Equipment
The uncommon club that led to Phil Mickelson’s opening 64 at Wells Fargo
Phil Mickelson is one of the most interesting players on tour, not just for his creative and exciting play but also his gear which he is very particular about depending on the event.
Lefty got off to a stunning start this week at Quail Hollow, firing a round of 64, all set up by his excellence off the tee, an area of the game that has sometimes hurt Mickelson.
On Thursday, the 50-year-old gained 1.5 strokes over the field off the tee, and the secret behind the success was down to a 2-wood he plays as a mini driver.
The 2-wood in question is a TaylorMade “Original One” Mini driver, and following his electric start at the Wells Fargo, Mickelson told reporters what he gains from playing the club off the tee and how he uses it:
“It’s just kind of a mini driver head that I use as a strong 3-wood, and out here, because the fairways are so firm if I hit it low enough, I’m able to get a lot of chase out of it, and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing any distance. So that allows me to kind of keep my misses a lot tighter. Today I hit it very successful, I hit a lot of good shots with it.”
Mickelson ranked eight off the tee after round one, and following some fun banter on Twitter with playing partner Joel Dahmen before Thursday’s round, the club helped Lefty gain all the bragging rights heading into day two.
Lesson learned ? pic.twitter.com/WgjiWmB3hM
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) May 6, 2021
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
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.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
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
Whats in the Bag
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 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

Eastpointe
May 7, 2021 at 12:30 pm
Is this for real? Phil using TM? Not a good look for cally
Jack
May 13, 2021 at 12:01 pm
Its been in his bad for 2-3 yrs. It has had ZERO effect on Callaway.