TaylorMade and Callaway off the mark

When TaylorMade staffer Johnson Wagner rocked up in Hawaii, it wasn’t just the facial hair that ignited a new found confidence.

“I’ve never been able to hit the R11S so long, high and straight,” declared the 31-year-old, on the eve of the first full-field event of the PGA Tour season.

Four days later, with the Sony Open trophy glistening in front of him, Wagner had fully justified the reasons behind his all-white adjustable driver following a two-shot victory at Waialae Country Club - securing the first win for the new R11S.

While Wagner will never set the world alight in terms of driving distance – averaging 276.4 yards – he was more than happy to find 64% of his fairways during his all-important final round of 67.

“Well, I’m not very long, so the firmer it gets, the longer I hit it. I drove it pretty straight this week considering how tough the fairways were to hit, added the Texan, who joined the TaylorMade staff earlier this month.”

The all-white 460cc R11S, available next month, features a 3-degree Flight Control Technology (FCT) sleeve and an all-new five-way Adjustable Sole Plate (ASP) which allows the golfer to find their optimum address set-up – a proprietary setting not found in any other driver.

Combined with TaylorMade’s Movable Weight Technology (MWT), the new R11S driver can be tuned for 80 separate launch settings, making it the most adjustable driver in golf.

Wagner also ranked tenth in greens in regulation with his Titleist 712 CB irons and sixth in putting with an average of 1.667 putts per hole.

Meanwhile on the European Tour, new Callaway signing Branden Grace landed his maiden European Tour title with a one-shot victory at the Joburg Open.

Carrying a full bag of Callaway and Odyssey clubs, the 23-year-old from South Africa ranked in the top ten for both driving distance and greens in regulation.

Grace is one of many bright young sparks to have put pen to paper with Callaway this season, following the likes of multiple European Tour champions David Horsey and Pablo Larrazabal, as well as Gary Boyd and rookie Andrea Pavan.

What’s in the winners’ bag?

Johnson Wagner

Driver: TaylorMade R11S (8-degree; Aldila RIP NV 65)
Fairway wood: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 (13.5-degree; Aldila NV 75)
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro a12 Proto G (18-degree; Graphite Design Tour AD UT 85)
Irons: Titleist 712 CB (3-9; Nippon NS Pro)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (48, 54, 60-degree; True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue)
Putter: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Mid Slant prototype
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Headwear: TaylorMade
Apparel: Ashworth
Glove: FJ SciFlex Glove
Footwear: FJ Icon MyJoys

Branden Grace

Driver: Callaway FT Tour
Fairway wood: Callaway Diablo Octane Tour
Hybrid: Callaway Diablo Edge Tour
Irons: Callaway X-Forged
Putter: Odyssey Black Series Tour Design #1
Ball: Tour i(s)
Footwear: FJ Icon

Share your thoughts in the forum, via our Twitter feed or on our Facebook page.