As we edge closer and closer to the Masters, we'll see golf's elite put through the ultimate test in Austin, Texas this week, which concludes with 72 holes in 48 hours over the weekend... if they're lucky (lucky?!).

A Dip in the Pools

Gary Player once said "The more I practice, the luckier I get". He wasn't the first or the last man to say this, but he certainly made it popular on the golf course. Unfortunately, no matter how much you practice, there's not much you can do about the luck of the draw in the WGC Match Play. Admittedly, there's no such thing as an easy group when the field is made up of the top 64 golfers in the world. However, if you told Sergio Garcia that he'd drawn No. 62 of 64, he’d expect something kinder than Shubhanker Sharma. Pair that with last year's PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in Xander Shauffele and I don't fancy his chances. Sorry Sergio. Tommy Fleetwood had a similar case of bad luck, with the lowest-ranked player in his pool being match-play-master Ian Poulter.

Now, I can't go through every group, but there are some notable matchups to keep an eye out for. Justin Thomas will face off with Luke List again; a repeat of the Honda Classic playoff, as well as Patton Kizzire, who sits one behind FedEx Cup leader JT in the current standings. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed have teamed up 12 times in the past, but will lock horns for the first time this week. Australia's Jason Day faces a rematch of the 2016 final in this tournament against South African Louis Oosthuizen. Day won the previous fixture to move to World No. 1, but he now sits at No. 11- Oosthuizen's ranking during that final.

Texas Table Toppers

Tommy Fleetwood drawing Ian Poulter was unfortunate regardless, but the fact that the two Englishmen will face off on the opening day (highest-ranked vs. lowest-ranked) means that age won't provide the helping hand Fleetwood would've hoped for. That said, if the 27-year-old can win on the opening day then I think he's got a serious chance of silverware. On the topic of Englishmen, Paul Casey should top his group with form on his side, as should Tyrrell Hatton, who finished T3 at the WGC-Mexico Championship. An Englishman to win the tournament would be solid bet this week.

We would all expect Rory McIlroy to steamroll Brian Harman, Jhonattan Vegas & Peter Uihlein, but the rest of the world's top 10 have competitive groups. Kevin Kisner, Adam Hadwin & Bernd Wiesberger will likely push Dustin Johnson to some decent golf, and Jon Rahm is right in saying his is "Certainly not an easy group" (Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Chez Reavie & Keegan Bradley). I also personally prefer Patrick Cantlay over Hideki Matsuyama. Meanwhile, veteran Phil Mickelson faces an uphill battle against Rafa Cabrera Bello, the highest-ranked unseeded/Pool B player in the field (No. 17).

I'm looking at these groups like a kid in a candy shop, wanting to discuss the possibilities of every single one in great depth, but I'm not sure my keyboard can take that sort of wear & tear. Therefore, I'll leave you with this: it should be a great week for the Englishmen. Fleetwood, Casey and Hatton are all big threats at big odds, with Casey given a generous draw and youth favouring Fleetwood & Hatton over a whopping 126 holes.

No Tiger? No trouble. We won't be short of quality golf this week.

Credit: @PGATOUR - Official Twitter account of PGA Tour

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The Masters? Next month? Oh, I had no idea. That explains a few things.

Rory McIlroy's first title in 18 months, the re-emergence of Henrik Stenson... Oh, and Tiger. Yeah, the Masters is around the corner.

Out of Hibernation

Much was made of Henrik Stenson not doing much since his 2016 Open Championship victory. His only win since came in the Wyndham Championship where, in all honesty, anything less would've been catastrophic given the standard of his challengers. But it was a different story in the opening round at Bay Hill. Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and, of course, Tiger Woods all shot -3 or better on Thursday. Stenson, though, struck -8. The Swede went 3-under on day 2 for a share of the lead with Bryson DeChambeau heading into the weekend. Back-to-back 1-under rounds of 71 saw him fail to keep pace at the top and finish in fourth at -13, but the Callaway man has certainly rediscovered his game at the right time after falling from 9th to 15th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) already in 2018 (this result has lifted him back to 14th).

