{"id":15393159,"date":"2020-04-25T01:04:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T01:04:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prod-oct-27-golf-com.pantheonsite.io\/?page_id=15393159"},"modified":"2024-04-24T12:35:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T16:35:05","slug":"golf-balls","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/golf.com\/gear\/golf-balls\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf Balls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Latest in Balls <\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":0,"parent":965,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-category.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15393159","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"page_category":{"term_id":62,"name":"Balls","slug":"golf-balls","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":62,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":39,"count":295,"filter":"raw"},"ad_meta":false,"tee_time_button_status":false,"wsum-gated-content":false,"wsotp_enable_one_time_payment":false,"boe_title":"","boe_main_article":"","boe_secondary_articles":[{"ID":15527868,"post_author":"544","post_date":"2023-10-12 22:20:05","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-13 02:20:05","post_content":"\n

\u201cGirl power!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around quarter-after 1 local time, from a spot close to the first tee at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, someone shouted two words of encouragement, and Lexi Thompson smiled. She\u2019d just said a short prayer. She\u2019d been staring ahead. On her walk up to the tee box, she signed a quick autograph. Thompson always has time for her fans, even on this stage. And what a day it was. Thursday, during the first round of the Shriners Children\u2019s Open<\/a>, Thompson<\/a> became the seventh woman ever to play a round on the PGA Tour, but the \u201cgirl\u201d appeared calm. The mood of the \u201cgirl\u201d appeared serene.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then the \u201cgirl\u201d powered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Thompson\u2019s first shot with the \u2018boys\u2019 was a bomb, a 302-yard poke into the right fairway bunker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And away she went. Ahead of Thursday, much had been made of this all \u2014 most of it was supportive, though one player called it a \u201cgimmick\u201d<\/a> \u2014 but Thompson herself was thrilled. And ready. In women\u2019s golf, she\u2019s a star, with 11 wins over her 13-year pro career, including a major. She\u2019s a bomber, too. Some of this week wasn\u2019t new, either. The 28-year-old from Florida has been playing pro events since she was 12. She regularly plays with her brothers, Curtis and Nicholas, who both made Tour appearances. Now there are three Thompsons with that distinction. Lexi spoke of her turn hopefully being an inspiration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, five-plus hours after she started, Thompson marked her ball on the 17th green and picked it up, as darkness suspended play until Friday morning. She was done. She was one-over par for her first round with a hole-plus to play, and she was tied for 76th in the 131-player field, 10 shots behind leader Beau Hossler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noted. But how\u2019d Thompson look? What were the highlights? The lowlights? The numbers? The comments? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we make of it all? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were Lexi Thompson\u2019s highlights?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The drives. On her very first drive on the PGA Tour<\/a>, Thompson thumped it 302 yards. On the second hole, she sent it 304. On the fourth hole, she pounded it 316 yards. On the 13th hole, she drilled it 310 yards. Those play.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/GolfChannel\/status\/1712564967923142889\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Reaching the 552-yard, par-5 9th in two. This was great. Thompson, from 262 yards out, found the green, and she two-putted for a four<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Almost reaching the 598-yard, par-5 13th in two. This was good. Thompson, from 279 yards out, dropped her second shot just in front of the green, and she took shots from there for another four<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The first birdie<\/a>. On the 466-yard, par-4 2nd, Thompson was flawless. Drive down the left side of the fairway. Iron, from 164 yards out, to 22 feet. And a birdie.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The sundown shot. With the sun setting, Thompson dropped her third shot on the 511-yard, par-5 16th to 8 feet. She missed the birdie putt, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Par saves. On the 194-yard, par-3 5th and the 394-yard, par-4 10th, Thompson rolled in 3-footers for par. On the 403-yard, par-4 6th, she rolled in a 10-footer for par. Those helped. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were Lexi Thompson\u2019s lowlights?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The ugly putts. This has been a bugaboo of Thompson\u2019s over the years. On the 419-yard, par-4 1st, she missed a 8-footer for birdie badly to the left. On the 371-yard, par-4 7th, she three-putted from 12 feet and double-bogeyed. On the 230-yard, par-3 8th, from 24 feet away, she left a par putt 6 feet short. Golf Channel analyst Curt Byrum said he was confused at what happened on that one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The double bogey. On the 7th, after a drive into the left rough, Thompson worked her ball to just in front of the green and 65 feet away. She took four shots from there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The 8th hole. Thompson\u2019s tee shot on the lengthy par-3 came up about 30 yards short. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 On the 195-year, par-3 17th, the darkness horn sounded, but Thompson questionably elected to play \u2014 and she hit into a right greenside bunker and then hit out. She could have chosen to play the hole on Friday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did the commentators say?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This was most notable, from swing coach Shauheen Nakhjavani:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexi is 91st on the money list on the LPGA Tour this year and yet she\u2019s still just 1 shot off the cut line on the PGA TOUR,\u201d he wrote on Twitter<\/a> on Thursday. \u201cI hope this is a wake up call to the 3 handicaps that they stand no chance against these women. As someone who\u2019s had the pleasure to work with a few of them, they would literally smoke you\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did Lexi Thompson\u2019s scorecard look like?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here is the complete breakdown:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 1 419-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 302 yards to the right fairway bunker, 126 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 123 yards to the green, 8 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 9 feet, 1 inches, 2 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 2 466-yard par-4 (birdie):
