Just days before the U.S. Open, TaylorMade dropped two prototype 7-degree drivers onto the USGA conforming list. It’s a loft previously confined to the fringes of Long Drive, but for a player like Bryson DeChambeau, it might be the only way to tame Shinnecock Hills.
The week of a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills is a crucible for both player and gear, but a Monday morning filing with the USGA sent a specific shockwave through the equipment world.
For DeChambeau, a driver has long been treated as a 'physics project with a headcover,' and this prototype is his latest thesis.
This level of hyper-specialization mirrors the world of Formula 1, where teams engineer unique aerodynamic packages for specific tracks.
Just days before the U.S. Open, TaylorMade dropped two prototype 7-degree drivers onto the USGA conforming list. It’s a loft previously confined to the fringes of Long Drive, but for a player like Bryson DeChambeau, it might be the only way to tame Shinnecock Hills.