Cleveland Golf Blog

George McNeill only needed to make par on the 72nd hole to secure a win at the 2012 Puerto Rico Open over the weekend, but instead decided to add some style points with a closing birdie en route to his second-career PGA Tour victory. McNeill, who finished the day with three consecutive birdies, won the tournament with rounds of 66-70-67-69 for a four-day score of -18, 272.

McNeill, who won previously at the 2007 Frys.com Open during his rookie year, was the 54-hole leader at Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico but still needed to make a Sunday charge since the leaderboard was filled with low scores.

“I was really nervous, but I knew what I had to do, and basically I just had to bear down and get it done,” said McNeill, a 36-year-old Florida State alum. “If not, then somebody else was going to win. I was trying to basically have control of myself, and that’s all I was looking for.”

He earned $630,000 for the triumph, along with 250 FedEx Cup points.

McNeill’s story really is that of a journeyman. He turned professional in 1998 and tried to make a name for himself on the Nationwide Tour and mini-tours. After a few years with varying results, McNeill gave up playing competitive golf completely and returned to Florida to work as a teaching professional. After nine months of working at two different golf courses, McNeill had had enough and made the decision to get back to what he loved – playing golf at the highest level.

In 145 career PGA Tour starts, McNeill now has two wins, six runner-ups and two playoff losses. He’s learned a lot since his first victory.

“I think I was a little dumb, for lack of a better word, in 2007,” McNeill said. “I really didn’t know any better.

“It’s not easy to be the best even if it’s only for one week, and that’s why it’s tough. And you got to take in golf what you can and move on.”

In his bag this week was:

Driver: Launcher Ultralite TL310, 9.5*

Irons: 588 Forged MB, 3-PW

Wedges: 588 Forged 54* & 60*

Ball: Srixon Z-STAR XV

We love these multiple-event weeks on the PGA Tour. It’s an opportunity for some Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers to compete against the very best at Doral, while others can earn some valuable World Ranking and FedEx Cup points in Puerto Rico.

World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship

This event, reserved for 75 of the best players in the world, takes place at the famous Doral Resort in Miami, Fla. The resort was recently purchased by real estate mogul Donald Trump, who showed up on site this week.
They don’t call this course the Blue Monster for nothing. Weather is almost always a factor at this lengthy, bunker-laden track, and winds have been gusting all week – sometimes up to 30mph. With weather like this, our staffers spent most of their time dialing in their short games and putting, since it’s hard to get much out of full-swing practice in these conditions. As is usually the case at these top-tier events, equipment work was relegated to the normal maintenance of lofts and lies and a few re-grips – this way, players can focus more on practice instead of club-building.

These WGC events also allow us to see some of our European staffers we don’t normally have much time with in the States. This week, Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is back in the U.S. after he was in Arizona a few weeks ago for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Gonzo, as he is called, is a terrific talent and really interesting guy. We always enjoy our time with him and hope he continues to climb the Official World Golf Rankings so everyone will have the opportunity to see more of him (he’s currently 50th).

Check out some photos of Gonzo here.

Puerto Rico Open

As mentioned before, this event is a great opportunity for our staffers to make a big move up the money list. Every dollar is important as players try to position themselves before the next reshuffle. We have some players in the field that have gotten off to solid starts this season and want to continue that momentum, and others that really need to ignite their year.

No real club work is done down in Puerto Rico, since logistically it can’t really happen. However, we did have to tackle one equipment emergency.

At least a few times a year, an airline baggage handler will manage to take out some aggression on one of our staffers’ travel bags – leaving us to put the pieces back together. This week, Ted Potter, Jr. was the unlucky victim. The airline broke his Launcher Ultralite TL310 driver, but we were able to send him a replacement the next day from our tour department in Huntington Beach.

There are always some cool stories that come out of Monday Qualifying for PGA Tour events. This week, two of our CG/Srixon tour players – developmental staffer Derek Tolan and Nationwide Tour member Andy Matthews – both played their way into the field. We certainly wish them the best this week as they look to make their stamp on the PGA Tour.

Next week we are off to the iconic Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

‘Til next week…

This week we’re at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for the beginning of the PGA Tour’s Florida swing. Many of the world’s best players are in the Honda Classic field, and whenever they show up, it creates a special environment.

