PGA Championship Equipment Round-Up
As the 105th PGA Championship gets underway at Oak Hill, many professionals and brands have introduced new gear specifically for the tournament, with new bags, clubs and apparel being seen at the venue in New York. Here's what you can expect to see at Oak Hill for the second Major of the year.
PGA Championship Bags
Whenever a Major championship comes about, you can be guaranteed that brands are going to create a bag to celebrate the occasion. For the 2023 PGA Championship, it is no different, with TaylorMade, Callaway and Cobra bringing out special editions of their staff bags, as well as unique headcovers.
TaylorMade has gone for a design that features plenty of oak leaves, not surprising given we are playing at Oak Hill. Along with the leaves, they have also incorporated four acorns with the dates of when the course hosted the PGA Championship, as well as Rochester's 'garbage plate'. For those unsure what that is, it's a plate of food that it is quite famous in New York, with it including food like hamburgers, fries, macaroni salad, etc.
Callaway has also introduced a limited edition bag this week, with a tartan print incorporating an Oak Hill symbol on the front with oak leaves on the inside of the pockets. There are also limited edition headcovers with DR stitched into them. We believe the DR stands for Donald Ross, who originally designed the Oak Hill course.
The last manufacturer to release a bag for the PGA Championship is Cobra, with their design taking inspiration from Oak Hill's Tudor style clubhouse. The bag, therefore, has a brick pattern on the side panel and ivy growing into the Cobra logo. Also, because the city of Rochester used to be known as the “flour city,” there are hints of wheat sprinkled throughout the bag’s design.
Phil Mickelson And Bryson DeChambeau Using TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are two of the game's most knowledgeable players when it comes to equipment and, at the PGA Championship, it appears both are putting the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver into play.
DeChambeau, who recently switched to a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus driver, something which he has used since February, also revealed his jaw-dropping stock yardages earlier this month. In that video, one of the clubs was indeed the BRNR Mini Driver, which went 305 yards.
Along with DeChambeau, his fellow LIV golfer, Mickelson, has also reportedly put the Mini Driver in play for the PGA Championship, with Lefty looking to replicate his memorable and historic performance at Augusta National in April. At the tournament, he shot the lowest score ever recorded by an over-50 player at The Masters.
FootJoy Todd Snyder Shoes
FootJoy makes some of the best golf shoes on the market and, for the PGA Championship, we see yet another collaboration with America’s leading menswear designer, Todd Snyder.
First linking up in Spring 2021, it is the Premiere Series Field and the new Premiere Series Wilcox that have had a makeover, with Snyder adding a camouflage pattern to the midsoles and heel tabs. Along with the camo, there are other details that really make these shoes stand out. These include small accents of orange on the lace ends, stitching, and Todd Snyder x FJ logos on the heel tabs.
Dustin Johnson's Scotty Cameron
In an Instagram post by GolfWRX, it appears that Dustin Johnson heads to Oak Hill this week with a brand-new custom Scotty Cameron T5.5 Circle T Putter. Previously, the two-time Major winner has been using the TaylorMade Spider GT putter, which has helped him become one of the most decorated players of the modern era.
DJ has used other Scotty Cameron models throughout his career but, at the PGA Championship, it reportedly seems that the mallet designed putter will make its way into the set up for this week, with the greens on the East Course certainly difficult.
LIV Golf Gear
We are getting somewhat accustomed to seeing LIV Golf gear at Major tournaments, with professionals donning their LIV teams apparel and using their golf bags at Augusta National in April. Now, at the PGA Championship, we see it yet again, with Dustin Johnson, Mickelson and Sihwan Kim going with their relevant team's merchandise at the second Major of the year.
According to a report in August, players in the league are asked to wear LIV apparel while playing in both LIV and non-LIV events and, at Oak Hill that appears to be the case with the majority of players decked out in their team apparel, with other logos featuring on headcovers and bags.
Interestingly, one player who doesn't have their LIV team bag is Abraham Ancer, who has opted for his own Flecha Azul Tequila bag instead of his Team Fireballs. The tequila company was co-founded by Ancer and Hollywood actor, Mark Wahlberg, is an investor. It is worth noting that the 32-year-old is wearing the Fireballs LIV logo on his polo though.
World No.1 Custom Shoes
After his Masters success in April, Jon Rahm will be looking to secure back-to-back Major scalps as he heads to New York in very good form. At Augusta National, we saw the Spaniard wearing a pair of custom Cuater The Ringer golf shoes, and now, at Oak Hill, he will be donning yet another custom pair, this time in a white design with a blue and gold colour combination that pays homage to the PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy Seen Using Nike Tees
A somewhat bizarre gear spot to finish with, but Rory McIlroy was seen using Nike tees during his practice round on Tuesday. Famously, Nike stopped producing golf clubs in 2016, but the brand continues to make apparel, golf shoes and, so it seems, golf tees, as the four-time Major winner was spotted using them prior to the tournament getting underway.
