I was at the PGA Championship practice round on Wednesday and like all of us gear nerds, I was most interested in seeing what everyone had in their bags. Practice rounds are where equipment stories start to reveal themselves. Sometimes it’s a real change and other times it’s just tinkering. When a player puts and, most importantly, keeps something in the bag at a major, it tells you a lot more than a run-of-the-mill tournament. After walking around Aronimink and getting photos of what players had in play, these are the three equipment storylines that stood out.
1. Justin Rose puts the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond in play
Justin Rose has moved from the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond to the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond. Rose has been an accurate driver of the ball with the Ai Smoke, which makes this change particularly interesting. As we all know, Rose debuted McLaren irons last week at the Truist Championship, with fairly disastrous results. Now, one week later, he appears to have changed drivers as well. Despite his solid form this year, changing irons and drivers in a two-week span suggests he is searching for something. It’s clear Rose is in the middle of a pretty large-scale tinker and it will be fascinating to see whether the changes settle in this week at Aronimink.
2. Justin Thomas keeps Cameron Young’s putter in the bag
Like Rose, Justin Thomas made a pretty significant equipment change last week at the Truist Championship by switching to the Tour prototype Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R. Through 2026, Thomas is averaging -0.605 Strokes Gained: Putting and ranks 152nd on Tour. While Thomas’s putting has been lackluster, this switch can primarily be owed to the rise of Cam Young. When asked about the putter switch, Thomas said, “Just give me Cam’s putter.” If Thomas’s par save on the 14th during Thursday’s opening round is any indication, this is a switch that may already be paying dividends.
3. Keith Mitchell is fully committed to the Odyssey Two-Ball
This has been a year of putter tinkering for Keith Mitchell. We’re not even halfway through the year and he has already gamed a Scotty Cameron JAT Proto, a custom Scotty Cameron Napa and a Scotty Cameron Kombi S. Throughout his career, Mitchell’s putting has undoubtedly been his Achilles heel and 2026 has clearly been the year he has set out to exorcise those putting demons. After debuting the Odyssey EXO Two-Ball at the Valero Texas Open, it feels safe to say the EXO Two-Ball has found a permanent home in Cashmere Keith’s bag. According to MyGolfSpy’s own Andrew Zanzig, the Odyssey Two-Ball is a first-ballot club hall of famer. I’ll be watching Mitchell’s putting intently this week.
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