

(retired), USGA

• 57 Middletown, Ohio Handicap: 6

JOEL BEALL

GEORGE SPRINGER,

Senior Writer

PH.D.

▶ h ot l i st c o o r d i n ato r

ALEJANDRA BEDOYA

Engineering (emeritus),

• 23

Stanford University

Bogota, Colombia Handicap: 5

An assessment of the reputation, interest, intrigue and excitement about a particular product, considering market presence, tour use, relative value and consumer satisfaction through consulting research from Golf Datatech, other published resources and a panel of leading retailers.

All judging is based on a 100-point scale.

30%

Paul Piggott Professor of

▶ f i t t er

DARIA DELFINO

RICKY BROWN • 43 Fort Worth

▶ sc i en t i sts

GARTH Manager of Golf Services, Dick’s Sporting Goods/ Golf Galaxy, Coraopolis, Pa.

MARTIN

Mesquite, Nev.

▶ t e ac h ers

Handicap: 11

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University

gold

SEAN HARPER • 50

Products earned a score of 93 to 100.

JASON GUSS

Delaware, Ohio

Director of Golf

Handicap: 8

TOM MASE, PH.D.

Performance, Jason Guss

Professor of Mechanical

Golf Academies

Engineering, Cal Poly-San s i lv e r

Luis Obispo PAUL IANNIELLO • 60

Products earned a score of 88 to 92.99.

Scottsdale MOLLY BRAID Teaching Professional, Westmoor C.C.

48

KIRK HAFEN • 61

of Sherbrooke

In consultation with our technical panel and based on interviews and our review of company technical documents, this grade reflects how a particular technology advances the category in all aspects, to what degree the commitment to fitting the vast majority of golfers is executed, and how that 97-100 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Handicap: +4

MURSZEWSKI

BROUILLETTE, PH.D. i n n o vat i o n

▶ p l ay ers

88-96 ★ ★ ★ ★

golfdigestme.com

70-87 ★ ★ ★

february 2022

51-69 ★ ★

≤50 ★

Handicap: 5

in association with

the process ▶ women’s studies The women on our panel tested “men’s” clubs—or “clubs” as we call them.

JOHN JOHNSON • 78

SHARON ROYCE • 74

Mesquite, Nev.

St. George, Utah

Handicap: 13

Handicap: 14

STEVE KERRICK • 62

DEBORAH SHAW • 70

Mesquite, Nev.

Mesquite, Nev.

Handicap: 13

Handicap: 19

RYAN KROLL • 46

BK SUHR • 38

Chanhassen, Minn.

Orlando

Handicap: 8

Handicap: 2

▶ re ta i le rs

PETER LEE • 54 San Diego Handicap: 9 LEIGH BADER General Manager, Joe & Leigh’s Discount Golf Pro Shop, South Easton, Mass.

DAN LUPO • 29

on the basis of gender The right clubs for a woman are the same as the right clubs for a man

New York Handicap: 14 BUDDY CHRISTENSEN Owner/President, WEI MAO • 51

Golfdom, McLean, Va.

Sacramento Handicap: 15

JASON FRYIA Owner/General Manager, LARRY MCCOY • 57

Golf Exchange, Cincinnati

Wilton, Conn.

headshots and hot list summit: j.d. cuban

Handicap: 6

CHRIS MARCHINI District Manager, ANAND MUDALIAR

Golf Galaxy, Ohio Valley,

• 39

Coraopolis, Pa.

Philadelphia Handicap: 9

KEN MORTON JR. Director of Retail and ALEX REINHART • 37

Marketing, Haggin Oaks Golf

Milwaukee • Handicap: 12

Super Shop, Sacramento

▶ Jennifer Herold is one of the many new golfers who improved significantly during the pandemic. But, as her friends reminded her, the old ill-fitting clubs in her bag stunk.

