By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Apparel scripting is no longer reserved for the four major championships. This week at THE PLAYERS Championship, Sean O'Hair, Stewart Cink, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Jason Day will be outfitted in custom pink Ashworth and adidas apparel for one of the highest-profile events on the PGA TOUR schedule.

O'Hair, Cink and Rose will wear a rotation of the four Ashworth shirts during the tournament but will all wear the Sunday shirt. Johnson, Day and Garcia will do the same thing with adidas' four shirts; however, unlike the last time around at the Masters — all three players wore the same outfit during the first round — the players will rotate the looks.

Ashworth and adidas will also release limited edition pink footwear in support of THE PLAYERS Championship's "Pink Out" on Sunday, May 12 (Mother's Day).

Rickie Fowler switched to Titleist's Pro V1 ball after years with the Pro V1x. (Ehrmann/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Titleist's Pro V1x ball has been a staple of Rickie Fowler's bag since he turned pro in 2009. Even though he's never been quick to change balls — he used the 2009 Pro V1x for a portion of last season — Fowler has transitioned into the latest version of the ball over the years.

Earlier this season Fowler switched to the new 2013 Pro V1x and opened with four top-15 finishes in his first seven starts. But following a T-32 finish at the Masters, Fowler made the decision to start testing the 2013 Pro V1 on the range at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

One week later at the Wells Fargo Championship, Fowler put the Pro V1 in play at the Wells Fargo Championship. According to Titleist Golf Ball Tech rep Jeff Beyes, who spent time walking with Fowler early in the week at Quail Hollow, Fowler thought the iron trajectories and distances with the Pro V1 were similar to the 2013 Pro V1x he had been playing.

Where the ball really seemed to separate itself, when compared to his Pro V1x, was with the driver. Fowler and caddie Joe Skovron felt the Pro V1 was slightly longer with the driver, based on Fowler's launch, spin and overall flight characteristics.

To the casual golf fan, the switch may seem like a lateral move, but it's more common to see a player switch to an updated version of the same ball he was playing than to a slightly different model within the same family of balls. Especially when you consider Fowler's history with the Pro V1x.

As you'd expect, there are a few differences between the two balls. The three-piece Pro V1 is softer than the four-piece Pro V1x, spins slightly less, and flies marginally lower.

Adam Scott won the Masters last month with Titleist's 2013 Pro V1. Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, Webb Simpson and Zach Johnson are a few of the notables currently using the 2013 Pro V1x.

For more information or to purchase Titleist's Pro V1, click here.

Ben Curtis is the latest player to put Aerotech shafts his irons. (Cannon/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

In preparation for the course setup at Augusta National, Angel Cabrera made a number of equipment changes for the year's first major. The 2009 Masters winner went back to his PING S56 irons and added a fourth wedge to the bag (48, 52, 56, 62 degrees).

In his first PGA TOUR since the runner-up finish, at the Wells Fargo Championship, Cabrera kept the S56 irons in the bag but went back to the three-wedge setup (48, 54, 60 degrees) he had pre-Masters.

Phil Mickelson goes with new driver shaft: Phil Mickelson went with a Mitsubishi Kai'li 60xx shaft in his 8.5-degree Callaway X Hot Phrankenwood driver at the Wells Fargo Championship. Mickelson had been using a 45-inch Fubuki k 70X Prototype.

With the new shaft in the driver, Mickelson ranked 21st in driving distance and 53rd in driving accuracy for the week.

Morgan Hoffman tweaks driver setup: Morgan Hoffman made a necessary adjustment to his Titleist 913D3 driver this week after working with Titleist PGA TOUR rep Chris Tuten.

Hitting it high and to the right with his 8.5-degree 913D3, Hoffman switched to a 7.5-degree head but noticed he was still hitting it off the heel. Tuten suggested Hoffman choke down on the club a half inch and he started hitting the ball off the center of the clubface.

"I built him a 44.5-inch UST V2 86X shaft, which was a half-inch shorter than what he was playing," Tuten said. "But when we tried that setup we noticed the ball was still falling out of the air. We changed a couple settings and eventually figured we needed to go to a UST V2 86X that was tipped one inch instead of an inch and a half."

Using Titleist's SureFit Tour hosel, Hoffman then adjusted the driver to the D1 setting with a straight face angle to get his preferred ball flight.

O'Hair goes with TaylorMade R1: Sean O'Hair switched to a 9.5-degree TaylorMade R1 driver (neutral sole plate, 8 grams in the heel and 4 grams in the toe) following early testing on Monday and Tuesday.

