With defending champion Cam Smith having defected to LIV Golf, there's room for a new champ this week at the Players Championship. We assess the favorites, contenders and long shots ahead of the "fifth major."
Golfing News & Blog Articles
Stay up-to-date on golfing news, products, and trends from around the world.
We Tried It: TaylorMade MyStealth 2 Plus Custom Program
There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried
TaylorMade MyStealth 2 Plus Custom Driver Designer
Dave Wolfe – The ever-curious MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. When it comes to golf products, I believe that impulse control is something to be controlled.
TaylorMade MyStealth 2 Plus: From Most Wanted to Mine
Arccos Announces Major Upgrades to Apple Watch App
The caddie on your wrist just got a whole lot smarter.
Arccos, the self-proclaimed pioneer of artificial intelligence in golf, has announced a long-awaited update to its Arccos Caddie Apple Watch application. Among the headlining changes are updates to the UX and the ability to start an Arccos Caddie round directly from the watch itself.
The application itself isn’t new. It was first released to the masses in July 2021. Arccos hopes this major update will overhaul the entire user experience in a positive way.
“From a product standpoint, we have completely redeveloped the Arccos Caddie app for Apple Watch architecture from the ground up,” said Dave LeDonne, Vice-President of Product. “With well over half a million rounds played by Arccos members on Apple Watch last year alone, this redesign makes the experience dramatically better.”
So what did Arccos learn from the half a million rounds played on Apple Watch? Let’s dive into some of the major updates and how they can potentially help your game.
PXG Lays Off 125 Employees
MyGolfSpy has confirmed that PXG has laid off 125 employees, a bit more than 10% of its workforce. Employees were notified over a Zoom call earlier today.
60 of the impacted employees worked out of PXG retail locations.
According to PXG Founder and CEO, Bob Parsons most of the company’s brick and mortar business is by appointment. With business light on Sundays and Mondays, PXG made the decision to shift to a five-day week.
Parsons previously made a similar switch in his power sports division with positive results.
Best Mallet Putters 2023
Our Job Is Your Game
The most comprehensive review of the best mallet putters of 2023 is here.
Here at MyGolfSpy, we are committed to providing data-driven product reviews. For this Most Wanted Test, 20 testers each hit eight putts from five, 10 and 20 feet with each participating mallet putter model.
Use this review to help guide you with your next putter purchase. It is indispensable.
Best Mallet Putter 2023: Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Rossie S
Bottom Line
Odyssey mallet putters continue to perform well in our Most Wanted Mallet tests. The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Rossie S dominates the field to claim the title of Best Mallet Putter 2023. It excels from 10 and 20 feet so it’s no wonder it earned the top spot.
Pros
Putting from 10 and 20 feet is where this mallet shines. Ultimately, these are the distances that lead to its massive victory.
One month from Masters Week: Everything you need to get ready
It's one month from Masters week. Tiger and Phil are expected. What changes have been made to Augusta National? Who's in? Who's outside looking in? We break it all down.
Toms wins Champions Cologuard Classic by one
David Toms got up-and-down for his third bogey of the week on the par-4 18th hole at Tucson National on Sunday to beat Robert Karlsson by one stroke in the Cologuard Classic on the PGA Tour Champions.
Kitayama nabs first Tour win in wild Bay Hill finish
Kurt Kitayama let an All-Star cast of contenders back into the tournament with a triple-bogey, only to beat them all with a clutch birdie and the best lag putt of his life to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.
'Happy with life': Echavarria wins in Puerto Rico
Colombian rookie Nico Echavarria seized control Sunday with two straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a 2-shot victory in the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.
Ko shoots 69, wins 2nd straight Singapore title
Defending champion Jin Young Ko of South Korea shot a final-round 69 on Sunday to score a two-stroke victory in the LPGA's Women's World Championship.
LA North's Fifth Hole
Continuing the Quadrilateral countdown to the 2023 U.S. Open with everything to know about a difficult par-4 and the historic real estate surrounding one of George Thomas and Billy Bell's most innovative design touches.
The fifth at LACC North, with a touch of Norma Desmond for good measure.
Kitayama clings to Bay Hill lead; Scheffler 1 back
Kurt Kitayama will take a one-shot lead into the final round at Bay Hill, which could be wide open with Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland one back, and the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas all within range.
Rookie Echavarria leads Puerto Rico Open by 2
PGA Tour rookie Nico Echavarria shot a 7-under 65 and holds a two-shot lead entering the final round of the Puerto Rico Open.
Jin Young Ko up by 2 in Singapore title defense
Defending champion Jin Young Ko shot a second consecutive 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda into the final round of the LPGA's Women's World Championship.
Quigley fires 65 for early lead on PGA Champions
Brett Quigley fired a 7-under-par 65 and leads the Champions Tour's Cologuard Classic by 1 shot over John Huston, Kirk Triplett and Brian Cooper.
Kitayama handles windy Bay Hill as Rahm falters
Kurt Kitayama took advantage of Jon Rahm's struggles on Friday, shooting a 4-under 68 to grab a two-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Young stretches lead to 4 in Puerto Rico Open
PGA Tour rookie Carson Young, seeking his first win, posted a 5-under 67 on Friday and built a 4-shot lead going into the weekend at the Puerto Rico Open.
Tiger not part of field for next week's Players
The PGA Tour announced the field for what's often known as golf's "fifth major," and Tiger Woods was not part of the group that will tee it up at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Players had until 5 p.m. ET Friday to commit to the event.
AskMyGolfSpy Vol. 23
Welcome back to #ASKMYGOLFSPY where readers like you submit questions to our team of experts here at MyGolfSpy!
Submit yours anytime on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or in the comments below.
Let’s get into it.
Is the PXG Xtreme ball just a Kirkland with the PXG logo?
While I’ll concede the core coloring of the PXG ball bears a strong resemblance to that of the original Kirkland, the core of the PXG ball is unique and proprietary to PXG. From a compression standpoint, it falls in the upper 90s which is appreciably firmer than the Kirkland ball.
The PXG ball will be faster (and longer) off the tee.
That said, it likely uses the same tooling and the dimple patterns are identical. With that, my expectation is that the PXG ball will fly similarly to the Kirkland though flight should be a tick lower because the PXG ball won’t spin quite as much.
Will Vokey SM9 wedges be available in “The Best Finish” this year?
For those of you who aren’t in the loop: “The Best Finish” is the Slate Blue that found its way into the SM8 lineup. For Season Two of the SM9, Vokey is using what it calls Jet Black Premium as its, well, “premium” finish option.
