The first round at Augusta National was an exercise in survival for the best players in the world. Besides First Round Leader Justin Rose, the rest of the field was hanging on for dear life. Fast greens, and unpredictable wind at Augusta not only make putting a challenge, but they also wreak havoc on players off the tee. So what Christiaan Bezuidenhout did today was quite impressive. Now to be fair, Bezuidenhout wasn’t the only player to hit 13 fairways. Henrik did it with a ton of 3-woods and the other was Larry Mize who is playing the golf course in a completely different way.
Bez hit 13 Drivers on Thursday and almost all of them (with the exception of missing 2 feet left of the short grass on 15) found the fairway.
Things to factor in here:
- Bez isn’t the longest in the field by any stretch but he’s still a high 160’s ball speed player so he’s not short. The point is the driver can get him to all of the trouble at Augusta.
- He hit drivers on 10/13/18. Two of which require damn near a snap hook with a driver and the other a laser at the left bunkers. Not easy shots especially with a big stick and a guy that likes to hit a cut.
- The ground is firm and the ball was rolling out making it imperative that you not only hit the fairway but the right section.
Christiaan recently made the switch into an Epic Speed 💎💎💎 DS (Diamana DF 60TX) after being 1000% committed to his trusted Epic Flash. The 💎💎💎 is a draw-biased head (CG more towards the heel) originally designed to help players turn it over but surprisingly it’s been a hit on the tour truck with our players that like to cut it, IE Marc Leishman.
See the Video below for the basic 💎💎💎 explanation
Working with Kellen Watson and Jacob Davidson from the Callaway Tour truck, the process took a few iterations to get just right for Christiaan but when the final iteration was handed to him it went in quickly:
This is what KW had to say:
“DS 💎💎💎 is a very dynamic and versatile driver option for those that prefer a variety of shot shapes on the course. Christiaan has a “go-to” low cut with the Epic Flash but wanted to be able to equip himself with a mid-launch cut that gave him more distance. His comfort level with this shot added to the ease of hitting a high draw was a bit of a “Eureka!” moment for him. The ball speed gain was not astronomical, but the ability to maneuver shots was a sticking point. As in most cases, players will eventually test longer lengths in drivers. Most players gain ball speed and swing speed, but lack efficiency. In Christiaan’s case, we saw the gains in speed, but the efficiency at that speed was limited. If Christiaan had the time to work through the transition, he would be currently playing the longer length.“
Driver Specs:
Driver: Epic Speed 💎💎💎 DS (9@10)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana DF 60 TX (45, Tipped 1, D4)
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R Logo Down
