The second men’s major championship of the season begins Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This frequent major host venue underwent a renovation in 2018, reopening the following year. The course will play about 300 yards longer this week than it did at the 2007 PGA, when temperatures reached 100 degrees in each round. Team Titleist sends another deep, talented roster of contenders to Southern Hills - each looking to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
Keep reading below for some insight on a few of our Titleist Brand Ambassadors and golf ball loyalists that will be teeing it up and get a closer look at the Titleist equipment they'll have in the bag this week.
One week after nearly winning his hometown event just outside of Dallas, Jordan Spieth appears to have his best opportunity yet to complete the career grand slam. Only five men in modern professional golf history have won each of the four majors, with nobody ever completing the task at the PGA. This will be Spieth’s sixth start at his missing link since winning The Open in the summer of 2017.
During Spieth's win in South Carolina in April, he excelled with his ball-striking, leading the field in strokes gained tee-to-green (3.34 per round). At TPC Craig Ranch last week, Spieth ranked second in the field in that statistic, and fourth in strokes gained approach. Improved performance off the tee is helping those numbers greatly: Jordan has leapt up more than 100 spots this season in strokes gained off-the-tee ranking, from 135th to 28th.
What’s in Jordan Spieth’s Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
Fairway Metal: TS2 15.0°| Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
Hybrid: 818 H2 21.0° | Graphite Design Tour AD DI-95 X
Irons: NEW T100 4-9 | True Temper Project X 6.5
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM9 46.08F PW | True Temper Project X 6.5 and NEW Vokey Design SM9 52.08F & 56.10S, SM7 WedgeWorks 60T wedges | True Temper Project X 6.0
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009 tour prototype putter
With four top-ten finishes in his last six major starts, Will Zalatoris is establishing himself as a name to watch at the game’s biggest events. Zalatoris has racked up 2.32 strokes gained total per round in major championships since 2020, the third-best average of any player in that span. At Augusta last month, Zalatoris became just the second player since 2000 to finish T-6 or better in each of his first two Masters starts, joining Spieth.
After tearing up the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, Zalatoris made his first big splash in the majors at Winged Foot that fall. Since that date, he’s been one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour, ranking fifth in strokes gained approach per round (+0.85) and fourth in strokes gained ball striking (+1.26). Zalatoris finished tied for eighth in his PGA Championship debut at Kiawah Island last year.
What’s in Will Zalatoris’ Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Pro V1
Driver: TSi3 9.0° with a Fujikura Speeder 757 TR X shaft
Fairway Metal: TSi3 16.5° with a Fujikura Atmos 8 Red shaft
Utility iron: T200 3-iron
Irons: T100 4-PW with Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts
Wedges: New Vokey Design SM9 50.08F, 54.10S at 55, 60T with Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11 Tour Prototype
At each of the year’s two biggest events to date, in Ponte Vedra Beach and Augusta, Cameron Smith was a key part of the story. At The Players, Smith was lights out on the greens, accumulating the most strokes gained putting by a Players champion since tracking began in 2004. The following month in Georgia, Smith was in the final pairing Sunday before ultimately finishing in a tie for third place.
Since the beginning of 2021, no player with 40 or more rounds on the PGA Tour has averaged more strokes gained putting per round than Smith (+0.62). His improved approach play this season has been notable, too: Smith is ranked 8th this season on Tour in greens in regulation (71.0%). Each of the past three major champions at Southern Hills ranked in the top-five that week in G.I.R. percentage.
Smith enters the week leading the Tour this season in scoring average (69.34). He is trying to become just the second player all-time to win the PGA and The Players in the same season (Hal Sutton in 1983).
What’s in Cameron Smith’s Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Fujikura Ventus Blue 60 X
Fairway Metals: TSi2 15.0° | Fujikura Ventus Blue 80 X and TS2 21.0° | UST Mamiya Elements Red 8F5 X
Irons: NEW T100 5-9 | KBS Tour 130 Custom Matte Black X
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.08F, 56.08M, 60.10S | KBS Tour 130 Custom Matte Black X
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M tour prototype
In his last start, Max Homa picked up his fourth PGA Tour win since May of 2019. Only four players on Tour have had more victories than Homa in that stretch. Could this be the week he contends in a major for the first time? Consider just how strong his play has been as of late: since the Phoenix Open in February, Homa is ranked second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained total per round. He’s also highly ranked in strokes gained ball striking (4th) and tee-to-green (8th).