The story this week is really about holes 15-17 at PGA National, affectionately known as “The Bear Trap” after course designer Jack Nicklaus. This is certainly one of, if not the most difficult trio of holes on any course all year. It was really fun listening to Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers discuss their various plans of attack for that stretch. Be sure to watch how they perform there, as the holes will get a ton of television coverage (look for our new commercials on both NBC and Golf Channel).

This week is a home game for some of our staffers, such as Keegan Bradley and Robert Allenby, who live in nearby Jupiter and West Palm Beach, respectively. It makes for a fun week for them since they get to hang out with all of their family and friends.

Equipment-wise, we couldn’t be more excited about the start to our year. The Classic driver has been adopted more quickly by our PGA Tour players than any other driver I can remember. It’s received a great deal of attention for its good looks, but it performs as well as anything I have seen. The overwhelming majority of Cleveland wedges in bags now are the new 588 Forged. The most common comment has been, “They just feel better than everything else.” That feel combined with the classic 588 shape has made them a home run on Tour to this point. We’re having more fun working with this current product line than any I can remember.

Check out a quick gallery of pictures from this week’s Honda Classic.

Final Notes:

Again, be sure to tune in to this week’s coverage. Check out our staffers playing this week and our new commercials that will be airing over this weekend.

Also, there is a nice article in this week’s Golf World about Jason Kokrak, his prodigious length, and his Classic driver. It’s a great read. Jason put a Miyazaki Kusala Black 83X shaft in his 15-degree Launcher FL fairway wood this week, and it will be interesting to see how it performs for the bomber.

Srixon staffer Robert Allenby is coming off of a tough finish at last week’s Mayakoba Classic in Mexico, losing in an eight-hole playoff. Allenby is in good spirits this week, and at No. 60 in the Official World Golf Rankings, he’s looking to contend more on the Florida Swing so he can crack the top 50 and earn an invite to the Masters in April.

‘Til next week…

The PGA Tour events that consistently boast the best fields are played on great golf courses, and that’s certainly the case this week with many of the world’s best competing at legendary Riviera Country Club for the 2012 Northern Trust Open. This is also one of our favorite events since it’s in Pacific Palisades, a quick jaunt up the 405 freeway from Cleveland Golf/Srixon’s American headquarters in Huntington Beach.

Because Riviera is such a demanding track, many staffers spent more time practicing on the course than usual. We did some normal loft and lie maintenance and other minor tweaks, but overall, this was one of our slower equipment weeks of the year. Like we’ve said, that’s a good thing – our guys are dialing in their gear and getting ready for a great stretch of golf.

One staffer who seems poised for such a stretch is rookie Jason Kokrak, who’s coming off his first career top-10 finish with a tie for ninth at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The 26-year-old put on an impressive display of power and precision, leading the field in greens in regulation with his 588 Forged MB Irons and ranking sixth in driving distance with the help of the Classic Driver (which launches tomorrow, by the way).

Kokrak made a small change to his wedge setup this week, switching to KBS Tour shafts in his 52, 56, and 60-degree 588 Forged Wedges. These shafts flight the golf ball a little lower and add some spin, which is exactly what he’s been looking for.

We had an opportunity to chat with Jason about his season thus far and what he’s looking forward to in 2012:

How has the transition been from the Nationwide Tour?

I wasn’t on the Nationwide for that long, but it’s still been a big transition for me. There are more tournaments and longer weeks. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday getting the practice dialed in, and then you have the tournament after that. I went out there at the beginning of the year and made my first cut, which was great. Last week I got my first top 10, which was great. Now they reshuffled me and I should be good for the rest of the year as far as getting spots in the field, which is great! But, the transition hasn’t been too bad. I have been playing professional golf at some level for a few years now and it is all about getting into your routine. Out here my routine is different from the Nationwide, which was a different routine from the mini tours.

How are the courses on the PGA Tour different than Nationwide courses?

I think [PGA Tour] courses are a little more manicured. They are more consistent from week to week. It helps to have that consistency when you’re trying to work on a certain shot or hone your game. Mostly, the courses are a little tougher, but they’re similar in green speed and firmness.

You’re known for your driving distance. How has the Classic Driver helped you?

I put the Classic Driver in the bag at the beginning of the year. I tested a few of them, and the one I originally used didn’t have enough spin. I was hitting it great and I had a lot of distance, but it fell out of the air a little bit. But, we made some small adjustments and now I am dialed. I like it a lot. The head is great, looking down at it, it feels very comfortable. It looks different than everything else and it feels better to boot. It’s a great club and it’s going to be in my bag for the foreseeable future.