O'Hair, who had been using an 8.5-degree TaylorMade RBZ driver, was looking for a flatter flight with a higher tendency to draw the ball.

Steelfiber switch for Ben Curtis: Ben Curtis became the latest player to switch to Aerotech's SteelFiber shafts. Curtis had been playing True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts but liked that SteelFiber's i110 allowed him to keep his long irons in the bag — as opposed to using hybrids — with his preferred trajectory.

Gainey changes balls: Tommy Gainey switched into Callaway's new HEX Chrome+ ball following on-course testing early in the week. Gainey said added distance control and feel around the green were the main reasons why he made the change.

Webb Simpson won't make changes for U.S. Open: Asked during Monday's U.S. Open Media Day at Merion Golf Club if he'd make any equipment changes prior to the second major of the year, the reigning U.S. Open champion said he wouldn't adjust his current setup.

"I won't," Simpson said. "Technology now is so good that I have a hybrid 3‑iron and I can hit that 3‑iron as high as I want and as low as I want. Normally I might, it would be smart for me to take a 3‑iron up there because I will hit that off the tees a bunch but in terms of the middle part of the golf course especially where you'll hit a lot of 3‑irons and 5‑woods, I feel comfortable enough with being able to control my trajectory that I probably won't. And I won't. A lot of guys will put in a low lofted lob wedge, but I don't do that, so I probably won't change anything.

Divots: Looking for a new shaft setup in his driver, Stephen Ames switched to a new Accra Prototype shaft in his Nike VR_S Covert driver. Ames felt the new setup allowed him to get a couple extra yards off the tee. ... David Lingmerth was the first player to carry PING's new Nome TR putter. ... Aaron Watkins made a slight tweak to his Callaway X Hot Pro (7.5 degrees) driver, making it 1 degree more upright for additional control off the tee. ... Scott Brown switched from Nike's VR Pro Limited Edition driver to a Nike VR_S Covert Tour.

Graeme McDowell won the RBC Heritage with a mixed set of irons. (Lecka/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM equipment insider

Using a mixed set of irons on the PGA TOUR is something that rarely registers an eyebrow raise on a week-to-week basis. Last week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 68 players had at least one iron that was different from the rest of their current set, while 25 players had at least two different irons in the bag.

This week at the Wells Fargo Championship, Phil Mickelson was one of the notables in the field who used a mixed set with three Callaway RAZR X MB (4-6) irons and four Callaway X Forged 2013 (7-PW) irons. 

And if you're looking for a recent mixed-set winner, look no further than Graeme McDowell, who won several weeks ago at the RBC Heritage with four different iron models (Cleveland 588 MT (3), Cleveland 588 TT (4), Srixon Z-TX II (5-9) and Cleveland Reg 588 Raw (PW)).

In recent years, players rarely mixed iron sets, choosing instead to drop long irons and incorporate hybrids. But with the return of utility irons like Titleist's 712U and Callaway's X Utility Prototype, hybrids are no longer the only long-iron alternative. 

Cleveland Golf has seen a massive spike this season in mixed sets and utility iron use, thanks in large part to its 588 line. The 588 MT (Mid Trajectory) long irons, the company's game-improvement long irons, have become a bag staple for a number of players this year — along with the 588 TT (Tour Trajectory), which has a lower ball flight -- to the point that Cleveland found itself at the top of the utility iron category the last two weeks at the Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship. 

The craziest part of all? The 588 MT was never designed to be a utility iron. However, that didn't stop a number of players from replacing their current utility irons and hybrids with Cleveland's 588 MT, which has a hollow head design that allows weight to be distributed for a lower, deeper center of gravity.

Aside from McDowell, who used a 588 MT 3-iron and 588 TT 4-iron at the RBC Heritage, Keegan Bradley (Cleveland 588 MT 4-iron), Charlie Beljam (588 MT 2-, 3- and 4-iron) and Jerry Kelly (588 MT 3-iron) are also using mixed sets with at least one of 588 MT.

"I think players like them as a long-iron alternative because they're easy to hit and go forever," said Cleveland Golf PGA TOUR rep Rob Waters. "The additional length and the ability to work the ball are just a few of the reasons we've seen so many staffers put them in the bag."

For more information or to buy Cleveland's 588 MT or TT line, click here.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Getting into the field as the fourth alternate, PGA TOUR rookie Derek Ernst made the most of his eighth start this season by winning the Wells Fargo Championship in a playoff over David Lynn. 

With the victory, Ernst also secured his place in next week's PLAYERS Championship field. 

