The golf club change behind Xander Schauffele’s rise to the top
Xander Schauffele is in action at the ZOZO Championship in Japan this week and club supplier Callaway Golf has revealed the incredible stats behind his season so far.
Schauffele is first in consecutive cuts with 55, top of the total putting charts and also leads the way in Par 3 average.
He entered this week’s event at Accordia Golf Narashino CC in Japan as the World No.2 and also basking in the afterglow of a 2024 campaign that has yielded two major victories: the PGA Championship and The Open.
The major change for 2024 was the introduction of a new design for the Apex TCB irons he has used since 2011. They include a new weight on the club face to provide a lower centre of gravity and a shorter blade length.
Callaway has released the exact irons as a limited edition launch this month to celebrate the impact they have had on Schauffele’s game. You can buy the limited edition irons here.
It says: “Since Xander Schauffele put a TCB iron in play, his strokes gained in approach have significantly increased year over year. Now in 2024, he is top 5 in the world in strokes gained on the field, and has won two major championships with the new ’24 TCB Iron.”
Also in his bag sits the £569 Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Driver.
The driver is one of four in the Paradym Ai range and is the one favoured by lower handicap players. It offers further distances and more workability off the tee thanks to its neutral-to-fade biased face that has been designed using data from pro players including Schauffele.
The Californian also favours the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Fairway Wood, which is ideal for those with a higher swing speed.
Schauffele uses one of the most popular balls on tour and the major competitor for the Titleist V1. Schauffele has already praised the Chrome Tour X for its stable flight and spin.
Earlier this month he said: “The new golf ball has been amazing. It really checks all the boxes for me. It’s got a very stable flight off the tee. It maintains spin really well on half shots. It’s got great spin and feel around the greens.
“Maybe the most impressive thing about the ball, though, is its stability in the wind. It can be tricky to find a ball that performs so well with every club in the bag, but that’s exactly what Chrome Tour does.”
READ MORE: The best new golf balls for 2025
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