Do you get a lot of questions from other guys on tour who haven’t seen it yet?

Yeah! A lot of guys want to look at it and look down at it. It is such a great looking driver that everyone is intrigued. The other guys all want to hit it, but it’s mine! Ha! Even the fans, sometimes they will yell out and ask what driver it is, which has never happened to me before. You know, there are a lot of companies that put drivers out there that you have never seen, but it’s great to have something that looks a little different coming from an established company right here in the U.S.

What tournament are you looking forward to the most this year?

I really want to play in my home state in Ohio. Either at the Memorial or Firestone, but both of those would be tough to get into right now. But my goals are to play in those tournaments this year.

‘Til next week…

It seems like I say this every week, but yet again, the setting for this week’s PGA Tour event is truly something special. The courses and cities where our Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers start their season are phenomenal, and Pebble Beach may just be the crown jewel. Golf on the Monterey Peninsula is as visually spectacular as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

This week’s event is played on three courses on the Monterey Peninsula–Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course (MPCC). The two latter courses are fantastic in their own right, with Spyglass heralded as a superb test by all the players and MPCC sporting ocean views on 14 of 18 holes.

We usually do a lot of wedge work in the Tour Trailer for this event, and this year was no different. While the courses this week were as firm as we’ve seen them in some time, they’re still softer and just altogether different than anywhere else the guys have played thus far.

This creates an interesting challenge.

With softer turf conditions, players will often want to game a wedge with a bit more overall bounce, making it less prone to digging. But the greens here are also softer this time of year, and the last thing you want with soft greens are super fresh, sharp grooves. We know our Tour Zip Grooves really do spin the golf ball more than any other grooves out there. So we as reps, along with the players, have to weigh the pros and cons of putting a new wedge in the bag this week. If someone does opt for a new wedge, he’ll often hit a lot of practice greenside bunker shots just to take that initial groove sharpness off for the soft greens of Pebble and avoid over-spinning the ball. As you watch this week, keep an eye on who controls their spin the best on wedge and short-iron approaches. The player that does this best will have a great chance to win at week’s end.

The 588 Forged wedges continue to impress CG/Srixon staffers and are drawing more and more interest from players outside our staff. The most common question we get from players is, “So it’s a 588, but it feels way better?” The answer is YES! The classic 588 look, combined with the feel of our advanced Precision Forged process and the best grooves on the market, is making many tour players very happy!

Staffers in this week’s field include: Steve Flesch, Steven Bowditch, Troy Kelly, Russell Knox, Chris Stroud, George McNeill, Vijay Singh, Jason Kokrak, Roland Thatcher, Charlie Beljan, Ted Potter Jr., and Kevin Stadler.

For more pictures from this week, check out this photo gallery!

‘Til next week…

There are tournaments on the PGA Tour, and then there are events. The Waste Management Phoenix Open, played in the beautiful Arizona desert, is without question an event. As host to some of the largest galleries all season, this is THE place to be in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area this week. In the past, Saturday attendance alone has eclipsed 100,000. There are numerous parties and events happening all week in the area, but the largest party of them all is on the par-3 16th hole here at TPC Scottsdale. The entire hole is encapsulated with grandstands, and Saturday will see more than 25,000 people on that hole alone. There’s really no place like it in all of professional golf!

This week saw a steady stream of tweaks and spec checking. Since this is the third or fourth event for most Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers in the field, it was about time for many players to visit our Tour Trailer and make sure all of their gear was in order. Typical maintenance work includes checking lofts and lies, replacing worn grips, and ensuring wedge grooves are still in good shape. Our players really like the reassurance of hearing (about once a month) that everything is in order and their sticks are ready to be taken to work.

For whatever reason, we also had more-than-normal fairway wood work this week. We had three or four guys experimenting with new head and shaft combos, or simply tweaking their existing setups. Keegan Bradley and Ted Potter, Jr. both changed the shaft in their Launcher Ultralite FL 3-woods to the Miyazaki Kusala White 83 X-flex, which has a slightly softer tip. Keegan’s change put his fairway wood more in line with his driver setup to give a more consistent feel between the two and also a bit more workability. Ted, who is admittedly “vertically challenged” with his 3-wood, found his new setup easier to hit overall with a dramatic increase in launch angle for shots off the deck. These were two simple changes, but they should pay nice dividends this week and down the road.

