Tiger Woods is gearing up to compete at The Open Championship 2024, scheduled to take place this week. The American golfer has been struggling with his game in recent years but has his eyes set on adding one more Major to his well-accomplished accolades.
Recently, the 15-time Major winner was spotted taking practice swings at Royal Troon with rusty golf clubs. Woods has chosen to play with rusty wedges at the upcoming Major.
During a practice round, he used a TaylorMade MG4 Raw 56-degree sand wedge worth around $199.99. The wedges were covered in rust, indicating they were manufactured for him a few months ago.
Generally, golf clubs are coated with chrome plating to have a shiny and gleaming look. However, several players, including Tiger Woods, prefer to play with raw steel golf clubs as the raw steel wedges reduce the reflection of the sun while playing on a bright day.
These clubs often catch rust quickly when exposed to air, but they have their own benefits, and players prefer to keep them in their bags. To protect them, they are usually covered in airtight plastic, and the coating is removed just before the players start playing.
However, Woods’ wedges were heavily rusted, likely because he might have used them for practice before. He was spotted using a TaylorMade MG4 Raw 56-degree sand wedge and also a 60-degree lob wedge. The wedges have Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord grips, and the shaft is of True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400.
Tiger Woods is returning to The Open Championship after two years, hoping to win his 16th Major. In 2022, when he last played in the Major, he missed the cut.
He last played at Royal Troon in 2004 and tied for ninth place. The tournament was last held at Royal Troon in 2016, but Woods missed the event due to injury.
What’s in Tiger Woods’ bag in 2024?
Tiger Woods is notably known for using TaylorMade golf clubs. He renewed his contract with the company in 2017 and has continued using their equipment. While most of the equipment Woods uses is of TaylorMade, his putter is an exception, being a Scotty Cameron.
He plays with a TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver with a Graphite Design Tour AD-VF shaft. He has been using TaylorMade MG4 56° and 60° wedges for a while now. However, for The Open Championship, he made a change and was spotted playing with a raw steel coating, which had rust on it.