The Rory Story

McIlroy has acknowledged many times the extraordinary influence of his mentality on his performance. Whilst psychology is a critical part of any golfer's game, it is often the deciding factor for McIlroy. So, the fact that the Northern Irishman appears to have returned to a winning mentality less than a month before the Masters is HUGE. An incredible -8, bogey-free Sunday concluded with five birdies in his final six holes and a sublime final putt. His three stroke victory was made all the more impressive by the low scores of the chasing pack forcing him to an -18. We are talking about Rory McIlroy here, so there is no telling what will happen between now and the Masters, but Augusta cannot come soon enough for the now-World No. 7.

Tiger Tracker

He's been the talk of the town in 2018 and that talk will not stop flowing now. His 10-under T5 doesn't tell the full story (does it ever?). Going 11-under on par-fives and 1-under on par-fours, he looked like the Tiger Woods of years gone by; capitalising on opportunities and making few mistakes. However, 2-over on par-threes for the week makes it very clear where the improvement needs to come. We saw a similar pattern at the Valspar Championship, where he went PAR, -3, -6 on par-threes, fours & fives respectively. His level-par Friday was seen as a bad day by many, but that only emphasises his abilities. After all, how many 42-year-old golfers would call level-par a bad day after four back surgeries?

Rory McIlroy - What's in the Back?

Driver: TaylorMade M3 460

3-Wood: TaylorMade M3

5-Wood: TaylorMade M3

Irons: TaylorMade P-750

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind

Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Soto

Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

He's back. No question. Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods once more.

Out of the Woods

No, he didn't win. But no, we can't ignore him. A mixed bag of five birdies and four bogeys left him 1-under after an opening round of 70, before a sublime showing on Friday catapulted him into contention. A lone bogey at the ninth- his final hole- would have sent most players into the weekend struggling to maintain focus and confidence and, subsequently, form. But Tiger Woods is not most players. Saturday saw the 14-time major champion go one better (literally) with a 4-under 67. The scorecard doesn't tell the full story, though. Tiger silenced his critics off-the-tee as worries about his back went up in smoke. If he silenced his critics off-the-tee, his classy short game left them- and everybody else- utterly speechless.

Whilst the final day wasn't quite what he would have hoped for, Tiger punished any viewers who switched off early by sinking a 44-foot birdie on the last. Typical Tiger.

Whatever your opinion on Tiger Woods may be (and we all have one), the final round viewing figures, the reaction to his final putt, the non-stop talk of his Masters potential... this is a wonderful advert for golf.

The Forgotten Tournament

They say that nobody ever remembers the runners-up, and that will be the case for Patrick Reed, who finished T2. But the man who shared second-place with Reed- a certain Tiger Woods- has cast a shadow over Paul Casey's victory in Florida. Poor Paul Casey will be left with nothing but a PGA Tour victory, a shedload of Ryder Cup points, five-spot rise in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and a million dollars. How could you not feel sorry for the Englishman? I mean, imagine the hassle of exchanging that into sterling... and with the exchange rate as it is! My heart goes out to you, Mr Casey.

Anyway, back to the tournament. Round one saw Canadian rookie Corey Connors take the clubhouse lead with a 4-under 67. Connors continued to impress with -2 on Friday to lead at 6-under heading into the weekend; two clear of Tiger, Brand Snedeker, Ryan Palmer, Kelly Kraft and eventual winner Paul Casey. Rory McIlroy bowed out early as a -3, -2 saw him miss the cut despite opening with ten consecutive pars. The shot of the tournament came from Justin Rose at the par-5 eleventh on day 3 as he holed an eagle from 120 yards; rolling down the flagstick to land directly into the hole. The pressure on Connors continued to mount as Tiger and Snedeker closed the gap to one, along with Englishman Rose following his -5 round.

