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Jon Rahm’s victory at LIV Chicago confirmed one thing we’ve recognized for a while: the Spaniard is ridiculously good at his craft. Much more so when he’s wholesome. After coping with a foot an infection that pressured him to skip the U.S. Open, Rahm gained two of the final three LIV occasions — with a runner-up exhibiting sandwiched in between — to assert the person title and a tidy $22 million.
Following the win on Sunday, Rahm was requested to pinpoint what modified following his withdrawal from the U.S. Open. The foot damage would’ve been the apparent selection, however the 29-year-old took issues in a distinct path.
“[T]right here was a earlier than and after between Singapore and Houston after I modified that driver shaft to one thing that labored somewhat bit higher with my present swing velocity and made me not compensate as a lot,” Rahm mentioned. “Sort of felt higher, a extra pure swing, simpler for myself to hit the fade, and that’s after I noticed the large distinction.
“From Nashville on, my stage of golf was somewhat bit increased, extra snug, the place I didn’t really feel like I needed to strive a lot. At that time, it’s after I felt the win was virtually at that time only a matter of time and getting it performed at [LIV United Kingdom] was unbelievable.”
Shaft manufacturers not often get the respect they deserve as a result of it’s usually thought-about a secondary part of the general construct. The top tends to obtain many of the plaudits for the expertise packed inside. Nonetheless, when you return and take a look at Rahm’s historical past with the driving force, you’ll discover the shaft by no means modified earlier than this yr.
Throughout his time in class at Arizona State, Rahm relied solely on Aldila’s Tour Inexperienced 75TX driver shaft. Even when he switched groups from TaylorMade to Callaway, in 2021, Tour Inexperienced remained the one part fixed. Rahm didn’t even ponder making a shaft change till earlier this yr when he carried out driver testing with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft that confirmed it was a greater choice for his Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond head.
“For a very long time, Jon’s Aldila Tour Inexperienced labored properly for his timing and swing tempo, however as he’s gotten stronger and quicker he was discovering it tougher to time up his supply into the ball and discover his feels,” mentioned Johnny Wunder, Callaway’s Tour content material supervisor. “This led to a much bigger dispersion sample and a reoccurring left miss, and that’s when he knew it was time for a change. He not too long ago spent a while in Carlsbad to check a number of shafts, together with prototype choices, to search out one which labored higher together with his swing and helped to eradicate a left miss.
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“The Ventus Black profile helped Jon really feel the clubhead higher and allowed him to swing together with his pure tempo with out manipulation. This has led to a significantly better dispersion off the tee and helped to eradicate the left miss. It was by no means about elevating Jon’s ceiling or including distance since he’s already such a very good driver of the ball, however as an alternative, lifting his flooring.”
Probably the most well-liked shaft profiles on Tour, Ventus Black is geared for increased swing speeds with a noticeably decrease launch and spin charge that’s made attainable by way of a strengthened butt and tip part. Reinforcing the tip helps stabilize the shaft at affect, notably on photographs that catch the heel and toe. And once you’re swinging at Rahm-esque speeds, decreasing torque is usually a huge profit for golfers on the upper finish of the velocity spectrum who require a secure profile to reduce mishits.
The top stays the important thing part when constructing a brand new driver, but when something might be gleaned from Rahm’s profitable shaft change this season, you must all the time be open and keen to check different choices within the market, particularly when one thing feels amiss. It labored from Rahm and might do the identical to your recreation.
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