As soon as Tiger Woods announced he and his son Charlie are going to compete this week at the PNC Championship, the event became appointment television for the golf world. Everyone wants to see the 15-time major winner play for the first time on TV since his car accident in February. We also want to see how Charlie, who is now 12, has improved since he stole the show last year at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando.
For equipment junkies, this year’s PNC Championship could be even more special because, according to Golfweek sources, there is a good chance that Tiger (and possibly Charlie) will be using some yet-to-be-released prototype equipment.
On Monday, TaylorMade’s Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Driver lists. That means the clubs have been tested and deemed legal for play by the game’s governing bodies, a process that has to take place before a driver can be used in an official competition.
The @TaylorMadeGolf Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers hit the USGA and R&A's Conforming Driver lists on Monday, three weeks before the PGA Tour resumes in Hawaii. Could we see one at the PNC Championship?https://t.co/iGO2Wm5mR9 pic.twitter.com/TvsCkHnhZP
— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) December 13, 2021
Historically, TaylorMade and other manufacturers request that the USGA and R&A add new gear to the lists a few days before the first PGA Tour event of the new year. The idea is to keep the new gear under wraps as long as possible. The addition of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers was conspicuously early, but it would allow anyone who has a Stealth or Stealth Plus+ to use it at the PNC Championship.
While Woods was swinging the same TaylorMade SIM driver on the range at the Albany Golf Course two weeks ago that he used at the 2020 PNC Championship, it’s safe to assume that, as a TaylorMade staff player, the company has sent him a Stealth and Stealth Plus+ driver to try.
On Wednesday, Woods took to social media to announce that he is planning to use a prototype Bridgestone ball.
Looking forward to putting the new @bridgestonegolf prototype ball in play at the PNC Championship. #ComingSoon #NewTOURB #TOURBProto pic.twitter.com/s9bLWgwixz
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) December 15, 2021
Woods has played Bridgestone’s Tour B XS ball ($45.99 at Carl’s Golfland) for the past several seasons, and in the image he posted, you can clearly see XS printed on the boxes.
Bridgestone has not released any details about the ball, but Woods said, “I’ve been working with Bridgestone’s R&D team on an updated version of my ball since the 2019 Zozo Championship. The process of perfecting this ball has been really fun.” he went on to say, “I have tested the new Tour B prototypes at home, and I’m looking forward to putting them into play at the PNC Championship. This event is the perfect spot for me to take the prototype testing to the next level.”
If history is a guide, both the TaylorMade Stealth drivers and the Bridgestone Tour B XS ball should be officially released sometime in January.
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