The Innisbrook Resort Copperhead course staged an awesome Sunday of golf. Connors couldn't hold his nerve as he hit four bogeys and a double to go 6-over on the day and 3-under for the tournament, leaving him at a disappointing T16. Sergio Garcia surged up the leaderboard with a -6 final round to steal fourth spot, whilst Rose slipped to 1-over to share T5 with South Africa's Rory Sabbatini. Woods ensured wire-to-wire sub-par rounds with a -1, but Paul Casey ensure that the 44-foot birdie putt on the seventeenth was too little too late as he topped the field for the second time of the PGA Tour with -6 for the day and -10 for the tournament.

The victory is the first for Casey since the 2014 KLM Open and will undoubtedly launch him back into contention for a Ryder Cup place.

Paul Casey - What's in the Bag?

Driver: TaylorMade M4

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade M1

Hybrid: TaylorMade M3

Irons: Mizuno MP-25 (4), Mizuno MP-5 (5-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle T

Golf Ball: Titleist ProV1

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

What a tournament. What a weekend. What a winner.

Phil Steam Ahead

If you can find me somebody who predicted Phil Mickelson to win (barring those who have predicted him to win every event for the past five years), I'll find you somebody outside of the Thomas family who didn't want him to win that playoff. Maybe I'll even find somebody who felt sorry for Tyrrell Hatton after the bobbled putt. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch.

Almost five years after his famous 2013 Open Championship victory, Mickelson returned to the winners' circle as he became the oldest winner of a WGC event at the tender age of 47. 'Lefty' wasn't content with just winning the hearts of a generation of golf fans, and apparently isn't content with his 43rd career win. Following the win at Club de Golf Chapultepec, the PGA Tour legend was adamant about making it a half-century. Labelling himself a 'pretty optimistic guy' feels like a major understatement given the crop of young players he'll be competing against for the next seven wins, but who wouldn't love to see him do it?

How it Happened

21-year-old rising star Shubhankar Sharma led the way into the weekend after following an opening round of 6-under with a 5-under on Friday. A Saturday 69 on the par-71 course took him to 13-under and top spot heading into the final round. He couldn't hold on, though, as a 3-over Sunday saw him fall to T9. Tyrrell Hatton ensured an Englishman finished inside the top-3 for the second year running, with his 15-under earning him a T3 alongside Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello. But it was in controversial circumstances that he missed out on a playoff spot as a substantial bobble on the green caused him to miss his par putt. There's no questioning that the putt did take a bobble, but a poor chip in the previous shot had brought frustration to the surface and the missed putt brought on a typical Tyrrell temper tantrum. A sore loser, to be frank, and his ungraceful reaction will not have earned him the sympathy he felt he was owed.

Justin Thomas was eleven off the pace at level-par heading into the weekend, but a remarkable course-record 62 took him to 9-under after consulting his father-turned-swing-coach by sending videos of himself practicing between rounds. Momentum carried Thomas to 14-under after 71 holes. 119 yards out, one hole left, two shots off the lead... was the eagle ever in doubt? Thomas watched on as Mickelson held par and Hatton faltered to set up a two-man playoff.

47 year-old Vs. 24 year-old. You could say that it came down to experience, but the 2017 FedEx Cup winner doesn't exactly lack experience in the way most do at his age. Still, Lefty held his nerve for a clutch par putt as JT fell to a bogey and runner-up spot. A crowd-pleaser in Mexico, that's for sure.

Phil Mickelson - What's in the Bag?

Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero

Fairway Wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero

Hybrid: Callaway Rogue

Irons: Callaway Epic Pro (4-iron), Callaway X Forged 2018 (5-PW)

Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind

Putter: Odyssey Versa #9 White

Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It's the strongest field we've seen all year. 45 of the world's top 50 will be part of the exclusive 65-man field at Mexico City's Club de Golf Chapultepec as it hosts the tournament for just the second time. With the best players from the PGA Tour and European Tour coming together, predicting a winner is not an enviable task. But whatever happens, we can be sure of entertainment.

