If you're going to be in contention early in the season, your par-3 scoring stats must be decent. That's particularly true at last week's Honda Classic, where PGA National's Championship Course has four good ones, including two (Nos. 15 and 17) in the three-hole “Bear Trap” stretch.
These six players on the PGA Tour have had the most success on par 3s so far in the 2015-’16 season. Here's a look at their stats and a breakdown of which irons they play.
1. Jerry Kelly, 2.88 stroke average. Irons: Srixon Z Forged
Kelly (below) goes for a throwback look in his irons as Srixon’s Z Forged are a muscleback blade designed for maximum workability instead of having a high forgiveness factor.
2. Phil Mickelson, 2.89 stroke average. Irons: Callaway Apex Pro 16
The Callaway Apex irons in Mickelson’s bag first went in play at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January. Mickelson made the switch based on a better look along with a more rounded leading edge that he felt enhanced turf interaction. Lefty uses KBS Tour V 125 shafts in his irons.
3. Ryan Moore, 2.90 stroke average. Irons: PXG 0311T
Moore has been using PXG’s irons since last year’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The irons, which feature movable weights in the rear, suit Moore just fine. “They go the distances I want them to go and the flight I want them to go and the curvature. Everything about them just works for me,” Moore said.
T-4. Chad Campbell, 2.91 stroke average. Irons: Adams Idea Black CC1
Campbell had a lot of input into these Adams Idea Black CC1 prototype irons that he started using as far back as the 2010 season.
T-4. Freddie Jacobson, 2.91 stroke average. Irons: Callaway Apex
Never the best ball-striker on tour, Jacobson has not been bashful about seeking a little help in his irons, having used at various times Callaway’s Diablo Forged and XR models. Now Jacobson is in the company’s Apex model, another iron that produces a decent result on mis-hits.
T-4. K.J. Choi, 2.91 stroke average. Irons: Miura CB 1007
If you’re going to offer input into the design of an iron, you might as well play it. That’s exactly what Choi is doing with his Miura CB 1007 irons. The irons are a compact cavity-back design with varying thicknesses in the cavity to assist feel as well as forgiveness. There also is no mistaking these are Choi’s irons as “KJ Choi” is stamped in the cavity in rather large letters.
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