Bag of the Day: Lee Westwood

In October, England's Lee Westwood won the 2009 Portugal Masters. It was his first tournament win since winning the 2007 British Masters and helped him reach No. 5 in the World Golf Rankings. His win at the European Tour's season-ending Dubai World Championship moved his ranking up to No. 4 and gave him the distinction of becoming the first winner of the Race to Dubai (former the European Order of Merit).

Here is a complete list of the clubs that Lee Westwood is currently using:

DRIVER: Ping G10 (9.0°) with a Aldila PGA Tour Only Prototype XNV6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping i15 (14°) with a UST Mamaya V2 76X shaft, (18.5) with Aldila NV75 X shaft
IRONS: Ping i10 (3-PW) with Ping JZ stiff shafts
WEDGES: Ping Tour W (54°, 58°) with Ping JZ stiff shafts
PUTTER: Ping Redwood Anser
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

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(Photo by Andrew Reddington/Getty Images)

Hunter Mahan's Presidents Cup Clubs

Here is a complete list of the clubs that Hunter Mahan is using this week at Harking Park Golf Course:

DRIVER: Ping Rapture V2 (10.5°) with a PING Prototype 824 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G10 (15.5°) with a UST Mamiya ATTAS 8X shaft
HYBRID: Ping Rapture V2 (17°) with a UST V2 89 X hybrid shaft
IRONS: Ping S-57 (3-PW) with True Temper  X-100 shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (54°), Ping  EYE2 (59°) with True Temper S-300 shafts
PUTTER: Ping IWI D66

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(Photo by David Dusek)

Heath Slocum's Barclays Championship Winning Clubs

Here is a complete list of the clubs that Heath Slocum used to win the 2009 Barclays Championship at Liberty National:

DRIVER: Ping G15 (9°) with Aldila RIP 70X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Adams 9032 (14.5°) with Aldila VS Proto 70X shaft
HYBRID: Adams Idea Pro (18°) with Aldila Proto Hybrid 95X shaft
IRONS: Ping i15 (3-PW) with Ping zz65 shafts
WEDGES: Ping Tour W (54°), Cleveland CG14 (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold wedge shafts
PUTTER: Ping Redwood Anser
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Take a look inside more PGA Tour winners' bags

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(Photo by Mel Evans/SP Photos)

Ping's New Tour Van Arrives at Liberty National

Jersey City, N.J. – After helping players prepare for the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March, Ping's tour van was on the road to the next event when it was hit from behind in a rainstorm. No one was hurt when a truck carrying timber hit the van, but just days before the Masters, Ping's van was totaled.

Ping, like many other manufacturers, depends on its tour van to act as a model warehouse and club building facility for PGA Tour pros. Vans typically carry scores of shafts, grips and dozens of driver, iron and wedge heads.

While competition in the marketplace is fierce, the people who work in tour vans are often good friends. There is a certain comradeship that develops on the road, and in the weeks that followed, several other manufacturers allowed Ping reps to do basic work in their vans.

Five months later, the company has unveiled it's new truck and parked it alongside the driving range at Liberty National. Click on the top image for a better look.

It's just four feet longer than it's predecessor, but slightly taller. An expandable side section opens to create a larger work area. For players like Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan, Angel Cabrera and Chris DiMarco, the van's sofa's and satellite TVs can provide a respite from the heat of the practice area.

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(Photos by David Dusek)

Ryan Moore's Winning Clubs

Endorsement contracts can be very lucrative, and golf fans are used to seeing players, their bags and their apparel covered in logos and insignias. Often these contracts pay professional players a flat rate for using a certain number of clubs, and contain incentive clauses, which can add tens of thousands of dollars to the player's bank account if he wins a PGA Tour event. Win a major and those numbers go up a lot more.

But Ryan Moore, in an attempt to get back to his pure love of the game, walked away from several endorsement deals before winning the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.,Sunday.

Forsaking the dollars, Moore plays the clubs he prefers, including his S59 irons, which are the same clubs he used to dominate fields in college and amateur events about five years ago.

