Steve Marino's 2009 British Open Clubs

Here is a complete list of the clubs that Steve Marino, who's 67-68 start to the 2009 British Open, has given him a share of the 36-hole lead.

DRIVER: Cleveland Hi-Bore XLS (9.5°)
FAIRWAY WOODS: Cleveland Hi-Bore XLS (15°), Launcher Comp (19°)
HYBRID: Adams Idea Pro (20°)
IRONS: Cleveland CG Tour (4-9)
WEDGES: Cleveland CG14 (48°, 56°, 60°)
PUTTER: Never Compromise NCX-Ray Full Mallet
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x (2005)

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(Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Mark Wilson's golf clubs

For over a year, I've published lists of clubs used by winners of PGA Tour events. However, on any given weekend, I also get information on the equipment being used by other golfers. Since so many people want to know what clubs the game's best players are using, I'll do my best to publish more bag information, more often.

Here is a complete list of the clubs Mark Wilson used last week at Memorial:

DRIVER: Ping Rapture V2 (7.5°) with a Grafalloy Tour X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Cleveland HiBore XLS (15°) with an Aldila NV 95 X shaft
HYBRID: Ping Rapture (18°) with a Graphite Design Hybrid YS 85 X shaft
IRONS: Ping i10 (3-SW) with Ping CS Lite shafts
WEDGES: Ping Tour (60°) with PING CS Lite shaft
PUTTER: Ping Karsten Anser

(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

David Toms Players Championship Clubs

David Toms posted a five-under 67 Thursday at the Players Championship, and after his round Toms talked about his new flat stick.

"I put another putter in the week of New Orleans," he said, "because I felt like I needed something that would have a little more, how do you say, a little more flow to the toe. I was kind of shutting my putter coming back, so I needed a little more face rotation. That's why I changed putters. It's been pretty good."

Toms' new putter is a yet-to-be-released Scotty Cameron for Titleist Modern Classic #1. It has a honey-dipped finish and a channel cut out of the sole to adjust the feel and sound at impact. Titleist's Megan Morgan said the retail versions of the putter will have weights in the sole instead of the channel.

Here is a complete list of the clubs in his bag this week:

DRIVER:                     Cleveland Launcher (10.5°) with Grafalloy X 6A3 shaft
FARIWAY WOODS:   Cleveland HiBore XLS (15°) with True Temper BiMatrix Fwy S shaft
HYBRID:                     Cleveland Launcher (18°) with True Temper Grafalloy X HC1 shaft
IRONS:                       Cleveland CG7 Tour (3-9) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S-400 shafts
WEDGES:                   Cleveland CG14 (48°, 56°, 60°) with Dynamic Gold S-400 shafts
PUTTER:                     Scotty Cameron prototype
BALL:                         Titleist Pro V1 (2009)

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(Photo by Fred Vuich/SI)

Jerry Kelly's Zurich Classic Winning Clubs

Jerry Kelly put a new Miyazaki prototype shaft into his Cleveland Launcher driver this week before the start of the Zurich Classic. Michael Jolly, a tour rep for Cleveland Golf, told me in Augusta two weeks ago that Vijay Singh has also put the shaft in his driver.

Jolly told me that the Miyazaki shaft is very rigid and resists twisting to help fast-swinging players maintain control on slightly off-center hits. However, "unlike a lot of low torque shafts, it doesn't feel harsh," he said.

It's not available in retail now, but Jolly said SRI (Cleveland's parent company) may release it in the future.

Here is a complete list of the clubs in Jerry Kelly's bag:

DRIVER:                  Cleveland Launcher (7.5°) with Miyazaki prototype X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD:   Titleist 906 F4 (13°) with Graphite Design Pershing 85g X shaft
HYBRID:                  Cleveland HiBore XLS (16°) with Graphite Design YS Hybrid 85 X
IRONS:                    Cleveland CG7 Tour (3-9) with True Temper Black Gold X shafts
WEDGES:               Cleveland 588 (47°, 53°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S-400 shafts
PUTTER:                 Cleveland Classic #3
BALL:                     Titleist Pro V1x (2009)

Take a look inside more PGA Tour winners' bags.