Before we look at the players, acknowledging the course is unavoidable this week. Recording 7,603 feet at its lowest and 7,835 feet at its highest, Chapultepec has by far the highest altitude of any course on the PGA Tour. It also features the third-longest par-4 on the Tour, with the third hole measuring a scorecard yardage of 528. But not to worry, it's altitude to the rescue off the tee, helping carry players to the highest average driver distance on last year's PGA Tour.

I think we will be seeing some smiling European faces this week (in a Ryder Cup year... just for the record). Despite World No. 1 Dustin Johnson making it an American win at last year's event, Europe boasted four of the top five in England's Tommy Fleetwood & Ross Fisher, Spain's Jon Rahm and Belgium's Thomas Pieters respectively. Having risen to World No. 2 in remarkable fashion, Rahm is understandably favourite to topple Dustin this year. That said, Fleetwood jumps out at me. He may have slipped at a crucial moment in his pursuit of Dustin last year, but his runner-up spot set him on his way to winning the European Tour's coveted Race to Dubai title in a breakthrough season. On the PGA Tour he ranks in at 13th for Driving Accuracy Percentage, 6th in Strokes Gained (SG): Off-The-Tee and overtook Dustin to go 2nd in SG: Tee-To-Green after last week's fourth-placed finished at the Honda Classic. On this course, that's HUGE. Watch out for Tommy.

Of course we can't overlook America's elite (as much as I'd like to) when you have the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth lining up. JT is fresh off a win in the Honda Classic, but he may not be the only one benefitting from that victory. His best buddy Spieth is, simply put, a competitor. The win took JT above Spieth in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and raised the stakes for both 24-year-olds seeking Hall of Fame status in Tiger Woods-esque fashion. 

I haven't seen a tournament this hard to predict in a long, long time. As much as (and I know I say this every week, but here goes) I hate tipping the favourite, I can't bring myself to look past the favourite in Dustin Johnson. He's just too good. That said, if you're looking for better odds than Dustin's feeble 6/1, then Tommy Fleetwood is 16/1, in red-hot form and suits the course down to a tee... literally. This still makes him fourth-favourite behind Dustin, JT, Spieth & Rahm, and I wouldn't be convinced to part with my money for any of them at 11/1 and below- no matter how good they are. Justin Rose and Alex Noren are 22/1 and 25/1 respectively; great prices for two real dangermen, and Rose's 11 top-tens in his last 12 tournaments make the Englishman my each-way tip.

So there it is. Call me patriotic but I'm putting my faith in Fleetwood and Rose this week.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The Honda Classic at PGA National always produces drama. But whilst the drama at PGA National is a constant, it was the only constant this week. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, saw last year's champion and pre-tournament favourite Rickie Fowler miss the cut at seven-over on the par-70 course, with a six-over Friday featuring six bogeys and a double to cancel out two birdies. Other pre-tournament tips from experts included Patton Kizzire, Martin Kaymer and Brandt Snedeker. Guess what: they all missed the cut! Whilst other popular "expert" picks like Gary Woodland, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy did make the cut, that merely prolonged their agony.

Onto the more successful picks, and where better to start than with champion Justin Thomas. If you read the Foremost Golf tournament preview blog last week then you were in luck. I picked JT to get his first win of the calendar year. It wasn't exactly rocket science though. The PGA National course is known for its ability to force the highest quality out of the greatest players, and Justin Thomas was the highest ranked player in the field. You can understand him being overlooked in favour of Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, who have established themselves as bigger names over longer careers, but a big name doesn't win tournaments; winning tournaments makes a big name. Justin Thomas is going about doing exactly that.

It wasn't plain sailing for the American, though. Blistery conditions proved the undoing of many players, especially around the infamous "Bear Trap" on the 15th, 16th & 17th holes. Friday proved particularly tough playing, with the wind leading main attraction Tiger Woods to his only above-par round (1) of the week. Sweden's Alex Noren followed up an opening round of four-under with a five-over in Friday's disruptive weather, and a double-bogey on the 16th led JT to a two-over 72. Luke List and Jamie Lovemark both went under-par on the day for a share of the lead heading into the weekend.

