Equipment
Here’s why Dustin Johnson is using a 9-wood at the 2022 PGA Championship
If you tuned into Friday’s coverage of the 2022 PGA Championship, you may have noticed that Dustin Johnson hit a 9-wood at the par-3 8th hole at Southern Hills Country Club.
Wait, a 9-wood?
Yes, a 9-wood. And he made birdie on the hole after hitting his tee shot to 33 feet 5 inches.
Haha, JT cackling about DJ hitting a 9-wood on the par-3 8th. A 9-wood! pic.twitter.com/97L2L6BPPR
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) May 20, 2022
While Johnson has been using a TaylorMade Stealth 21-degree 7-wood throughout this season, he typically transitions into either a TaylorMade Stealth Rescue 22-degree club or a TaylorMade DJ Proto 3-iron. This week, however, at the lengthy Southern Hills setup, Johnson opted to put a TaylorMade Stealth 24-degree 9 wood in the bag.
A TaylorMade rep commented on Johnson’s switch this week:
“In our testing, DJ consistently hit his 9-wood 245 yards, which is nearly the exact same distance he produces with his 3-iron. With the 9 wood, however, he hits it much higher and gets more spin, living around 4200 rpm.”
Below are the specs for Johnson’s new club:
Model: TaylorMade Stealth (24 degrees)
Lie angle: 60 degrees
Shaft: LA Golf prototype (tipped 2 inches)
Swing weight: D4
In case you missed it, Johnson also switched into a new TaylorMade Spider GT Splitback putter this week. For more on that switch, click here!
Check out all of our photos from the 2022 PGA Championship this week.
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

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Benny
May 22, 2022 at 7:57 pm
Dang 245?! Thats ridiculous and loved seeing him hut it.