Golfing News & Blog Articles

Mizuno is launching two new ST-series drivers.The ST-X offers draw bias with some forgiveness.The ST-Z is a low- to mid-spin driver with higher MOI.Retail price is $400.

With the launch of the Mizuno ST-X and ST-Z drivers, the company hopes to build on the momentum from its previous ST releases while making its case that it belongs in the conversation with the top-selling driver brands in golf.

New Rules

In past Mizuno stories, we’ve discussed how and why the company’s drivers disappeared from the PGA TOUR. When its competitors began buying Tour counts, notoriously frugal Mizuno grew comfortable with its Tour ambassadors not playing its drivers. The approach was to give its staffers plenty of time to work their way into Mizuno driver. More often than not, they never did and the company never said much about it.

For more than a decade, the count of Mizuno drivers in play on the Tour held steady at zero.

Over the past couple of seasons, things have changed. The company has rolled out a fresh approach—a new rulebook of sorts. Like many of its competitors, Mizuno has become increasingly rigid about staffers bagging its drivers. Potential new Tour signings are advised to be absolutely sure the driver is going to work.

Si Woo Kim birdied two of the final three holes to finish a rock-solid, 8-under 64, coolly rallying past late-charging Patrick Cantlay by one shot to win The American Express on Sunday for his third PGA Tour victory.

Jessica Korda closed with a 5-under 66 and holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to beat Danielle Kang in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions and start the LPGA Tour season on a good note.

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton shot a sparkling 6-under par in the final round on Sunday to win the season-opening Abu Dhabi Championship by 4 strokes after overnight leader Rory McIlroy faded with an uninspired even-par 72 to drop into third.

Darren Clarke won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship by two strokes on Saturday for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory.

Danielle Kang still has the lead in the LPGA Tour season opener. Jessica Korda won the day. Korda blistered the back nine in 9-under 28.

Max Homa made nine birdies and shrugged off a double bogey on the way to a 7-under 65 in the third round Saturday, joining Tony Finau and Si Woo Kim atop the leaderboard at The American Express.

Rory McIlroy leapfrogged Tyrrell Hatton to reclaim a one-shot lead after the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Jerry Kelly and Darren Clarke shared the second-round lead Friday in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship after first-round leader Retief Goosen stumbled late.

Sungjae Im will take The American Express lead into the weekend. Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, won't be around. He missed the cut after making 18 pars for the first time in his 2,201 rounds of PGA Tour play.

Mark Hubbard didn't have a good day in the second round of the American Express. So he tried a little something different with his putting stroke. You have to see it to believe it.

Danielle Kang shot a 6-under 65 Friday at the LPGA Tour's season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions to stretch her lead to two shots.

 

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England's Tyrrell Hatton put on a show in the second round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, going 12-under overall after 13 holes to take a five-shot lead before fading light stopped play on Friday.

Wilson Staff D9 Irons – Key Takeaways

Wilson’s longest iron gets a little longer.Features computer-optimized Power Holes and lower center of gravity.$649.99 in steel, $749.99 in graphiteAvailable Jan. 26

The new Wilson Staff D9 irons have, relatively speaking, a hard act to follow.

D9’s game improvement predecessor – the D7 – was Wilson’s best-selling iron post-lockdown even though it was in its second year. Wilson touted D7 as its longest iron ever and our Most Wanted testing confirmed that. D7 was the second-longest iron set tested last year, just behind the Callaway Mavrik.

Length isn’t everything, but it is something. And when you’re Wilson, getting attention in the hitting bay is maybe the best way to get the consumer’s attention. And if a lot of distance is good, then a little more than a lot is even better.

So what makes the Wilson Staff D9 irons longer? Well, new Power Holes and an even lower CG are two big reasons along with a little help from a loft-bending machine.

Let’s unpack this suitcase and see what’s inside.

Key Takeaways

Wilson Staff D9 driver features computer-designed Peak Kinetic Response (PKR) variable-thickness face. Fairways and hybrids are Wilson’s first to combine variable-face thickness and 455 maraging steel.All are non-adjustable, fixed-hosel metalwoods.Real-deal Tensei CK Blue (driver, fairways), Tensei AV Silver (hybrids) are stock.Driver ($349.99), fairways ($219.99), hybrids ($199.99) for sale starting Jan. 26.

The new Wilson Staff D9 driver, fairway woods and hybrids probably won’t lead the pack in innovation, technology or style. But it would be wrong to presume they’re lacking in innovation, technology or style.

Specifically, Wilson shifted its supercomputer into overdrive to design the new D9 driver. The new D9 fairway woods and hybrids didn’t get the full UNIVAC treatment but they are the first Wilson metalwoods to combine variable-face technology with 455 maraging steel.

For a company fighting for metalwood relevance, it’s a step in the right direction. And while the D9 probably won’t be causing the Big Five any sleepless nights, there’s plenty here for your average golfer to ponder. Especially if he or she doesn’t want to ante up the five bills for a new TaylorMade, PING, et al.

Wilson Staff D9 Driver – Fire Up The Computer

The Wilson D7 was a sneaky-good driver. It didn’t get much fanfare but it was a solid performer for us in both 2019 and 2020 Most Wanted testing. In fact, the D7 copped Best Value for Mid-Swing Speed last year.

To make a sneaky-good driver a sneaky-better driver, Wilson is firing up its computer.

Retief Goosen's 10-under 62 was good for the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions' Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Thursday.

Brandon Hagy, a late entry at The American Express, opened with an 8-under 64 on Thursday to lead the tournament.

World No. 6 Rory McIlroy took a one-shot lead in the first round of the HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi after carding an error-free 64 to finish at eight-under before bad light stopped play on Thursday.

Danielle Kang opened the year with a bogey-free, 7-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Jessica Korda and Nelly Korda at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.