A 25-handicapper, she was thrilled with a birthday present for a club-fitting with one of the best in Connecticut, Angela Aulenti at Sterling Farms Golf Course. Herold found her bag rebuilt with a new Callaway driver, Titleist hybrid and wedge and Mizuno irons—none of which could be labeled “women’s.” It was a revelation.

“I was struck by how the smallest details made a big difference in my shots,” says Herold, whose realisation is no different than what any player experiences after a quality fitting. It highlights the problem with gendering the Hot List. The fitting options available have more to do with ball flight than which locker room a golfer uses. It’s possible each club on the Hot List could be fit to a female golfer. Fitting is the great equaliser of the sexes. “I don’t fit by gender; I fit by TrackMan,” Aulenti says.

Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra, Honma, Ping, PXG, TaylorMade and Tour Edge offer full sets to fit female golfers in a general

way, and many companies are introducing versions of their flagship drivers and irons in a “women’s” spec.

The women’s version of TaylorMade’s Stealth includes the same clubhead technology as the men’s with a shaft that weighs barely 40 grams. In fact, most drivers, fairway woods and hybrids today offer lofts, weights and shafts that will work for players—male or female—with slower swings and limited strength.

It’s less clear cut in irons, but the stock offerings are getting better. Callaway’s Max OS Lite irons come with a C-1 swingweight, lighter than its women’s Reva set. Herold’s Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal irons, however, end up in more men’s bags than women’s. Smartly, though, her set starts at the 7-iron, which is why it works for her.

“It was a great experience, and I learned a lot about my game,” she says. “I worked with a fitter who clearly understands that women don’t necessarily need to play with ‘women’s clubs.’ Most of all, however, I started playing a lot better and having even more fun.” —ms

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in association with

the process

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE 2 5 t e r m s t o h e l p y o u s p e a k e q u i p m e n t f l u e n t ly by j o e l b e a ll We are gear heads. It’s a passion that has its own lexicon, and you’ll see plenty of this vocabulary scattered across the issue. But we recognise it’s a vocabulary not known to all. The reason we publish the Hot List is to make the club-buying process easier for the consumer, but that process falls apart if we’re speaking a foreign language. What follows is a glossary of terms that you will encounter in the 2022 Hot List. We’ve tried to simplify it as much as possible while still making sure you’re informed for your potential purchase.

Face ▶ The forward-facing surface of the head that strikes the ball— often to mixed results.

Toe ▶ The outward part of the clubhead. If you hit it here, it feels like, well, you stubbed your toe.

Heel ▶ The part of the club between the face’s sweet spot and the hosel. No, the sweet spot is not a mythical place.

Sole ▶ The bottom of the clubhead.

Also, the part of the club that usually gets slammed into the ground after a poor shot.

Crown ▶ The top surface of a wood or hybrid that you see at address.

An area important to weight savings and aerodynamics (during your swing, that is, not when you launch a club into the woods).

and a really thick topline means somehow a croquet mallet is in your hands.

Forged ▶ A press hammers a single piece of steel multiple times to form a clubhead, a process—like adding a saxophone to a rock band—that leads to pleasing sound and feel.

Casting ▶ Liquid metal is poured into a mold to form a clubhead with intricate game-improvement features that’ll take your game from “awful” to “only kind of bad.”

CNC milling ▶ Stands for “Computer Numerical Control,” a milling process that bores through metal for precise shapes, curves and edges. Surprisingly, not the rapper name for Scotty Cameron.

Hosel ▶ Where the shaft is connected to the clubhead. Also, where you should direct your anger the next time you hit a shank.

Grind ▶ Yes, it describes your journey from a 15 to single-digit, but grind also describes the geometry of a wedge sole that can be altered to better interact with the turf by removing material from the toe, heel, and trailing/leading edges.

Topline ▶ Surface on irons above the face. A thin topline indicates more workability; a thicker one equates to more forgiveness,

Bounce ▶ Angle between the leading edge and lowest point of the trailing edge that hits through the ground at contact. Especially

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with wedges, properly matching to swing type and turf conditions might result in a lower incidence of quitting.