Shot 1: 304 yards to the left fairway, 164 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 162 yards to the green, 22 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/LPGA\/status\/1712576512241627600\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hole 3 453-yard par-4 (bogey):
Shot 1: 270 yards to the left fairway, 175 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 179 yards to the left fairway, 37 feet, 9 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 45 feet, 2 inches to the green, 13 feet, 3 inches to the hole
Shot 4: Putt 12 feet, 3 inches, 13 inches to the hole
Shot 5: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 4 449-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 316 yards to right fairway, 134 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 146 yards to the fringe, 53 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 51 feet, 4 inches to the green, 23 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 5 194-yard par-3 (par):
Shot 1: 192 yards to the green, 45 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 42 feet, 6 inches, 3 feet, 1 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 6 403-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 286 yards to the right fairway, 118 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 132 yards to the left fairway, 44 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 55 feet, 0 inches to the green, 10 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 7 371-yard par-4 (double bogey):
Shot 1: 244 yards to the left rough, 115 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 116 yards to the right fairway, 65 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 54 feet, 9 inches to the green, 12 feet, 11 inches to the hole
Shot 4: Putt 13 feet, 8 inches, 3 feet, 10 inches to the hole
Shot 5: Putt 5 feet, 1 inch, 16 inches to the hole
Shot 6: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 8 230-yard par-3 (bogey):
Shot 1: 203 yards to the right rough, 78 feet, 10 inches to the hole
Shot 2: 34 yards to the green, 24 feet, 0 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 18 feet, 3 inches, 5 feet, 11 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 9 552-yard par-5 (birdie):
Shot 1: 292 yards to the left fairway, 262 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 255 yards to the green, 27 feet, 5 inches to hole
Shot 3: Putt 27 feet, 3 inches, 13 inches to hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/LPGA\/status\/1712607813157912903\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hole 10 394-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 281 yards to the left rough, 124 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 140 yards to the green, 50 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 47 feet, 11 inches, 3 feet, 9 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 11 445-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 293 yards to the right fairway, 164 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 152 yards to the green, 40 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 42 feet, 2 inches, 2 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 12 449-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 266 yards to the right intermediate, 181 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 181 yards to the green, 8 feet, 4 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 11 feet, 7 inches, 3 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 13 598-yard par-5 (birdie):
Shot 1: 310 yards to the left fairway, 279 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 256 yards to the left fairway, 78 feet, 9 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 83 feet, 0 inches to the green, 7 feet, 3 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 14 167-yard par-3 (par):
Shot 1: 174 yards to the green, 27 feet, 9 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 29 feet, 5 inches, 16 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 15 307-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 267 yards to the right front greenside bunker, 48 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 34 yards to the green, 43 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 38 feet, 9 inches, 4 feet, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 16 511-yard par-5 (par):
Shot 1: 270 yards to the right rough, 229 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 88 yards to the right fairway, 149 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 150 yards to the green, 8 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 4: Putt 9 feet, 4 inches, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 5: In the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hole 17 195-yard par-3 (to be continued):
Shot 1: 179 yards to the right front greenside bunker, 82 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 2: 61 feet, 11 inches to the green, 20 feet, 8 inches to the hole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were Lexi Thompson\u2019s stats?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/LPGA\/status\/1712632560751149430\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here is the complete breakdown:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee: -1.252 (110th)
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green: -1.205 (92nd)
Average driving distance: 284.6 (128th)
Driving accuracy: 7 of 13 (T79th)
SG: Approach the Green: 1.193 (34th)
Greens hit: 11\/16
SG: Around the Green: -1.040 (109th)
SG: Putting: -0.176 (73rd)
Number of putts: 29
Feet of putts made: 72 feet, 10 inches.