Vijay Singh breaks out new Never Compromise X-Ray putter at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Vijay Singh is competing this week with a new belly putter in his bag, a Never Compromise X-Ray. Singh, the 2000 Masters champion, had been using a Never Compromise GM2 Exchange #7 as recently as last week at the Shell Houston Open.

The X-Ray is a high-MOI mallet, which is designed to help players improve their alignment and remain steady at impact for improved distance control. There are five metallic "ribs" embedded in a soft insert to create a cushioned feel and help the ball start rolling faster.

Unfortunately for Singh, even with his caddie bending down to ground level to get a better look at the greens, he needed 30 putts to complete his first round at Augusta.

You can read more about the X-Ray, and other new mallet putters, in the GOLF Buyer's Guide.

(Photo by Schecter Lee)

Reader Question: David Toms returns to Cleveland Golf

A reader of the Shop Blog recently asked:

When and why did David Toms switch back to endorsing Cleveland? I looked on the TaylorMade Web site, and it still has a photo of Toms as a Staff Member. -- Jose

Toms, winner of the 2001 PGA Championship, battled injuries in 2008 and had just one top-10 finish, a tie for eighth at the Viking Classic played over the same week as the Ryder Cup.

In January, Cleveland Golf sent a press release saying:

"Cleveland Golf/Srixon is pleased to announce that PGA Tour professional David Toms has re-signed with the company after a two year hiatus and will once again be carrying Cleveland clubs in his bag. Toms, who signed a multi-year contract with Cleveland Golf/Srixon, will be wearing a Cleveland hat, carrying a Cleveland bag and playing Cleveland woods, irons and wedges.

"I'm excited to be back with Cleveland and involved with the company I've had so much success with in the past," said Toms. "Eleven of my 12 wins were achieved when I was playing with Cleveland equipment and now that I'm back, I hope to add to that number in the future."

"We're thrilled to have David back representing Cleveland Golf," said Greg Hopkins, President/CEO of Cleveland Golf/Srixon. "When a player has the success that David has had using our equipment, it brings to mind that old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." We all believe that David is fixed on having a big year in 2009."

According to Cleveland, here are the clubs Toms is currently using:
Driver:                       Cleveland Launcher (10.5°)
Fairway woods:       Cleveland Hibore XLS (15°, 19°)
Hybrid:                      Cleveland Launcher Hybrid 3i
Irons:                        Cleveland G7 Tour (4-9)
Wedges:                   Cleveland CG14 (48°, 56°, 60°)
Putter:                       Never Compromise GM2 Exchange #4
Ball:                           Titleist Pro V1

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Good Value: Cleveland Classic putters

If you are in the market for a new putter but need to watch your pennies, be sure to check out the Cleveland Classic series.

All three designs are reassuringly familiar, if not particularly original. Click on the image to get a better look.

According to Cleveland, each putter is machine milled from 17-4 stainless steel and then hand polished to a satin finish to reduce glare. The Classic 1, Classic 2 and Classic 3 all feature 340-gram, heel-toe weighted heads to help the putters resist twisting on off-center hits, and they are available in 33-, 34- and 35-inch models. But perhaps the most attractive feature of these putters is the price—$69.

For more information, go to clevelandgolf.com

Cleveland's new Launcher driver and HiBore XLi irons

Before Cleveland Golf released the ultra-modern, slope-backed HiBore family of drivers, its big-hitter was the Launcher. Several versions of the club were successfully released, but the newest model, which will be on pro shop shelves Oct. 15, is being hailed by the company as the longest and straightest Launcher ever made.

