This week’s Ryder Cup is one of the most eagerly-anticipated match-ups of all time. Nine of the top 12 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings descend upon Hazeltine National to do battle over three hotly-contested days.

We’ve known the DNA of the European Team for quite a few weeks now, as Captain Clarke opted for Westwood, Kaymer and Pieters as his wildcard selections. It’s certainly a combination of experience (McIlroy, Stenson, Garcia and Westwood) and youthful exuberance (Willett, Pieters, Sullivan and Fitzpatrick) as six players make their Ryder Cup debuts this time round. We’re not going to use the term ‘rookie’ here as players like Willett – who is one of those making his first bow – have tonnes of tour-level experience and in Willett’s case, is a Major champion!

On the other hand, the American Team contains only two newbies as Captain Davis Love III has assembled the ’best team ever’ in his own words – and that was before his fourth and final wildcard pick was announced! Love III had already chosen Kuchar, Holmes and Fowler as three of his four wildcard picks before last week’s FedEx Cup finale, with Ryan Moore’s play-off defeat to McIlroy enough to see him make the team over the likes of two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson. Having not missed a cut since mid-May, can anyone really question Moore’s inclusion in the US Team?

So, the teams are in, but who will come out on top? USA will be keen to exact revenge on their European counterparts, having lost six of the last seven Ryder Cups and eight of the past 10. In all honesty, the United States’ line-up is superior. They have home advantage. More players based on the PGA Tour. They’ve been humiliated at Gleneagles and suffered the Miracle of Medinah last time the event was played in the States. Many people expect them to triumph.

However, given that Love III is claiming this is the best team ever assembled, the pressure will be heaped upon the Americans’ shoulders. And should they lose, well, the criticism they will face will be painful. The Europeans will be happy to be underdogs this time round, but it’s not going to be a one-sided demolition – that’s for certain.
Let the battle commence.

When the stakes are at their biggest and tension is high, it takes a special type of character to stay calm and produce their best golf. So when there’s a cool $10 million bonus up for grabs, this is the exact situation that many of the world’s best encountered this week at the TOUR Championship.

Home favourite Dustin Johnson was in the lead after 54 holes, with both the tournament and the FedEx Cup in his control. Europe’s best hope was Rory McIlroy and the equation for him to secure the jackpot was quite simple – win the tournament with Johnson finishing in T2 or worse.

So onto the final round and no-one saw what happened coming. Big-hitting Johnson had been a model of consistency in recent weeks so many thought it was a mere formality that the American would waltz to victory. However, a worst-of-the-day 73 saw him plummet down the leaderboard, blowing the TOUR Championship and FedEx Cup wide open again.

McIlroy, starting the final round just two shots off the lead, carded a magnificent six-under-par 64 to join Moore and Chappell in a three-way play-off. Being three behind the leaders with three holes left to play, things weren’t looking great for the Northern Irishman. Rory found himself on the left-hand side of the 16th fairway off the tee. 137 yards was the number, an eagle two was the result. A truly magnificent feat when it was needed the most. He then went on to follow this up with a birdie at the 72nd hole to join the two Americans at the top of the leaderboard.

An eagle lip-out at the first extra hole for McIlroy secured an easy birdie, but it wasn’t until the fourth extra hole when McIlroy rolled in a 15-footer to take golf’s biggest (monetary) prize. Perfect timing to find some form ahead of this week’s Ryder Cup.

What equipment did Rory use?

• Driver – Nike Vapor Fly Pro (9.5 degrees)
• Fairway woods – Nike Vapor Speed (15 & 19 degrees)
• Irons – Nike VR Pro Blade (4-9)
• Wedges – Nike Engage (47, 52, 56 & 59)
• Putter – Scotty Cameron

History was made on the European Tour last week as Francesco Molinari became the first home player to win the Italian Open on two occasions. The Italian fired a closing 65 to beat Ryder Cup star Danny Willett by one in a tense final-day battle.