England's Tommy Fleetwood snuck up the leaderboard stealthily to finish fourth; one behind Alex Noren, who recovered with a five-under on Saturday and went three-under on the final day to finish -7 for the week. Nothing could separate JT and List over 72 holes, so the pair headed into a playoff at eight-under. An excruciating seventeen-foot missed birdie putt from List handed FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas the chance to win with a simple birdie putt on the par-five 18th, and of course he took it with the coolest of heads for his eighth career win.

Away from the top of the leaderboard (although not too far away), Tiger was the epitome of consistency throughout the week as he sandwiched a +1 and -1 between two even-pars to finish at number 12. The fact that PAR was enough for a top-12 finish speaks volumes about the conditions in Florida. But if Tiger was Mr Consistent, McIlroy was Mr Erratic en route to nine-over. The fact he failed to find par all week barely cracked the headlines, with day three providing more than enough entertainment on its own. After landing dangerously close to the water hazard on the par-three 4th, the Northern Irishman chipped to the green whilst balancing on the rocks and very nearly lost his balance post-swing; narrowly avoiding falling back into the water. Two holes later, he continued to go the extra mile as he opted to play a shot with his lob wedge whilst kneeling in the middle of a bush rather than take a drop. Regardless of the unflattering scorecard (nine-over for T59), Rory's commitment to the cause deserves credit.

Now, returning to the winner! 

Justin Thomas - What's in the Bag?

Driver: Titleist 917 D2

Fairway Wood: Titleist 917 F2

Irons: Titleist 718 AP2, Titleist 718 MB

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6, Titleist Vokey SM5

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle TX5

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The Honda Classic has produced some spectacular golf over the years and The Champion Course at PGA National Resort sets the stage for the world's best to do what they do best. Last year's winner Rickie Fowler is tipped to retain his title, but who else is in the running?

Kevin Kisner’s form has been declining through 2018, with T17, T25, T50 and a missed cut his respective results this year. That said, the American was on a run of T42, T54, T53, T67 before closing the 2016/17 season with a T3 at the TOUR Championship and opening his 2017/18 PGA Tour campaign with T4 at The RSM Classic. So form is irrelevant when you talk about Kevin Kisner. What isn’t irrelevant is his second-place ranking in Strokes Gained: Putting. Remember how critical putting was for Rickie Fowler on this course last year; a thirty-footer at the eighth and thirty-eight footer at the twelfth proving crucial during a wobbly final day. Fowler himself admitted “If I don’t make those putts I’ve got a pretty tight race”, so there it is: straight from the horse’s mouth.

Gary Woodland tied for second at last year’s Honda Classic and, given his form in 2018, can’t be ignored at 30/1. Perhaps this is due to his missed cut at Pebble Beach last year, but he’s certainly a danger man with superb form, fifth-place in the PGA Tour’s Stroke Gained: Putting ranking and second-place in Greens in Regulation (GIR). Alex Noren can also be found at 30/1, but whilst plenty of pundits are backing him I just don’t think he’s got the right game for this course.

History would tell you that the PGA National course tends to force moments of quality, which, as well as making it awesome to watch, should push the best players toward the top of the leaderboard. However, I think we’ll have to wait a while longer for Rory McIlroy’s comeback. Rickie Fowler is the favourite for good reason and it doesn’t surprise me that Justin Thomas is priced at only 11/1 because, like I said, PGA National often forces out the sort of quality that only a handful of golfers possess, and Thomas is certainly in that handful.