Designed for players who are looking for an extremely low-spin driver, a mid-trajectory ball flight and a high moment of inertia, the new Launcher has a face which is 21% larger than those of the original Launcher and Launcher Comp. This should broaden the sweetspot and make the new Launcher more forgiving on off-center hits. A 17-gram, horseshoe-shaped weight pad rests in the rear of the clubhead to pull the center of gravity down and away from the face. Click on the image above for a better look.

The new Launcher, with a suggested retail price of $299, will come standard with a lightweight Fujikura Fit-On Flightspeed shaft to help players increase their swing speed for added power.

Cleveland also just introduced the new HiBore XLi irons for players looking to maximize distance and forgiveness. Taking advantage of what the company describes as Distance Driven Geometry, the crowns on the XLi irons curve down to move the center of gravity down and away from the face. Because all the clubs in this set are hollow, essentially they should all play like hybrids. The HiBore XLi irons also offer a fair amount of offset. To make the XLi irons work easily through the turf, Cleveland has designed them with a wide soul and incorporated toe and heel drag relief areas to impede digging. Click on the image for a better look.

There is a lot of technology in their irons designed to help slower-swinging players get their shots in the air more easily.

The HiBore XLi irons will also be available starting Oct. 15 with an adjusted retail price of $599 (steel)/$699 (graphite).

Look for more information on these new Cleveland products in an upcoming issue of GOLF Magazine.

Vijay Singh's Deutsche Bank winning clubs

Since Tiger Woods announced that he would miss the rest of the 2008 season after undergoing knee surgery, two players have dominated professional golf. Padraig Harrington has won both majors—the British Open and PGA Championship—while Vijay Singh has won three of the last five PGA Tour events.

After hoisting the hardware at back-to-back playoff events, the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank championships, Singh has a commanding lead in the race for the $10 million first prize and the FedEx Cup. Not bad for a 45-year-old guy with tendinitis in his left forearm.

It has been well documented that Singh has overcome his putting troubles by constantly telling himself that he is the best putter in the world. By constantly reinforcing that perception, his putting has improved and he's started winning again.

But what has not changed is Singh's fantastic ability to hit the ball long off the tee and accurately from the fairway. For the season, he is averaging 297 yards per drive and is hitting nearly 69% of the greens in regulation. If that combination holds up, along with his recent putting prowess, there is no reason to believe that Singh cannot continue to win when Woods returns.

Here's a list of the clubs that Singh used to win at the TPC Boston last week.

Driver:                   Cleveland HiBore XL (9.5°)
Fairway woods:     Cleveland Launcher Steel Fairway (13°), Adams Idea a3 Boxer (19°)
Irons:                     Cleveland CG1 Black Pearl (4-P)
Wedges:                Cleveland CG12 (54°, 60°, 64°)
Putter:                  Never Compromise GM2 Exchange #7 belly
Ball:                      Titleist Pro V1x

(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

Vijay Singh's winning clubs at The Barclays

Just when we thought that Father Time might finally be catching up with the Big Fijian, Vijay Singh won two prestigious tournaments in a month, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and last week's Barclays Championship.

With his left arm bandaged to help his ailing tendinitis, Singh defeated Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland in a three-man playoff to earn his record fourth W at the Barclays.

If you click on the photo of Vijay, you'll notice a piece of lead tape on the toe of his Cleveland Launcher Steel 3-wood. When big-hitting pros miss their shots, they tend to go left. By adding weight to the toe, Singh's 3-wood will not close quite as easily through the impact area, which means Vijay can swing aggressively and know that the left-side miss is a lot less likely.

Here is a complete list of all the clubs Vijay used to win at Ridgewood:

Driver:                   Cleveland HiBore XL (9.5°)
Fairway woods:     Cleveland Launcher Steel Fairway (13°), Adams Idea a3 Boxer (19°)
Irons:                     Cleveland CG1 Black Pearl (4-P)
Wedges:                Cleveland CG12 (54°, 60°, 64°)
Putter:                  Never Compromise GM2 Exchange #7 belly
Ball:                      Titleist Pro V1x

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)