Scott McCarron used some local knowledge of the TPC Sugarloaf course to win the Mitsubishi Electric Classic by two strokes over four players, including Jerry Kelly and Kirk Triplett. It wasn’t only drawing on good memories from winning on the same layout twice on the PGA Tour (the 1997 and 2001 BellSouth Classic), but some words of wisdom from the course’s designer, Greg Norman.
"I got to play here my first time with Greg, who designed the golf course,” said McCarron after his ninth PGA Tour Champions title. “I called him for a practice round. He showed me some of the lines off the tees, where you could go, where you could get some more yardage and where you need to hit it on layups. He taught me a lot on how to play this golf course."
McCarron put that knowledge to good use, and it showed in his performance Sunday. He recovered from a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 third hole by playing without a blemish on his scorecard over the final 15 holes, adding three birdies.
Using Callaway's Epic Flash driver—a new addition to the bag—McCarron’s driver again was a valuable asset as he ranked fourth in driving distance for the week. Although the club features an adjustable weight in a track in the rear of the club's sole, McCarron opted to keep it in the neutral position. That allowed the 53-year-old to hit 44 of 54 greens in regulation (81.48 percent) with his Ping S55 irons to tie for the top spot in that statistical category for the week.
Local knowledge, indeed.
What Scott McCarron had in the bag at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Callaway Epic Flash, 10.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade M2, 15 degrees
Hybrid: Tour Edge Exotics CBX 119, 19 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Ping S55
Wedges: Cleveland RTX (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Ghost Spider Long
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