Loft ▶ (1) The approximate angle between the leading edge of the sole and the front of the topline.

(2) The space underneath the roof of a house designed to store old golf clubs.

Lie ▶ (1) Angle between the ground and shaft when the club is at address. (2) Saying “traffic was bad” when in fact you spent two hours at the 19th hole.

Variable face thickness ▶ A spot on the face (usually the centre) is selectively thicker than the perimeter of the face to help performance on mis-hits.

Also, “variable face thickness” makes for a good insult when describing an ex-spouse.

CG ▶ Stands for “centre of gravity,” the geometric point where the clubhead is perfectly balanced.

Where the CG is located impacts performance. When descending a steep, switchback cartpath, keep the CG of your person as low as possible for safety.

MOI Stands for “moment of inertia.”

Measures the resistance to a clubhead twisting. The higher the MOI, the higher the forgiveness. A ranger at a busy course typically has a low MOI. Cupface ▶ A face that wraps around the crown and sole to provide flexing at impact. Not to be

confused with the grimace of a golfer who has lipped out yet another putt.

Bulge and roll ▶ Faces of woods are not flat; instead, the curvature from top to bottom and heel to toe are called Bulge and Roll, meant to help ball flight on off-centre hits.

If you ever meet two portly players who introduce themselves as such, don’t play them for money.

They’re hustlers.

Swingweight ▶ Although most believe swingweight refers to a club’s overall weight, it is anything but. In short, it’s a measurement of the club’s weight distribution. Alas, science has yet to understand why clubs feel heavier after double bogeys.

Plumber’s neck ▶ Horizontal bend on putters below where the shaft and hosel meet. Offset helps keep the hands ahead of the ball at impact. Derives from the look of a pipe-fitting, not the muscle strain from fixing one.

Players irons ▶ You play competitively, or desperately want to.

Players-distance irons ▶ You want to look like a player with the distance help of a chop.

Game-improvement irons ▶ You get your iron shots airborne; now you want to hold the green.

Super-game-improvement irons: ▶ Your swing is slow or you more often hit turf behind your ball than hit greens in regulation.

ing Shar n i w T

ing Shar n i w T

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AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 4, 2022 © 2022 Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.

DISTRIBUTED BY EGOLF INTERNATIONAL LLC

SLIDING WEIGHT TRACK TO OPTIMIZE BALL FLIGHT

the right driver can change your world. every hole gets easier, each day gets brighter, and every drink tastes better illustrations by simoul alva

february 2022

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drivers

ma x ls

ma x d

◊ ◊ ◊ ls

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Beautiful, understated head.

Love the proportions. Annunciates impact. Even mis-hits were straight down range with a perfect combo of height and distance.” c a l l away

RRP AED 2,795

ROGUE ST MAX/MAX LS/MAX D/◊◊◊LS

what it does: The biggest driver family in Callaway’s history expands the company’s use of artificial intelligence to produce four distinct faces that don’t merely enhance power but control spin. That’s important because large clubheads can boost ball speed but often fight excessive spin. A large central weight cartridge low in the back provides extreme off-centre-hit stability. Callaway has also refined its “jailbreak” structure, an internal bracket that joins the crown and sole to stiffen the body and direct energy into the flexing face. why we like it: Callaway found that adjustable weights aren’t enough to optimise performance, so the company created these four models with distinct attributes for specific types of golfers. Each features different face angles, lie angles, shapes and degrees of draw bias and spin to better match the needs of different golfer types. The line includes a dedicated draw model (Max D), a maximum forgiveness model (Max), a version that mixes equal parts high forgiveness, neutral launch and low spin (Max LS) and a compact, tour-favoured option with the lowest spin (◊◊◊LS).