Here is a complete list of the clubs Ryan Moore used to win the 2009 Wyndham Championship:

DRIVER: Adams Speedline 9032LS (8.5°) with Graphite Design Tour AD Quattro Tech 65 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Adams Speedline 9032 Ti (14.5°)
HYBRID: Adams Idea Pro Gold (18°, 22°)
IRONS: Ping S59 (4-PW)
WEDGES: Ping MB (54°), Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (60°)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Newport 303
BALL: Callaway Tour i

Take a look inside more PGA Tour winners' bags

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(Photo: Chuck Burton/AP)

Miguel Angel Jimenez Getting to Know His Ping i15 Driver

The golf equipment that you'll be lusting for next season is hitting the PGA Tour now. There are plenty of new drivers, irons, wedges, putters and balls being passed around the range.

Last week I had a chance to speak briefly with Miguel Angel Jimenez, the ponytail-wearing, cigar-smoking Spaniard who always seems to be hanging around the top of the leaderboard in major championships. When I asked him about his new Ping i15 driver, he said he really liked the club but needs to spend more time with it. Close, personal time. 

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Video: This Week in Gear - July 21, 2009

In this eisode of This Week in Gear, learn all about the clubs that Stewart Cink used to win the 2009 British Open, as well as Mark Calcavecchia's new Ping driver, the Ping G15.

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Mark Calcavecchia's 2009 British Open Clubs

Mark Calcavecchia is using one of Ping's new drivers, the G15, while competing at Turnberry. As GOLF.com reported earlier this week, the G15 maintains ball speed on off-center hits more effectively then its predecessor, the Ping G10. The G15 also spins the ball less and launches it at a slightly higher angle for more carry distance.

It's also interesting to note that Calcavecchia is caring two hybrid clubs, each a yet-to-be released Ping i15.

DRIVER: Ping G15 (7.5°) with Grafalloy ProLaunch Red X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Steelhead III (13°) with Accra SE80 X shaft
HYBRIDS: Ping i15 (17°, 20°) with Accra XH85 X shafts
IRONS: Ping i5 (4-PW) with Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Ping M/B (56°), Eye2 (60°) with True Temper X100 shafts
PUTTER: Ping Anser 2
BALL: Titleist Pro V1

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(Photo by Bob Martin/SI)

Miguel Angel Jimenez's 2009 British Open Clubs

In the days leading up to the 2009 British Open, player after player came into the media center and said it would be critical to hit the fairways at Turnberry. The combination of deep round a nasty pot bunkers would make scrambling tough.

On Thursday, en route to scoring a 64, Miguel Angel Jimenez hit 12 of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens in regulation and needed just 27 putts to complete his round.

According to Ping, here are the clubs The Mechanic used Thursday at Turnberry:

DRIVER: Ping Rapture (7.5°) with Accra AXIV XC65 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping TISI TEC (14°) with UST ProForce 75 X shaft, (18°) with UST V2 86 X shaft
IRONS: Ping S57 (3-PW) with True Temper Superlite X-100 shafts
WEDGES: Ping Tour-W (52°), Tour-W TS (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts
PUTTER: Ping JAS Tess

(Photo by Bob Martin/SI)

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Ping Shows i15 and G15 Drivers to Pros Before British Open

In the days leading up to the British Open, Ping Golf started showing its newest drivers to tour professionals.

The Ping i15 is designed for players who are seeking more playability off the tee, while the Ping G15 is meant for players who want a forgiving driver that is designed to hit the ball straight.

Golfers who currently play the Ping G10 driver will find that the G15 (left in photo) maintains ball speed on off-center hits more effectively. The G15 also spins the ball less than the G10 and launches it at a slightly higher angle, which should help increase carry. An external weight pad moves the center of gravity lower and deeper to improve launch conditions. Although both clubs will set square at address, the G15 will be available in both neutral and draw versions.

The shaft of the Ping G15 has a balance point closer to the handle area, which allowed designers to leave more mass in the head without sacrificing the overall balance of the club. Big deal you say? Well, more mass delivered at the same speed yields more power, which increases ball speed across the entire face.

The i15 (right in photo) is intended for high-swing-speed players. The crown and face of the club are slightly more rounded than the G15 for greater energy transfer on shots hit in the center of the face. The center of gravity is low, but more forward in the head than the G15, so drives hit with the i15 should fly slightly lower, with less spin and a more penetrating trajectory.

The face of the i15 driver is square at address, but the internal weight of the club encourages a fade to help heavy-hitters avoid missing left.

If any players use the G15 or i15 at Turnberry this week, The Shop blog will be sure to let you know.