I would never go as far as to call the bookies “kind”, but I think 30/1 on Gary Woodland is surprisingly generous. Kevin Kisner at 55/1 is less surprising but no less generous. Kisner’s game should suit this course perfectly and his sixth-place ranking in Driving Accuracy Percentage on the PGA Tour could be decisive during the course's infamous "Bear Trap", so he’s my each-way pick this week. Rickie Fowler’s favourite status is deserved but I hate to tip a favourite, so I’m going with Justin Thomas to get his first win of the calendar year.

Written by Joe Carabini

Joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

When the World No. 1 headed into the final round at an iconic course tied for the lead with the World No. 246, the name Dustin Johnson was all-but carved into the trophy. The man sharing that lead- Ted Potter Jr- was expected to simply enjoy the experience of playing alongside the world's best, almost like being paired with his favourite celebrity in the Pro-Am. The Florida native had other ideas.

Despite a bogey on Sunday's first hole, Potter went on to force pundits and writers into countless magic-themed Potter puns. A rare wayward drive from DJ at the fifth forced him into a drop and conceded the lead to Potter. Now, I told you in my tournament preview that approach to the green would be crucial on this course, with small greens making precision crucial. This is where DJ would pull away from the rest of the field towards victory, right? On the sixth a sensational approach shot set up a birdie... for Ted Potter Jr. Then, on the par-3 seventh, the playing partners landed their drives in extremely similar positions right next to the green. The world leader chipped expertly to within a few feet for an easy par-putt, as expected. But a moment of magic from Potter (I did warn you) saw him chip in for his fourth birdie in six holes after opening with a bogey.

Three-under going into the back nine, all Potter had to do was hold his nerve. He did exactly that; shooting even-par down the stretch to finish with a three-stroke win as his playing partner needed a closing birdie to save par for the day, with four bogeys proving his downfall.

Circling back to my tournament preview blog, I told you Chez Reavie would 'upset the applecart', and boy did he do that. A stand-alone bogey on the back nine forced him to share the runner-up spot, although he wasn't in bad company as tournament favourite Dustin Johnson, second-favourite Jason Day and many experts' top-tip Phil Mickelson tied him at fourteen-under. The 50/1 long-shot may have been overshadowed by Potter's wizardry, but back-to-back runner-up spots can't be ignored.

Ted Potter Jr. - What's in the Bag?

Driver: PING G400

Fairway Wood: PING G400

Hybrid: PING G400

Irons: PING iBlade

Wedges: PING Glide 2.0, Cleveland RTX-3

Putter: Odyssey White Hot #2

Golf Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

With a strong contingent of celebrities on show, from Hollywood headliners to sport stars, it’s no surprise that everybody’s talking about the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. We’ve already seen Bill Murray in sunflower-covered Bell-bottoms and Clint Eastwood sinking putts for fun and I’m sure that’s just the start of what will be an awesome week in California.

Now, back to the serious golf, there are plenty of big golf names, including Rory McIlroy’s return to the PGA Tour. The Northern Irishman has been in fine form on the European Tour, but hasn’t made a PGA Tour appearance all season. This is also his tournament debut, so I’m completely bemused as to why he’s the joint-second favourite at a measly 10/1. I’m not saying he hasn’t got a chance- I’m not stupid- but I think anybody willing to take a punt on him deserves more of a reward for their bravery.

On the subject of low odds, World No. 1 Dustin Johnson occupies the 11/2 favourite spot, with No. 2 Jon Rahm equal to McIlroy and Jason Day at 10/1 and No. 3 Jordan Spieth just behind at 11/1. Bar McIlroy, I think these are pretty fair prices, with DJ, Rahm & Day all claiming titles already this season and Spieth an ever-present threat. However, the two that jump out at me are DJ and Spieth purely due to their precision. DJ’s incredibly accurate iron play and Spieth’s smart scrambling could prove key.

Speaking of accuracy approaching the greens brings me to my 50/1 long-shot: Chez Reavie. After a playoff loss at last week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, Reavie’s impressive Strokes Gained: Approach-The-Green (third on PGA Tour) gives him a real shot this week. Gary Woodland, the man who beat Reavie in a playoff last week, can be found at 25/1 – the lowest odds outside the World top 10 – having finished T7, T12 & 1^st so far in 2018. Not far behind Woodland is Phil Mickelson. ‘Lefty’ has been tipped by many to have a strong performance and, at 28/1, isn’t a bad shout at all.

