Equipment
Roberto Diaz using Mitsubishi Rayon OT graphite iron shafts in Mexico
At the WGC-Mexico event this week, we’ll see something never seen before: Mitsubishi Rayon graphite iron shafts in play at a Tour event.
Roberto Diaz, a native Mexican who’s currently ranked No. 5 on the Web.com Tour money list, is using the company’s OT iron shafts at the Club de Golf Chapultepec. He was fit for the shafts at True Spec Golf in Miami, an international club fitter with U.S. locations in Florida, New York and Ohio. True Spec Golf also built his irons.
The shafts originated in Japan from the Mitsubishi Rayon “idea lab,” also known as FRANKI (the Japanese word for incubator is “Fooranki”), and they are produced with a process that’s similar to how steel cables are made.
Each OT shaft is created from graphite fibers that are arranged in super-strong bundles and impregnated with resin to create the company’s special “Tow Prepreg.” The bundles are then woven together like a braid. According to MRC, the manufacturing process makes the shafts more resistant to twisting and ovaling.
Diaz is using a 105-gram model of the parallel-tip shafts in X-Flex. He’s also using an MRC Kuro Kage XT 60 (TX-Flex) shaft in his driver.
Related
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Photos from the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
CJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
Details on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
GolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
Photos from the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
PGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
Photos from the ShopRite LPGA
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
KCCO
Mar 13, 2017 at 10:22 pm
Seems as if OEMS are getting (hard to call graphite) as it seems there are so many other materials in the actual materials being used to get these shafts to a point of finally satisfying what a player wants from an iron shaft. I had weight issues with a few in past, meaning didn’t follow weight as standard steel shaft irons did going from long iron throughout shafts weighted differently didn’t correlate. That being said there are a few manufactures who have nailed it, at least IMO. I play Fuji MCI-100 limited blacks stiff tipped to stiff plus-ish. I played x100’s previous for longest period of time after trying most iron OEM’s offerings. i.e. KBS C-Taper, Tours, assorted DG’s (still love x100, in black onyx are even better) , Nippon; actually really nice etc. I believe some will be very satisfied the difference a few years has made. I’m not crazy swing speed player either. (105-108) 43.5 driver. I was assured by a great player/player these would be last iron shafts, at least for a while…he was right. Later releases and development may surprise you, give a try.
Adam
Mar 4, 2017 at 4:09 pm
Why is a guy from the Web.com tour playing in a WGC event?
James
Mar 2, 2017 at 11:34 pm
WHAT IRONS IS HE PLAYING THOUGH?!?!
Dylan
Mar 2, 2017 at 8:24 pm
Great. I’ll take a 105-X, 46in with a .335 tip please. Because ‘merica.