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We’ve all heard those post-round interviews where Tour pros say: “I really got the most out of that round.” It’s a common phrase that describes those days when they maybe didn’t have their A-game but could still salvage a score. Often, those rounds come down to scrambling to save crucial pars or hitting timely putts to maintain momentum.
That’s a big part of why Tommy Fleetwood ultimately chose to switch into pix. He feels it gives him a competitive edge on the putting green. It could be that missing link that turns an average round into a good one or pushes a good round to become something great.
“At this level of the game, particularly with Tommy who is so detailed with his equipment, players are only going to switch if they know it can improve their performance on the course. There’s no change for the sake of change. However, Tommy will put equipment in play immediately when he feels he’s giving up performance without it.” Adrian Rietveld, TaylorMade Senior Tour Rep
Fleetwood is as exacting as they come when it comes to his gear and preparation. During an in-depth putting session with his coach, they discovered his previous alignment aid (the widely used thin Sharpie line along a white golf ball) was causing fractional misalignments for Tommy. At times he felt like he was pointed directly at his target, but there was a slight variance in “feel vs. real” that could show up at critical moments during competition.
This discovery first pushed Fleetwood to start using pix as a practice aid. He drew a thick Sharpie line in the middle of Clear Path to further enhance alignment and feedback on the roll. This was the week heading into the CJ Cup, and at this stage Rietveld was unsure whether pix would go into play for competition or whether it would remain a practice aid.
He was on the range at Summit that Wednesday afternoon when his phone rang. Tommy summoned him out to the 13th tee and asked him to bring the launch monitor. They went to work, on-course testing Tommy’s normal TP5x versus his TP5x pix.
“He had to be certain that the pix golf ball gave him the exact same performance as his TP5x gamer. Of course, we knew they were identical golf balls – the only difference being the markings on the cover. But at that level, they leave no stone unturned.” Rietveld
Tommy hit two balls of every shot for the remaining six holes – one pix and one standard TP5x. Drives, iron shots, bunkers, putts. Every shot, both balls played, and each result measured. The performance was the same time after time.
After that extensive session, Fleetwood came to the first tee the following morning with his TP5x pix – marked with the same thick line he used for practice. He finished the week at 15-under-par (T38) and felt confident going into the following week’s event in Tokyo. At the time of publishing, Fleetwood was tied for 5th through the first two rounds of competition at the Zozo Championship. Let’s see if he keeps things rolling with his new pix.