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★★

l o f t s 9 , 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( m a x , m a x d ) ; 9 , 1 0 . 5 ( m a x l s , ◊ ◊ ◊ l s ) ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★★★½ 54

golfdigestme.com

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

listed alphabetically

in association with

xl lite

xl lite dr aw

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Maybe the most playable driver here. Everything is in play. Its big head and big sound might not be your thing, but those shots keep going, so it didn’t matter to me pretty quickly.” clevel and LAUNCHER XL/XL LITE/XL LITE DRAW

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

RRP AED 1,945 / AED 1,645

what it does: With a focus on size, Cleveland’s mission is to make your worst hits go farther and straighter. The club isn’t merely at the volume limit allowed by the rules—almost all drivers can do that. No, this one stretches that volume to occupy the maximum distance from heel to toe and front to back. This mammoth footprint creates a stable head that resists twisting on mis-hits for better energy transfer into the ball. The face is pie-plate size, too, friendlier than a new neighbor bringing dessert. That face is supported by flexible sections surrounded by firmer sections that effectively create a second spring at impact. why we like it: This isn’t just a bigger head; it’s smarter, too, like a nose tackle who can explain behavioral economics. Extreme offcentre-hit forgiveness is as real as it is spectacular, but so is the gamut of options from lightweight and draw-bias models to a 12-way adjustable head. Don’t overlook how effective the counterbalanced weight in the grip is, either. That makes the club easier to swing, which is what average golfers might appreciate most.

look • sound • feel

★★★★

l o f ts 1 0 . 5 ( l au n c h e r x l ) , a d j u sta b l e ; 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( x l l i t e ) ; 1 0 . 5 ( x l l i t e d r aw )

demand

★★½

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

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drivers

ma x

ls

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The way the materials meld gives off a cool transformer vibe. This is a flamethrower: feels hot but understated— like a punch. Rocketing trajectory. Quietly gives you extra speed and distance.” cobra

RRP AED 2,425

LTDx/MAX/LS

what it does: Cobra’s LTDx line features three models for three ball-flight preferences. The LTDx has an oversize shape to maximise forgiveness. The LTDx Max is large, too, but includes adjustable weights for extra draw bias. The LTDx LS positions all of its discretionary weight forward to produce the least amount of spin of the three. Large, ultra-forgiving drivers often have an issue with an elevated centre of gravity; if the CG is too high, distance-sapping high spin is more likely. However, Cobra engineers use an internal cartridge with a heavy steel weight toward the front to lower the CG. The result is the low spin you want with the forgiveness you need. why we like it: These Sherman-tank stable clubheads achieve the low-spin and high-launch thing as well as any on the market.

Another compelling technological accomplishment is a new variable-thickness face design that smartly finds extra heat for those off-centre hits while maintaining all the distance your best shots deserve. Even better, it’s lighter, saving even more weight to finetune the distinct performance of all three models.

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

l o f t s 9 , 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( lt d x , lt d x m a x ) ; 9 , 1 0 . 5 ( lt d x l s ) ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★★ 56

golfdigestme.com

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

listed alphabetically

in association with

st-220 x

st-220 z

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“A titanium sound that’s not too loud. You can really go after it and not worry too much about where it’ll go.

The sweet spot is huge. It has a nice, high ball flight that wants to go straight.” mizuno

RRP AED 2,195

ST-220 G/X/Z

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

what it does: Mizuno’s three-driver family, all sharing weightsaving composite-crown and sole sections, addresses two kinds of golfers: those who thrive on complexity and those whose approach is more grab-and-go. The Z and X drivers feature a 20-gram weight set in the extreme rear perimeter to help reduce spin and boost forgiveness. The Z places the weight in the deep centre, and the X positions it slightly toward the heel for a slicefighting draw bias. Meanwhile, the G driver features heel, toe and centre tracks to accommodate two seven-gram weights to tweak spin, draw and fade bias, forgiveness and workability. why we like it: These drivers are all designed to do different things, but it’s what they have in common that makes them special. Each clubhead is significantly more stable than past Mizuno models. Ball speed is not only consistently high, but the spin and launch angle have less variation on mis-hits. The beta-titanium alloy in the face let Mizuno engineers create new thickness patterns to produce distance in spots that were previously dead zones.

look • sound • feel

★★★★

l o f t s 9 . 5 , 1 0 . 5 ( z ) ; 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( x ) ; 9 ( g ) ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★½

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

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drivers

sft

lst

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The fins frame the ball, making it easy to set up.