SG: Total: -1.381 (T94th) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did Lexi Thompson say after her round?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A sampling of quotes from Thompson after her round:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust walk us through kind of your emotions and finally playing in the event. Obviously a lot of lead-up to it. What was going through your mind and how the day went for you today?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, it's been great so far this whole week,\" Thompson said. \"Everybody has been so welcoming and just a huge honor just to be able to tee it up here. There's more to it than just golf. Shriners does amazing things for these kids, so I'm happy to be out here and supporting them in any way I can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you talk about the nerves on the first tee shot. Was it anything like Solheim or any comparison?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had a little bit of nerves, but not too much,\" Thompson said. \"Kind of similar to Solheim, similar nerves, but that's kind of what you play for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did you feel after the first birdie on 2? Did you feel relief, excitement?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, it was a very special feeling,\" Thompson said. \"I hit a great shot into 1 and probably hit one of my worst putts and then hit an amazing putt on No. 2, so it was nice to kind of have a good stroke there and make birdie on a more difficult hole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did others say about Lexi Thompson\u2019s round?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Said J.T. Poston, who led the morning wave with a 63: \u201cYeah, I mean, I think it's great. I think she's obviously a great player, and I wouldn't be surprised if she comes out and plays well out here. I know she hits it plenty long. I haven't played with her. I don't really know what her game is like other than I know she's pretty long. Yeah, I'm excited to see how she plays, and I wouldn't be surprised if she plays well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did Lexi Thompson come to play at the Shriners Children\u2019s Open?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

It all came together \u2014 about two weeks ago. GOLF\u2019s Alan Bastable reached out to tournament director Patrick Lindsay, and Lindsay also talked about the thought of whether Thompson\u2019s sponsor\u2019s invitation was taking a spot of a pro who may need it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read that story here<\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was Lexi Thompson\u2019s locker room \u2026 an RV?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes, according to a story written by Golfweek\u2019s Tim Schmitt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read that story here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any photos of Lexi Thompson\u2019s round?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You bet. Have a look at the slider below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your opinion on Lexi Thompson playing on the PGA Tour?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s earned the opportunity to play. Her resume speaks to that. As does her popularity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she played well. She could make the cut. A run is not out of the question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s move on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next for Lexi Thompson?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019ll finish her first round Friday morning, and then she\u2019s scheduled to start her second round at 11:29 a.m. ET off of hole 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thompson will have to go under par to make the cut, but that\u2019s doable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, I played decent,\u201d she said after her round. \u201cI had one bad hole and a few iffy shots. But it's golf; it was kind of expected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"\u2018Girl power!\u2019 12 questions after Lexi Thompson\u2019s day on the PGA Tour","post_excerpt":"Lexi Thompson played at the Shriners Children\u2019s Open, becoming the seventh woman to play on the PGA Tour. Here are 12 questions from the day. ","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"girl-power-12-questions-lexi-thompsons-pga-tour","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-12 22:20:25","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-13 02:20:25","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15527868","menu_order":0,"post_type":"article","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":15527862,"post_author":"544","post_date":"2023-10-12 18:00:26","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-12 22:00:26","post_content":"\n

He made one hole-in-one. Then another<\/em>, the second coming in front of Tiger Woods, no less. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Holden Bautista\u2019s feats weren\u2019t over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short while later, the 11-year-old dunked on the 15-time major winner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

