Dustin Johnson’s secret weapon: a 7-wood he carries 255 yards
LOS ANGELES – The clichéd judgment is that 7-woods are only used by players in an over-50 men’s group and by beginners. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson isn’t interested in clichés, but he is interested in his 7-wood.
Johnson initially added the 7-wood to his bag prior to last year’s PGA Championship and he began his round on Thursday at the Genesis Invitational with it at the par-4 10th hole.
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“I hit it pretty much where I wanted to, it was just left of the green. It actually went a lot further than I thought,” he said of his tee shot at the 309-yard 10th hole.
Although the 21-degree club, which he estimates he carries about 255 yards, has become a staple in his bag, he didn’t think it would be something he’d be able to use when he initially started tinkering with it.
“I had a hybrid and then the 5-wood. A 5-wood and my 3-wood I hit like the same distance, so [TaylorMade] made me a 7-wood,” he said. “When I first looked at it I’m like, I thought I was going to hit it straight in the air, but I hit it and it came out kind of nice and low with some spin. I was like, all right, put it in the bag.”