One of the four players with more wins on Tour than Homa in that span is Patrick Cantlay, who won the team event in New Orleans the last time he teed it up. In his previous stroke play start, he lost in a playoff to Jordan Spieth in South Carolina. One of the game’s most consistent performers, Cantlay is ranked 2nd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained total per round since the beginning of 2021. His best finish in a major came in this championship – a tie for third in 2019.
What’s in Max Homa’s Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Fujikura Ventus 6 Black X
Fairway Metals: TSi2 15.0° | Alidla Rogue Black 130 MSI 80 TX and TSi2 21.0° | Graphite Design Tour AD XC 9 TX
Irons: NEW T100•S 4-iron | KBS TOUR $-Taper 130 X, NEW T100 5-iron | KBS TOUR $-Taper 130 X, and 620 MB 6-9| KBS TOUR $-Taper 130 X
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM9 46.10F | KBS TOUR $-Taper 130 X and NEW Vokey Design SM9 50.12F, 56.14F, 60.04L | KBS Hi Rev 2.0 125 S
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 tour prototype
Ranked in the top-ten among all players this season in scoring average, driving distance and strokes gained off-the-tee, Cameron Young is the early favorite for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. At Southern Hills, he’ll look for another milestone in his young career: making the cut in a major championship. Through his first three career major appearances, Young is yet to play the weekend.
But that seems poised to change this weekend in Oklahoma. Young has finished T-3 and T-2 in his last two PGA Tour starts, closing with 66 each week. Since the event in Los Angeles in February, Young is averaging 2.04 strokes gained tee-to-green per round – the best of any player on Tour in that stretch.
What’s in Cameron Young’s Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Tensei 1K Pro White 70 TX | SureFit Hosel – D1 (-0.75° loft, 1.5° open face) | SureFit CG – H1
Fairway Metal: TSi3 16.5° | Tensei 1K Pro White 80 TX and TSi2 21.0 | Tensei 1K Pro White 80 TX
Utility Iron: NEW T200 4-iron | Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X
Irons: 620 MB (5-9)| Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM9 56.08M, 52.12F, WedgeWorks 62.08M | Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 Knuckle Neck tour prototype
Now five years removed from his major championship triumph at Quail Hollow, Justin Thomas is again a top contender as the game’s best descend on Southern Hills. Many of his performance metrics are strong so far this season: JT is ranked in the top-five on Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green, strokes gained approach, birdie average and scoring. Thomas finished tied for fifth last week in Texas, his 8th top-ten in his last 12 official starts.
Over the last 15 years, only 3 players have made 5 or more PGA Championship starts and hold a scoring average under 70. Thomas is a member of that trio.
What's in Justin Thomas' Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana ZF 60 TX-Flex
Fairway Metals: TS3 15.0° and 915 Fd 18.0°
Irons: NEW T100 4 and 621JT 5-9
Wedges: New Vokey Design SM9 46.10F (@ 47.5°), 52.12F (@ 52.5°), 56.14F (@ 57.0°) and WedgeWorks 60T (@ 60.5°)
Putter: Scotty Cameron X5.5 prototype
Matthew Fitzpatrick currently leads the PGA TOUR in total strokes gained, with average of 1.989 strokes gained per round using his Pro V1x. He also ranks top 5 in scoring average and scrambling as well as top 10 in SG: tee-to-green.
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Since the beginning of 2020, Louis Oosthuizen has gone 20-under-par in Major championships, and this season ranks top 20 in SG: around-the-green using his Pro V1 golf ball.
Golf Ball: Pro V1
Titleist golf ball loyalist Talor Gooch ranks top 10 in SG: around-Green. Gooch, who is from Oklahoma, marks his Pro V1 golf ball with a “405” representing the area code of his hometown.
Golf Ball: Pro V1