Molinari – a former Ryder Cup player himself – couldn’t have asked for a better start; an eagle-3 on the first followed by a birdie at the second opened up a quick two-shot advantage over the Englishman. Standing on the 13th tee, Molinari was four ahead and looked destined for victory. We all know how quickly things can change in the game of golf, and it only took two holes for Willett to close the gap to one with four holes to play. Despite some nervy moments from both players over the closing stretch, they both parred the remaining four holes to see Molinari pick up his fourth European Tour victory.

It was a good week for some of Europe’s other Ryder Cup jewels too, as Cabrera-Bello finished T12, Fitzpatrick ended the week in T15, whilst Kaymer, Sullivan and Wood all finished in T20. Finding form at just the right time? Let’s hope so!

What equipment did Molinari use?

• Driver – Nike Vapor Fly (10.5 degrees)
• Fairway wood – Nike Vapor Fly (13 degrees)
• Hybrid – Nike Vapor Fly (17 degrees)
• Irons – Nike Vapor Pro Combo (4 iron); Nike Vapor Pro (5-PW)
• Wedges – Nike Engage (52, 56 & 60)
• Putter – Nike Method

Few golfers have had a better 2016 than Dustin Johnson. The big-hitting American is finally realising his potential as he sits second in the world ranking and now - thanks to his victory in the BMW Championship last week - leads the way in the FedExCup standings.

The reigning US Open champion carded six birdies and a brilliant eagle in his final round to secure his third trophy of 2016 at Crooked Stick. The overnight leader didn’t have it all his own way though, as Englishman Paul Casey drew level after three holes thanks to back-to-back birdies. However this seemed to kick the America into gear with four more birdies before the turn – putting him in a position where he was never going to look back.

In the end it was a comfortable three-shot win, leaving ‘DJ’ at the top of the FedExCup rankings with just one event left to play. We know one thing for sure – We wouldn’t want to face him come the Ryder Cup at the end of the month.

What equipment did DJ use?

• Driver – TaylorMade M1 (11 degrees)
• Fairway wood – TaylorMade M1 (17 degrees); TaylorMade M1 (19 degrees)
• Irons – TaylorMade Tour Preferred (3-PW)
• Wedges – TaylorMade Tour Preferred EF (52 & 60)
• Putter – TaylorMade Spider

In what was the first event on the European Tour since Darren Clarke finalised his Ryder Cup Team last week, spectators and media alike were wondering how Europe’s elite would fare at the Omega European Masters.

Top 12 finishes for Westwood, Fitzpatrick and Willett provided fans with some extra hope heading into next month’s biannual battle with the Americans – we’ll forget the slight blips (missed cuts) for Sullivan and captain Clarke on this occasion.

However it was Sweden’s Alex Noren and Australia’s Scott Hend who snatched the limelight come Sunday afternoon; an extra play-off hole needed to separate the two. Hend went into the final round with a one-shot lead but found himself two behind the Swede with four holes left to play. A birdie at 15 followed by a three-putt bogey for Noren on 17 forced a play-off at Crans-sue-Sierre.

A well-timed birdie for Noren at the first play-off hole secured his second impressive victory of the summer, following his triumph at the Scottish Open in July.

What equipment did Noren use?

• Driver – Callaway XR 16 (8.5 degrees)
• Fairway wood – Callaway XR (15 degrees)
• Hybrid – Callaway Apex hybrid (18 degrees)
• Irons – Callaway Apex Pro (4-9)
• Wedges – Callaway Mack Daddy 2 (47, 52, 56 & 60)
• Putter – Odyssey Works

With just one month to go until this year's Ryder Cup, the team is now confirmed. European captain Darren Clarke named his three Ryder Cup picks on Tuesday afternoon:

Martin Kaymer

Lee Westwood

Thomas Pieters

I suppose we could have picked Lee Westwood based on his past experiences and his performance in the majors this year. A T2 finish at Augusta was followed by T32 in the U.S. Open and T22 in The Open – not bad for a guy in his twilight years on tour.

Could Clarke have done anything but pick Thomas Pieters after he requested to play with him in last week's Made in Denmark event; only for Pieters to shoot a first round 8-under-par before going on to win the tournament? This came on the back of his 4th place finish at the Rio Olympic Games. Talk about form.

