According to The Tour Van, a weekly publication of The Golf Press Association, the following clubs were used by the winners of each completed PGA TOUR tournament, through Tiger Woods' AT & T National.
The most popular models, those used the most or on multiple occasions, are listed below:
- Nike Blades (5)
- Cleveland Launcher CG1, Black Pearl (2)
- Callaway X-Tour (2)
- PING S58 (2)
- Taylor Made rac TP Forged (2)
- Titleist 695 CB (2) (once, set split with Titleist 735's)
- Cleveland CG1 (2) ((once, set split with Cleveland TA7's and CG4's)
The remaining iron sets used by the winners are listed by manufacturer below:
- Callaway - Callaway X-Forged
- Cleveland - Cleveland TA7 (4 iron), Cleveland CG4 (5 iron)
- MacGregor - M675 Forged
- Nike - Nike Ignite
- PING -PING i5, PING i3 Blade
- Taylor Made - Taylor Made r7 TP, Taylor Made V-Steel
- Titleist - Titleist 735 (3 and 4 iron), Titleist 695 MB (5-PW), Titleist 704 CB (3 and 4 iron), Titleist 735.CM, Titleist Forged
- Srixon - Srixon I-506
In defense of Titleist, some of their pros use a mixed iron set. Often using more forgiving irons in the longer irons and progress to models with more feel in the shorter irons.
Although the Nike Blades have clearly been used to win the most tournaments, four of the five times they've been used so far has been by two players, Tiger Woods and K.J. Choi. Titleist has the most sets represented among winners, six.
Although the iron sets shown are all fabulous clubs, there are three things to remember about them.
- First, they are, for the most part, the hardest to hit models offered by each manufacturer, and probably not for everyone. As they say, they have the most feel, but not the most forgiveness.
- Second, they are tailored to fit each pro individually. Their irons likely have a myriad of adjustments, from loft to shaft to bounce, that simply aren't found in "off-the-rack" clubs.
- Lastly, they're getting paid to play them. Again, these irons are surely all fabulous clubs, but only pros are getting the free clubs. So, if you're in the market for a new set of irons, choose wisely. Take a look at Choosing the Right Golf Clubs, if you need some direction. Remember, the key word for 99.9% of the golfing world is "forgiveness," not "distance" or "workability." Even most people who think they need the ability to "work" the ball are more in need of the forgiveness. They just can't admit it.
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