Another significant change this week was Jerry Kelly‘s switch to graphite shafts in his irons. We don’t see much of this on the PGA Tour, but two very highly ranked players have been playing them for some time, and Jerry is giving them a shot this week. With the change, Jerry saw a little stronger ball flight while adding some distance. But the biggest factor was the change in feel – he found the feedback and vibration dampening to be much better than what he was previously playing. Keep an eye on Jerry this week and see how he does with the new bats!

Besides Bradley, Potter and Kelly, here are the CG/Srixon staffers in the field: Troy Kelly, Jason Kokrak, George McNeill, Jeff Overton, Rod Pampling, John Rollins, Chris Stroud and Vijay Singh.

Enjoy the action in Arizona. It will be fun!

For a closer look at the Waste Management and a full photo gallery, click here.

‘Til Next Week…

Readers,
This past weekend was an amazing one for golf. Not only did it feature one of the strongest PGA Tour events of the year – the Farmers Insurance Open at breathtaking Torrey Pines – but it also included the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which boasted one of the strongest fields we’ll likely see all year. As usual, Cleveland Golf/Srixon was well represented at both tournaments.

CG/Srixon staffer Graeme McDowell, one of the headliners at Abu Dhabi, posted solid scores of 72, 69, 68, and 68 to tie for third place. G-Mac’s week saw some drama, too: During the first round, he cracked the face of his old driver. After some productive off-season testing with the new Cleveland Classic 290 driver, he decided it was time to put it to the test. The 11th-ranked player in the world gamed the Classic for the remaining three days with great success, and had this to say on Twitter:

“Cleveland Classic. #thefuture >> I’m a believer”

Also during the final round, G-Mac had a hole in one on No. 13 and managed to escape with a birdie on the final hole after a fortuitous bounce off a grandstand. Classic karma, we suppose.

Stateside, the Farmers Insurance Open once again provided a lot of drama for the fans, not to mention the early favorite for Best Weather Conditions of the Year. The top two Cleveland Golf finishers were Vijay Singh and Keegan Bradley, who tied for 13th and 22nd, respectively. Vijay, who carded rounds of 64, 75, 71 and 69, now has top-25 efforts in four of his last five starts at Torrey Pines. Bradley continues to impress with his exciting play, finishing the week fifth in average driving distance at an even 300.0 yards using the Cleveland Classic Driver. Bradley also tied for fifth in sand saves with his 588 Forged wedges.

Which tournament was more exciting to watch this week?

Happy Monday, Readers!

A stop in the Coachella Valley is always an exciting one for the PGA Tour, and this year was no different. With President Bill Clinton serving as host for the first time, there was certainly a vibrant, more exciting atmosphere at the event. Not surprisingly, he was the talk of the tournament from Day One and a fixture on TV sets when he teed it up Saturday. President Clinton was even spotted having a nice chat with David Toms on Friday (presumably about David’s golf equipment!)

Speaking of Toms, the 13-time PGA Tour winner had a solid T6 performance this week thanks to rounds of 63, 65, 72, 68. Toms, who last week said making the World Golf Hall of Fame is his biggest motivating factor in his 40s, finished inside the top 20 in the field in driving accuracy, birdies, strokes gained (putting), greens in regulation and sand saves.

In David’s bag was:

Driver: Classic 10.5°

Irons: CG7 Tour

Wedges: 588 Forged 54° and 60°

Putter: Never Compromise Limited Dinero Tycoon

Other Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers with solid finishes were George McNeill, Joe Durant and Jeff Overton, finishing at -10, -10 and -9, respectively. McNeill’s performance was highlighted by a Friday round of 65, and he hit 75 percent of the greens in regulation for the week using 588 Forged MB Irons. Ted Potter Jr. was the top CG/Srixon rookie in the field, carding a -9 total.

Golf in the California desert is often referred to as “Golf in a dome” or “Groundhog day,” and this week certainly fits the bill.  It’s literally perfect every day this time of year out here – 70 degrees, no wind, and not a cloud in the sky – so look for quite a few really low rounds this week.

The Humana Challenge, still called the Bob Hope by many in reference to its long-time host, gave itself a serious shot in the arm this year by partnering with President Bill Clinton and his foundation. President Clinton, as a result, now serves as the tournament’s host.  His influence and strong humanitarian efforts, coupled with a revised pro-am format, brought one of the strongest field’s the desert has seen in some time.