Effortless power. You didn’t have to put anything extra into it. Set, swing and go get it, because you’ll be in the fairway, a long way.”

ping

RRP AED 2,850

G425 MAX/SFT/LST

what it does: Ping’s design philosophy since its founding six decades ago has been all about managing mis-hits, and this large, perimeter-weighted driver maintains some of the highest stability on off-centre hits in the industry. However, drivers that pursue large dimensions and maximum stability fight a centre of gravity that drifts higher as it moves toward the back. That can cause shots to spin too much and lose distance. The G425 models use ultra-thin, web-like ribs on the underside of the crown to reduce thickness (barely three bills thick) to save weight that keeps the CG low. why we like it: Besides their size, these models offer the most adjustable weight in company history. The 26 grams in the extreme perimeter on the Max (63 percent more than the previous model) is twice the movable weight than most other drivers have. The three models offer functional and intuitive solutions for specific problems: inconsistency (the ultra-stable Max), the slice (the lighter, heelweighted SFT) and excessive spin (the compact, flatter trajectory LST). Each offers overall forgiveness.

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

l o f t s 9 , 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( m a x ) ; 1 0 . 5 ( s f t ) ; 9 , 1 0 . 5 ( l s t ) ; a l l a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★★★ 58

golfdigestme.com

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

listed alphabetically

in association with

xf

xt

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The gray patch on the crown is a bit jarring, but the ball flies off the face like a rocket. I couldn’t tell if I had missed the centre of the face on any shots because it was so forgiving.”

pxg

RRP AED 2,775

PXG 0811 X/XF/XT (GEN 4)

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

what it does: The three premium drivers in the PXG family accommodate a range of player types. The shallow-face XT maximises clubhead speed with an aerodynamically sleeker shape. The large-face XF helps mis-hits with a deep front-to-back frame. The X’s sloping crown lowers the centre of gravity for less spin. All benefit from a fast-flexing, weight-saving titanium alloy in the face that makes room for adjustable weight ports in the sole. Two are centreed—one forward and one back—and a third is toward the heel. Moving the heaviest weight to the back adds forgiveness, moving it up front reduces spin and in the heel enhances draw spin and makes it easier to square the face. why we like it: You might not be into Las Vegas Raiders colors, but that silver patch on the crown is a special aluminuminjected carbon composite that adds stiffness to the top while reducing weight. This helps push the CG lower so that golfers can launch the ball higher. Sandwiching the composite between the titanium heel and toe sections of the crown also stiffens the crown so that more areas propel the ball more efficiently.

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

l o f t s 7 . 5 , 9 , 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( x ) ; 9 , 1 0 . 5 , 1 2 ( x f ) ; 7 . 5 , 9 , 1 0 . 5 ( x t ) ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★★

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

gdme hot list

59

drivers

zx7

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“I like the congruency of the lines. It’s orderly, a real put-together design. Some drivers force you to hit one-direction shots. This one gives you options.”

s r i xo n ZX5/ZX7

RRP AED 2,095 / AED 2,245

what it does: Two models offer two takes on ball flight. The ZX7 uses movable weights to produce a lower-spinning, flatter trajectory. The ZX5 helps you launch it higher with a draw. The two are so compatibly designed that Hideki Matsuyama won a tournament with each of them in 2021. It helps to have a super-fast, thin titanium alloy in the face, but what gives these drivers speed across the hitting area is how the thicknesses and materials change in the areas immediately around the face. Specifically, the start of the crown features a 30-percent thinner section. A strip of an even thinner titanium alloy around the frame offers extra flex, and the larger carbon-fiber crown and internal sole ribs add rigidity and save weight. why we like it: Getting the crown to help maximise the face’s flexibility is next-level thinking, but we like how the hitting area’s performance is designed to match how a golfer makes impact. The Srixon team studied typical impacts and figured out where it makes sense to optimise flexibility. Even more, those faces are unique for the more forgiving ZX5 and the more exacting ZX7.