Martin Kaymer's selection, however, could be seen as the debatable one. However if you recall, he did hole the winning putt in 2012 and has valuable experience to offer. One man that may feel slightly aggrieved at missing out is Scotland’s Russell Knox. The PGA Tour based golfer is sitting at 20th in the world rankings (only 5 of the European Team are ranked better) having had several top 10 finishes this season. With his win in this month’s Travelers Championship mixed with his knowledge of American golf courses, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for Knox.

In the end it’s a mix of youth and experience for the Europeans with six rookies on the European side. How will Love III go about choosing his four Captain’s Picks? He has a wealth of talent to choose from, with the likes of Watson, Fowler, Kuchar and Furyk currently sitting outside the automatic spots – not bad when you already have Dustin, Spieth and Mickelson in the team!

Regardless of who makes the final cut, let's hope we can look forward to some more great golf just as we saw at Medinah Country Club in 2012 when it was last in America.

PING need no introduction when it comes to golf equipment; they are at the top of the game. Having built up a strong reputation thanks to the performance of their clubs through the years, expectation is rife whenever they release a new product.
In this blog post, Foremost Golf looks at the different options within PING’s current iron range, from the GMax to the exciting new iBlade.

GMax - PING has pushed the boat out in terms of the technologies featured in its GMAX irons. They're longer, more forgiving and they offer greater control than any clubs PING has previously produced. They also look great and sit beautifully behind the ball. That's quite a package.

G – COR-Eye technology provides four times the amount of face flexing for consistently faster ball speeds across a hotter face. A gain in ball speed and shot height generates more carry distance and a steeper landing angle.

i – Better players will love the performance of PING’s i iron. Using 431 stainless steel for the first time, PING’s engineers were able to create a head design that deliver workability and trajectory control with the right amount of forgiveness.

iBlade - If you’re a confident ball striker, you should seriously consider the iBlade irons. They boast more distance, forgiveness and feel over the S55 irons they replace.

There really is a model for every level of golfer in PING’s iron range, no matter what you’re after.

Whether you were for or against golf’s inclusion in the Olympics, it was fitting that two of the highest-ranked players battled it out come Sunday’s finale.

Much was made as to whether golf deserved a place at this year’s Games, not made any easier by the numerous dropouts from some of the world’s best and most iconic golfers. Two guys who didn’t let anything prevent them from their quest for Olympic Gold were Great Britain’s Justin Rose and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.

The talented duo went to head-to-head on, yet another, final-day titanic battle. Stenson has been playing some sublime golf of late - none more so than his Open Championship heroics last month - but found himself one shot back heading into the closing 18. Arguably playing the better golf down the stretch, Stenson clawed his way back to level with Rose when standing on the 72nd tee. With a fascinating play-off looking likely, Rose went on to birdie the last for a two-shot victory following the Swede’s three-putt bogey.

Rose’s post-round interview said it all as he asserted that this was the best tournament he has ever won – and he’s a Major champion. Let’s hope this passion is infectious to others across tours and more of the world’s elite choose to take part in four years’ time.

What equipment did Rose use for Gold?

• Driver – TaylorMade M2 (8.5 loft)
• Fairway wood – TaylorMade M2 (15 loft)
• Irons – TaylorMade Psi Tour (3-iron); TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB (4-PW)
• Wedges – TaylorMade Tour Preferred EF (52, 56 & 60)
• Putter – TaylorMade Ghost
• Ball – TaylorMade Tour Preferred X

Englishman and Under Armour Golf UK ambassador Matthew Fitzpatrick eased to his second European Tour victory in last week’s Nordea Masters. Since turning pro off a handicap of plus four in 2014, the impressive 21-year-old has endured a very promising start to his professional career and now finds himself sitting amongst the elite inside the world’s top 35. Fitzpatrick reeled off 17
birdies in his first three rounds, giving him a comfortable five-shot lead heading into Sunday’ showdown. He never looked back as he waltzed to a three-shot victory to secure his place in this year’s Open Championship. On a course which boasts five par-5s, a good performance tee-to-green was always going to go a long way in determining how high up the leaderboard you finished.