There are good days. And then there are days like the one Bautista had last weekend. Let\u2019s start with the aces. Those are rare, and they also set up what came later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bautista was playing the TGR Jr Invitational<\/a>, hosted by Woods. On Sunday, at the Woods-designed Hay short course<\/a> at Pebble Beach, he made his first hole-in-one. On hole 8, he made his second, and TaylorMade, one of Woods\u2019 sponsors, shared video of it<\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bautista hit. He talked to his ball. It went in. Bautista ran around. There were shouts. Nearby was Woods. They eventually met up, and Woods shook his hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProud of you,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d a smiling Bautista said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep at it,\u201d Woods said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a way, he did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, Woods hosted a reception. There was a Q&A. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Bautista was given a mic. TaylorMade<\/a> and golf personality Tisha Alyn<\/a> captured and shared that, too. Here was the exchange, along with the reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/taylormadegolf\/status\/1712466122111623330\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, one, have you ever gotten two hole in ones in one round?\u201d the 11-year-old asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was laughter. Woods closed his eyes. Bautista continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI, I mean, you\u2019re the GOAT.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woods lowered his head. He shook it. There was more laughter. Bautista continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI \u2026 you\u2019re like, you\u2019re the GOAT, and I, I \u2026 and it would be \u2026 I feel like it would be expected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woods opened his eyes. He shook his head. He smiled. There was more laughter. Bautista continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s OK, it\u2019s OK. I feel like I\u2019m putting you under a spotlight now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was applause. Finally, Woods spoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe just mic-dropped it on top of everybody, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed. Good job, everybody. A short later, as part of the video shared by Alyn, Bautista had another question for the host, and this was good, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut also, after something like a hole in one or like a chip-in,\u201d Bautista asked, \u201cwhat\u2019s your mentality moving forward into the next hole?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, Woods joked, then offered a tip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, you had to go there, double-hole-in-one time,\u201d he said. \u201cOK, I\u2019ll give you that one. Uh, no, but seriously, on a serious note to that, when I\u2019ve had a high of making an eagle or a hole-out or I\u2019ve had the low of making a tap-in for a 10, it\u2019s about, as I was saying earlier, it\u2019s about staying right here, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: To watch the video of Bautista\u2019s hole in one, <\/em>please click here<\/em><\/a>. To watch TaylorMade\u2019s video of Bautista\u2019s question, <\/em>please click here<\/em><\/a>. To watch Alyn\u2019s video of Bautista\u2019s questions, <\/em>please click here<\/em><\/a>.   <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Tiger Woods, an 11-year-old boy \u2014 and 1 question that left Woods speechless","post_excerpt":"Tiger Woods was asked a question last weekend by 11-year-old Holden Bautista. For a moment, it fantastically left him speechless. ","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"tiger-woods-kid-question-speechless","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-12 18:21:08","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-12 22:21:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15527862","menu_order":0,"post_type":"article","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":15527845,"post_author":"9976","post_date":"2023-10-12 18:57:08","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-12 22:57:08","post_content":"\n

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Vega Golf is known for its premium Japanese-forged irons and wedges, which offer classic looks along with models that combine modern multi-material technology with traditional forged construction. Now, with their newest Vega Mizar Pro irons, they're combining a traditional forged blade shape with multimaterial adjustability to offer extra playability without sacrificing workability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Ryan Barath (@rdsbarath)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>