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

look • sound • feel

★★★★

l o f t s 9 . 5 , 1 0 . 5 ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★½ 60

golfdigestme.com

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

listed alphabetically

in association with

stealth

stealth hd

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Solid as granite: nice heft behind every impact.

Knocked the ball out there with good numbers on the launch monitor. I had great awareness of where the head was during the swing.”

tay l o r m a d e STEALTH PLUS/STEALTH/STEALTH HD

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

RRP AED 2,850 / AED 2,695

what it does: TaylorMade engineers believe carbon composite’s lightweight benefits should not be limited to the body. Why not use the material for the face—the heaviest part of the clubhead? The Stealth’s composite face is 40 percent lighter than a titanium face yet 20 percent larger than Tayl rMade driver faces from just two years ago. The saved weight is redistributed in three distinct ways: a heelweighted draw version; a low-spin model with a sliding weight; and a rear-weighted, high-forgiveness version. why we like it: The reason composite-face drivers never caught on is that they performed—and sounded—like the headcover was on.

The red-painted cap gets this one noticed, but the underlayers on the 60-ply carbon-composite face are arranged to form a large sweet spot. It’s just like a variable-thickness-face titanium driver, only more consistently precise for higher ball speeds across the face. The face’s lighter weight means more mass in the body, and that relationship can deliver speed into the ball at impact. How much? So much that TaylorMade believes titanium as a face material is a thing of the past.

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

lofts 8, 9, 10.5 (ste alth plu s); 9, 10.5, 12 (ste alth/ste alth hd); adju stable

demand

★★★★★

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

gdme hot list

61

in association with

drivers

tsi1

tsi2

tsi4

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“So consistently crisp and clean in every move, every impact. Didn’t have to manipulate anything, almost naturally accelerated.” titleist

RRP AED 2,825

TSi1/TSi2/TSi3/TSi4

what it does: Two of the four models cater to the extremes: the lightweight, slightly draw-biased TSi1 and the meaty, low-flying, ultra-low-spinning TSi4. The two middle models are for most of the market: those whose priority is forgiveness (TSi2) and those looking for playability and shotmaking (TSi3). Fitting four player types is nice, but the really neat achievement was finding extra speed. That meant using a special high-strength titanium originally designed for the Mars Lander. The lighter and faster-flexing alloy (ATI 425) means more design freedom to create extra off-centre-hit stability in the TSi2 and movable weight in the more pear-shaped TSi3. why we like it: The 16-way hosel adjustability might still require a Google search, but because golfers are more different than they are similar, those settings, combined with the four distinctly performing heads and a warehouse of custom shafts, make more perfect matches than Coffee Meets Bagel. These head shapes are aerodynamically refined, too. But all those technology gains happen without touching the look, sound and feel that are as timeless as ever.

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★★

l o f t s 9 , 1 0 , 1 2 ( t s i 1 ) ; 8 , 9 , 1 0 , 1 1 ( t s i 2 , t s i 3 ) ; 8 , 9 , 1 0 ( t s i 4 ) ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★★★ 62

golfdigestme.com

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

listed alphabetically

The NEW COBRA LTDx Driver features PWR-COR technology which reinvents the internal weighting system, delivering explosive ball speed and raw power.