I’m happy to report it was a relatively mild week in our Tour trailer. This generally means the majority of our players are really happy with their gear.  In addition, this tournament is played on three different golf courses, making practice rounds a significant portion of the players’ preparation.

After gaming the Classic Driver for the first time at last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, Jerry Kelly realized it wasn’t “perfect”.  He prefers a relatively flat flight that allows the ball to run out on firm fairways, and he felt his gamer last week just launched a bit too high.  After testing a couple of different loft and tipping options, he now has the one he needs going forward.

We also did some great testing with Jeff Overton and the Classic Driver.  Granted, he currently plays the Launcher Ultralite TL310 and loves it, so a switch for him will not be easy. But on Tuesday at the driving range, he put on an absolute show with the Classic (see monitor numbers below).  At its peak, we achieved an increase of 3mph more ball speed and increased his launch angle without sacrificing any spin.  This is a club engineer’s dream scenario!  On that note, as much as we love the Classic Driver, it may not be the best option for every single player.  Check out the Driver Series Guide to help you figure out which driver best fits your game!
We were also joined by Graeme McDowell on Tuesday.  G-MAC was kind enough to make the special trip to the desert and do filming for upcoming Cleveland/Srixon commercials before he starts his season in Abu Dhabi.  Honestly, commercial shoots aren’t always a barrel of laughs, but this one was an absolute blast.  Just call Graeme “one-take” next time you see him.  We were also able to do some testing with the Classic Driver post-shoot and it went quite well.  He was excited about the two he is taking home to test this week and we’re looking forward to the results.

Next, we’re headed to the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, CA, where we look forward to another great venue and phenomenal weather.

‘Til next week…

Readers,

Let me begin with wishing you all a Happy Martin Luther King Day! This year, MLK Day falls on a very busy week for us here at CGHQ. First and foremost, the PGA Tour season is back in full swing. The other thing (and brace yourself, because it is a biggy) is that new clubs will be available for pre-order tomorrow! We always love when we can launch new gear for the world to see. Check back here tomorrow as we unveil it all.

But first, on to our Tour Wrap-Up. As stated before, the Sony Open in Hawaii was the first full-field event of the year, and the Cleveland Golf/Srixon team was out in force. This week was a great chance to introduce our incredible rookie class, as Michael highlighted last week.

The rookie star of the week is definitely CG/Srixon staffer Ted Potter, Jr. who tied for 13th to lead all PGA Tour newcomers in the field. Potter had rounds of 68, 68, 66 and 70 (272) in his first ever Tour start to earn $97,166.67 – a sum that should prove to be a weight off his back moving forward. In his bag this week, Potter carried:

Launcher Ultralite TL310 Driver (10.5°, Miyazaki Kusala Indigo 61X shaft)
Launcher Ultralite FL Fairway Wood (15°, Miyazaki Kusala Indigo 83X shaft
CG1 Tour Irons (4-PW)
CG14 Wedges (52°, 56° and 60°)

Another rookie who made a little noise this week was Jason Kokrak. The noise he made was commonly mistaken for thunder, but was actually the sound of him crushing 345-yard drives. Kokrak, who played three rounds before falling into the MDF category, averaged 328 yards off the tee to grab the early lead in 2012 for the PGA Tour’s driving distance crown. In the legendary words of Harry Caray, “HOLY COW!” Kokrak, who led the Nationwide Tour in driving distance during his two-win 2011 campaign, was gaming the new Classic Driver this week. Also in Kokrak’s bag was:

588 Forged MB Irons
588 Forged Wedges (52°, 56° and 60°)

That brings us to Keegan Bradley. The reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and PGA Champion was coming off a tremendous Sunday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last week and was looking to keep his momentum. Keegan, who was one of eight players with the new Classic Driver in his bag at Sony, averaged 312 yards off the tee to rank seventh in overall driving distance. Luckily for Keegan, the great distance didn’t make him sacrifice any accuracy, as he finished tied for 13th in driving accuracy and tied for third in greens in regulation. Bradley turned in rounds of 67, 67, 68 and 70 (272) to share 13th place. Also in Keegan’s bag this week were:

CG7 Tour Irons
588 Forged Wedges (54° and 58°)
Srixon Z-STAR Golf Ball

Overall, this has been a pretty exciting January so far, wouldn’t you say? Check back tomorrow for the official launch of the Classic Driver!

Which tour event are you most looking forward to in the next few weeks?