Gotterup used a prototype Bridgestone ball and a trusted TaylorMade putter to win in Hawaii
Cliff Hawkins
Chris Gotterup came to the Sony Open in Hawaii with two PGA Tour wins under his belt and left it with win No. 3, a two-shot victory courtesy of a final-round 64.
Seven birdies offset a lone blemish at the par-3 fourth, a solid rebound from a third round where Gotterup said, “I definitely got frustrated out there a couple times and tried to screw my head back on and get back at it."
Although his iron play wasn’t sharp at all times, other parts of his game clicked. He ranked first in strokes gained/off-the-tee, picking up 4.36 shots on the field while averaging 319 yards per tee shot with his 7.5-degree Ping G440 LST driver with a HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 shaft.
falsePingG440 LST$650|Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCOREGD HOT LIST SCOREHot List Gold$650The LST is for players with faster swings who are looking to reduce spin, and it still maintains one of the highest ratings for stability on off-center hits.Allows faster swings to maintain ball speed without unwanted increases in trajectory or spin.A carbon-composite piece wraps into the back half of the crown to save mass that is repositioned low and forward of the other G440 models.A 29-gram adjustable weight in the rear perimeter fits into neutral, draw or fade positions.A redesigned interior portion of the hosel creates room for that area of the face to flex better while lowering the center of gravity.The head has a flatter lie angle than the G440 Max to reduce draw bias.The titanium-alloy face is thinner and more flexible to optimize ball speed across a broader area.The stock-length shaft is stretched to 46 inches to create more potential swing speed.MOI Rating: HIGHTop 5 in Performance, low- and high-handicaps9, 10.5 degrees (with an eight-way adjustable hosel)BUY NOW DETAILSWhen he was off the mark, Gotterup was able to convert enough scrambling opportunities with his TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 wedges to rank fifth in strokes gained/around-the-green, including a perfect six-for-six in sand saves. He was good on the greens as well, ranking second in putts per green in regulation and ninth in strokes gained/putting with his TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter, the same model he used to win the Scottish Open last summer.
Now the only question is when he might use that flat stick for win No. 4.
The clubs Chris Gotterup used to win the Sony Open in Hawaii
Ball: Bridgestone VS Black prototype
Driver: Ping G440 LST (HZRDUS Smoke Black 70), 7.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade BRNR Mini, 13.5 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi35, 18 degrees
Irons (4-9): Bridgestone Tour B 220 MB
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 (46, 52, 56 degrees); TaylorMade Milled Grind prototype (60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X X1
Category: General Sports