LAUNCHING FEBRUARY 11, 2022 Available At

drivers

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“I love the lightweight control. I got a lot of clubhead speed with pretty good distance, and it was definitely taking the right side out of play. A real heavy hit for how light it was.” cobra AIR-X

TBC

what it does: It might sound like a golfer fountain of youth, but these ultralight drivers endeavor to create more swing speed for the same smooth effort. Players with moderate swing speeds (an increasing segment in golf’s growing numbers) could recapture lost speed with a lighter driver. However, the key to making a driver that weighs about 35 grams less than some of today’s leading models is to take the weight out in measured proportions—like a lightened grip, a feathery 48-gram shaft and a head that saves weight through its carboncomposite crown. A carbon-fiber panel results in more saved weight that can be positioned in the heel. That heel bias makes squaring the face at impact more likely. An offset option will make that even easier. why we like it: The problem with many lightweight drivers is that there’s no material left over to help the head forgive off-centre strikes or launch shots higher. Not here. The new carbon-fiber crown is 30-percent thinner than its predecessor, allowing more weight to rest lower than before and in the rear perimeter, providing enough forgiveness to reach the USGA’s limit for off-centre-hit stability.

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

look • sound • feel

★★★½

lofts 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 (in offset and straight neck)

demand

★★½ 64

golfdigestme.com

Coming soon to eGolf Megastore

february 2022

listed alphabetically

in association with

x

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Properly weighted versus past models, which have felt too light. Hit like a fairway finder. Rising line-drive flight with noticeable forgiveness.

Colors are a bit busy, but this was so easy to swing.”

x xio

RRP AED 3,295

12/X

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

what it does: XXIO has focused on making lightweight drivers more powerful, and these two models barely weigh more than a McFlurry, including the first-time adjustable X model and the ultralight 12 with its 41-gram shaft. The power comes from a new flat cupface and the strongest titanium alloy the company has used. That face design, which includes a flared-toe section for better off-centre ball speeds, gets extra flexing help from the rest of the head. By surrounding the face with a rigid zone, then a more flexible channel and finally a more rigid titanium and carbon-composite body, the whole system works to activate the face like a second spring at impact. why we like it: Lightweight drivers are pointless without making your tired old swing produce velocity more efficiently and more effectively. These help get the club to impact faster and more square with less weight on each component and a distinctive aerodynamic ridge on the heel side of the crown. By changing the way air flows over the crown during the downswing, the ridge stabilises the head and makes it easier to close at impact for consistent and faster swings.

look • sound • feel

★★★½

l o f t s 9 . 5 , 1 0 . 5 ( 1 2 ) ; 9 . 5 , 1 0 . 5 ( x ) ; a d j u s ta b l e

demand

★★½

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

february 2022

gdme hot list

65

ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP

Yas Please From Friday’s gale to Sunday’s dramatic finale, the new canvas for the Desert Swing opener wowed.

By Kent Gray

T

HOMAS PIETERS added his name to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship’s rich roll call of champions but wasn’t the only winner at the DP World Tour’s 2022 calendar year opener.

Following the 29-year-old Belgian during his composed closing round of 72, on-course commentator Wayne “Radar” Riley said he hadn’t initially believed the ‘links’ in Yas Links Abu Dhabi was warranted. But like fellow roving reporter Anthony Wall who said the $8 million Rolex Series event’s new venue had “grown on me”, Riley loved how the course was increasingly playing fiery and fast. He wondered out loud what it would be like with a little less fairway watering then

66

golfdigestme.com

february 2022

remembered where he was and that it would result in the layout “quickly turning back into desert”.

Up in the commentary booth, Ken Brown had no such reservations. He lavished praise on Yas Links Course Manager Corey Finn and his agronomy team for setting up a course “how it [golf] should be played”. He bemoaned not having more courses on the European circuit where players had every club in the bag tested, especially on and around the greens.

As Pieters was preparing for his final wedge shot into 18, Brown summed up Kyle Phillips’ desert links gem in one final word. “Magnificent.”

photograph by andrew redington/getty images

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