Fitzpatrick certainly got it right this week.

Matthew played the longer holes in 10-under-par without a single dropped shot. The only way this would be possible is by hitting fairways and greens, something which the winner did time-after-time. He actually finished third in ‘Driving Accuracy’ at over 73% of fairways found for the week, and first in ‘Greens in Regulation’ with 85% of greens being hit – that’s 7 out of every 8 greens! Impressive golf.

Here’s what Fitzpatrick had in his golf bag…

• Driver – Callaway Big Bertha Alpha (10.5 degrees)
• Fairway woods – PING G 3-wood & 5-wood (14.5 degrees & 20.5 degrees)
• Irons – PING i25 (3-5 irons); PING S55 (6-9 irons)
• Wedges – PING Tour Gorge (47 degrees); Vokey SM5 (54 & 58 degrees)
• Putter – Yes

The term ‘journeyman’ gets batted around a lot, but that’s exactly what last week’s PGA Tour winner, William McGirt, is. By his own confession he’s been around the block, but the 36-year-old’s career will never be the same again after his sudden-death playoff win at the Memorial Tournament. It was a very steady scorecard for McGirt on Sunday, mixing one birdie with 17 pars to record a one-under-par 71 and tie Jon Curran at the top of the leaderboard. And it was a similar story in the playoff as both Americans went to head-to-head. Pars for both on first playoff hole meant a second was needed. Both Curran and McGirt missed the green at the second time of asking, and once Curran failed to get up-and-down, McGirt was left with a seven-footer for the win. This was McGirt’s maiden Tour victory in his 165th start, upstaging a star-studded field in the process.

Here’s what McGirt used en-route to victory…

• Driver – TaylorMade M2 (8.5 degrees)
• Fairway woods – TaylorMade M2 (13 degrees); TaylorMade M1 (17 degrees)
• Irons – Srixon Z-U45 (2 & 3 irons); Srixon Z-745 (5-PW)
• Wedges – Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 (54 & 60 degrees)
• Ball – Srixon Z-Star

The European Tour crossed borders last week as the Shenzhen International took place in China. For the second week in a row there was a newbie on the winner’s podium as TaylorMade Soomin Lee claimed his maiden European Tour title, propelling himself into the top 10 of the Race to Dubai standings. 22-year-old Lee has had a brilliant start to his golfing career to date with two top three finishes in his first five outings. Moving on to his sixth event, Lee was tied for the lead with five holes left to play in his final round before play was suspended for the day due to electrical storms. In his situation, given his final-straight meltdown earlier on in the season, Lee would have been forgiven for letting his nerves get the better of him yet again, however this was far from the case. Resuming on Monday morning after yet another weather delay, Lee followed a birdie on 16 with a magical eagle on 17 on his way to a two-shot, wire-to-wire victory.

What equipment did he use?

• Driver – TaylorMade M1 430 (9.5)
• 3-wood – TaylorMade M2 (15)
• Irons – Srixon Z 945

The PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open looked destined for a playoff this week as Patrick Reed birdied the 72nd hole, leaving playing partner Charley Hoffman a 9-foot putt for the win on the par-5 18th. This was far from straight-forward for Hoffman seeing as he had been within touching distance of numerous victories in previous months, only to trip up over the final hurdle on each occasion. However this was his time: a solid stroke and a pure connection saw the ball travel towards the hole, not leaving the centre of the cup the whole way. A Tiger Woods-esque fist pump followed as Hoffman held his nerve to win his fourth PGA Tour title, one ahead of American compatriot Patrick Reed.

What equipment did he use?

• Driver – Titleist 915D4 (9.5)
• 3-wood – Titleist 915F (13.5)
• Hybrid – Titleist 915Hd (17.5)
• Irons – Titleist 716 T-MB (3, 5-9)
• Wedges – Vokey SM5 wedges (46, 50, 56 & 58)
• Putter – Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 prototype
• Ball – Titleist Pro V1

To see the options we have available on our golf shop, head to https://www.foremostgolf.com/. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to give us a call on +44 (0) 800 500 3194.