Equipment
Iconic Ryder Cup moments
It’s already been 2 years since Team Europe retained the Ryder Cup with a stunning performance at Marco Simone in Rome. How will the players fare as they make their way around Bethpage Black?
This year’s chosen course in New York is notoriously challenging with tight fairways and hazardous bunkers. Who’ll get caught in the traps and who’ll overcome them?
To celebrate the Ryder Cup and all it represents, we want to take a moment to appreciate some of the most skillful shots players have executed over recent years.
6. Viktor Hovland's chip-in on the green (2023)
On the very first hole of the 2023 Ryder Cup (#1 in the video above), Viktor Hovland landed his approach shot on the righthand side of the green. He chose to chip over the hump of the hill that was obscuring his path to the hole, and the result was a stunning birdie shot that set the theme and mood of the tournament.
Hovland hit a little bump-and-run shot, correctly calculating the amount of momentum needed and using the natural contours of the slope to have the ball pleasantly run into the hole.
5. Seve Ballesteros' effortless chip-in (1995)
Seve was the short-game master and wasn’t going to let a small thing like a bunker being in his way phase him. Always up for taking on a daring shot, he struck the ball just right with an open clubface to have it bounce a few times before running into the hole. He may not have won his match, but he knew how to finish in style.
4. Rory McIlroy's well-judged pitch
After his initial tee shot veered off the left on the par-3 17th hole at Marco Simone, Rory was faced with a sharp uphill pitch onto the green. Executing his signature short-game magic, Rory put a masterful degree of spin on his second shot, having his ball bounce 3 times before promptly coming to rest a foot away from the flag. His shot left both the announcers and spectators stunned.
3. Paul Lawrie's chip-in (2012)
Paul Lawrie had placed his approach shot far to the side of the green on the 17th hole at the 2012 Ryder Cup, but a perfect chip ensured a victorious outcome to his Sunday singles match against Brandt Snedeker.
This stunning finish was one of many special shots that contributed to the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ that saw Europe secure the Ryder Cup despite entering the final day far behind the Americans.
2. Jamie Donaldson's excellent pitch shot (2014)
Jamie Donaldson’s competition-winning pitch shot at the 2014 Gleneagles Ryder Cup is one of the finest examples of pulling off the perfect shot when it matters most. He stuck his approach shot right next to the hole on the par 4 15th hole, securing a tap-in birdie finish, victory over Keegan Bradley, and the Ryder Cup for Team Europe.
Donaldson faced a 146-yard downhill approach shot and went for the pin sitting on the righthand side of the green. The ball has the ideal amount of spin on and sat down quickly before inching towards the hole and resting 2 feet from it.
1. Jordan Spieth at Whistling Straits (2020)
This shot singularly gave Jordan Spieth a well-earned reputation for being a short-game wizard. With his ball nestled in thick grass in the side of a hill just off the 17th hole at Whistling Straits, Spieth took a wild swing at it a blind shot and pulled off a phenomenal flop shot that landed a few feet from the hole. It’s simply one of the best chip shots ever pulled off in Ryder Cup history.
All of these shots have one thing in common...
The pros make it look easy, but they each made all of these shots with a quality golf wedge in-hand. We all know how easy it is to thin the ball or come down too hard on it and take a chunk out of the ground, but Mizuno’s latest wedges have been constructed to ensure your short game feels as smooth and carefree as possible. Both the Pro T-1 and Pro T-3 wedges are phenomenal clubs that feel great in your hands.
Constructed from a sturdy carbon steel, the same exceptional Mizuno feel their irons offer is found in the Pro T-1 wedge. With a more compact, teardrop-shaped head, the Pro T-1 looks appealing from every angle. This wedge is available in six different sole grinds so you can be sure there’s a model in the range best suited to your game.
With the Pro T-3, Mizuno has similarly focused on maintaining spin consistency in their stronger lofted clubs while the higher lofted clubs have been constructed to ensure a greater degree of control over your strikes. The Pro T-3 comes in three separate grinds that offer plenty of variety, and the Soft White Satin Finish makes this club a joy to study both in the bag and in your hands.
We hope you’re ready for all the upcoming action at Bethpage Black, do you think Europe can win 3 in a row, or will the New York natives help spur on the Americans to take back the trophy? We’re open and available in the pro shop as usual this week should you have any golfing enquires.
