Dustin gets TaylorMade R1 off to flyer
We delve in the bag of the PGA Tour
Dustin Johnson got the new TaylorMade R1 driver off to a flying start by clinching the PGA Tour’s season-opening Tournament of Champions by four shots over defending champion Steve Stricker.
The powerful, yet laidback 28-year-old American carded rounds of 69, 66 and 68 for a 16-under winning total at the storm-hit Kapalua event and can now lay claim to winning the last three 54-hole tournaments on the PGA Tour that have been cut short due to the weather.
Johnson, who is the first player since Tiger Woods to come straight out of college and win in his first six seasons on the PGA Tour, said: “This win gives me a lot of confidence going into this year.”
Sporting the TaylorMade R1 driver for the first time in competitive play, the seven-time champion unsurprisingly topped the driving distance for the week on 289 yards - somewhat reduced due to the brutal conditions during the opening two rounds.
The TaylorMade R1 is a one-size-fits-all driver that can be set anywhere between 8- and 12-degrees. The R1 also allows loft and face angle to be adjusted independently of each other, which will prove a welcome addition to the golfer seeking their desired ball flight.
TaylorMade has also created two movable shot-shape weights in the R1 to enable golfers to shift the clubhead’s centre of gravity location by 5mm, thereby aiding a draw or neutral/straight trajectory.
Johnson, who headed to the Plantation Course at Kapalua to play six rounds in advance of the tournament, employed his R1 at 10-degree with a higher loft sleeve, neutral face angle, and with an 8-gram shot shape weight in the toe and 2-gram in the heel.
The South Carolina star also performed admirably with his new TaylorMade RocketBladez irons by finding 89% of the greens in regulation and follows Sergio Garcia as the second player to win using the clubs.
After the round, Johnson tweeted: “The new R1 driver and rocket blades debut were pretty good. Love the new stuff.”
Tournament of Champions Final Leaderboard
-16 D Johnson (US)
-12 S Stricker (US)
-10 B Snedeker (US)
What’s in Dustin’s bag
Driver: TaylorMade R1 (10-degree; Fujikura Motore Fuel 2.0 X)
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade R11S (15.5-degree) and R9 (19-degree; Aldila RIP Series X)
Irons (3-PW): TaylorMade RocketBladez (True Temper Dynamic Gold X100)
Wedges: TaylorMade TP xFT (54 and 60-degree; KBS Back Nickel)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport proto
Ball: TaylorMade Penta TP5
Footwear: adidas Golf
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Andy first joined the brand on a month's work experience back in April 2011, and he now assumes the Editor role. When Andy joined GolfMagic it was a small site with potential.