Given the extra eyes pulled in by celebs (he certainly knows how to step up under pressure) and the importance of accuracy around the green, Jordan Spieth is my top pick for this week. But, if you’re looking for higher odds, I’m tipping Chez Reavie to upset the applecart.

3 courses, 4 days, 1 winner. Let the games begin!

Written by Joe Carabini

Joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

As January 2018 draws to a close, we take a look at which new clubs have hit the ground running on Tour.

TaylorMade

In the first month of the calendar year, TaylorMade golf clubs have already been in the bag of five winners and three runners-up across the PGA and European Tour. That’s seven top-two finishes in as many tournaments. No poster (or digital whatnot, as the case may be these days) can deliver advertising like that. As the old, and extremely irritating, adage goes: the stats don’t lie.

The TM stars wasted no time in 2018, with Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm finishing one-two as the PGA Tour began the year with the Tournament of Champions. Rahm then followed this up with a win at the CareerBuilder Challenge, whilst Tommy Fleetwood was putting his new M3 Driver to good use in the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. The following week on the European Tour, it took a tournament-record 23-under from Haotong Li to separate TaylorMade trailblazer Rory McIlroy from the Dubai Desert Classic crown. The very next day, Australia’s Jason Day edged out Alex Noren to win the Farmers Insurance Open after a playoff so tight they ran out of daylight, meaning the tie couldn’t be decided until Monday. Still, Day prevailed for the first time in any tournament since 2016… in his first month with the new M3 Driver. I don’t know about you, but I think I’m sensing a pattern here.

What's in the Bag?

DJ and Rahm were both equipped with the M4 Driver, whilst Fleetwood and Day opted for the M3 Driver. DJ stuck with the M4 as his 3-wood, but Rahm switched to the M3 5-wood. However, arguably the most impressive shots of 2018 so far have come from DJ’s iron play since adding the TaylorMade P-790 irons to his bag.

Callaway

Sergio Garcia made a slightly more low-key, but no less successful, adjustment to life with new clubs. Following his recent transfer from TaylorMade to Callaway, the Spaniard struck gold in his first outing with the new Callaway Rogue woods and Mack Daddy 4 wedges. The new Callaway frontman topped the Singapore Open leaderboard as he dipped his toe in the Asian Tour.

As Sergio successfully switched to the Asian Tour, Li Haotong successfully switched in the opposite direction. His aforementioned victory over McIlroy featured a strong performance with the new Callaway Rogue fairway wood.

Despite an agonising loss at the hands of Jason Day, Alex Noren looked a force to be reckoned with as he got to grips with latest Callaway technologies.

TaylorMade’s success really casts a shadow over most other brands sending their latest inventions out on Tour, but Callaway’s showing has been impressive nonetheless.

What's in the Bag?

The Callaway Rogue Sub Zero Driver and Mack Daddy 4 wedges proved effective for Garcia and Noren, along with the Rogue fairway woods.

Cobra Golf

With only two players inside the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) top 100, and Bryson DeChambeau teetering on the brink at No. 99, Cobra Golf’s new F8 range could very easily have slipped under the radar. Rickie Fowler ensured that wasn’t the case.

Fulfilling his role as the manufacturer’s wonderkid, Cobra’s Californian swept aside the competition at the PGA Tour’s star-studded Hero World Challenge on his inaugural outing with the new Cobra F8+ woods last November. The F8+, a Tour-level edition of the traditional F8 design, grabbed headlines following Fowler’s strong performance with the driver, 3-wood and 5-wood.

What's in the Bag?

Fowler has gone from strength to strength from the tee and fairway with the Cobra King F8+ Nardo Driver and Cobra King F8+ Baffler 5-wood.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com