The 22-year-old recently switched to a PING Scottsdale TR (True Roll) Grayhawk putter at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and posted his best finish of the season (T47). One week later picked up his first PGA TOUR win with the new putter in the bag. 

Derek Ernst's bag
Driver: PING i20 (45.25-inch PING TFC 707-X shaft), 9.5 degree
3-wood: PING i15 (Grafalloy PL Red-X shaft), 14 degrees
Hybrid: PING Anser (Oban Kiyoshi-X, D2 shaft), 17 degrees
Irons (3-PW): PING S56 (Royal Precision Project X 6.5 shafts)
Wedges: PING Gorge (54, 58 degrees; Royal Precision Project X 6.5 shafts)
Putter: PING Scottsdale TR Grayhawk
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Martin Laird went from Titelist's ProV1x to TaylorMade's Lethal ball this season.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Like a majority of players on the PGA TOUR, Martin Laird is a creature of habit when it comes to his equipment. Take a look his golf ball, a piece of equipment Laird said on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship was the most important in his bag. 

"The ball is the only piece of equipment you use for every shot," Laird said. "If you don't have trust in your ball to get it to do what you want to do, it doesn't matter what kind of driver or 7-iron you have, it's definitely going to be a lot harder." 

Laird had played a Titleist ball since his amateur days and had been using a 2009 Titleist Pro V1x – a ball he used to record his first two PGA TOUR victories -- until last season. He passed on the 2011 version because of the comfort level he had with the older model.

"When I win a tournament with a set of irons or a ball, there's a good chance those clubs are going to stay in the bag for a while. Most players would agree with that line of thinking. You just don't see a reason to switch."

It wasn't until last season that Laird seriously considered testing balls and switching to something new. Only instead of sticking with Titleist, he decided to flip the script and test out TaylorMade's 5-layer Lethal ball. 

A feel player who doesn't even know the length of his driver or putter, or his launch monitor numbers, Laird admitted the process he goes through to test a new ball is fairly simple. 

Instead of pouring over data, Laird spends time hitting pitch shots from 30-40 yards to see how the ball reacts around the hole. The shot sounds simple, but he said the pitch shot is the most critical part of his testing process. 

"The first thing I do when I start ball testing is go 30 or 40 yards from the green and hit some pitches," Laird said, "because that's the one shot that tells me how the ball reacts spin-wise around the greens. I need a ball for the pitching distance that's going to have some feel and be able to flight a particular way so it one-hops and stops.

"With the Lethal ball I could tell within three shots that I liked it. It came out right like I wanted with the control that I wanted. From there I went around the green and hit some other chips, and then I started going back from there and hit full shots." 

Three shots. That's all it took for Laird to decide it was worth moving forward in the testing process. From there he spent time working on a launch monitor at last year's BMW Championship, going through every iron in his bag to see how Lethal's spin rate compared to the Titleist Pro V1x. 

"We got on the launch monitor at the BMW Championship last year and I went through all the irons, comparing the spin rates between my currently ball and Lethal, and Lethal didn't produce as much spin with the 9-iron, pitching wedge and sand wedge, which was perfect.

"Everything checked out with Lethal and that point it was just getting completely comfortable with it on the course, and I was able to do that during the off-season."

One of the higher ball hitters on the PGA TOUR, Laird also noted Letha's 5-layer technology — which promotes optimum spin and a penetrating ball flight — not only allowed him to hit full wedge shots into the hole with less spin, but also flight the ball through the wind — something Laird had to do at TPC San Antonio the week before the Masters.

"To be honest, the week of [the Valero Texas Open] was the first time I really had to deal with strong winds that year," Laird said. "I tested the ball in the wind, but San Antonio was the first time I really saw the technology in gusty conditions." 

Battling the winds all week, Laird put everything together during the final round, firing 9-under 63 to become the first player to win with TaylorMade's new ball.

"Not everyone goes about testing a new ball the same way I do, but I trust my process," said Laird. "I only switch equipment if I believe it's better than what I'm currently playing. I think the win in San Antonio validated the work I put in with the ball during the offseason."

For more information or to purchase TaylorMade's Lethal ball, click here.

Fans will have a chance to buy a rare Ashworth shirt honoring Fred Couples. (Photo: Ashworth Golf)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

To commemorate Fred Couples' induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame on May 6, Ashworth will release 300 individually numbered Fred Couples edition shirts.

Each shirt in the collection will be numbered inside the placket, with Couples receiving the first shirt (1/300). According to Ashworth, the color of blue (azure) is Couples' favorite and features double-knit EZ-TEC2 performance fabric.

“When you think of Ashworth, you immediately think style and of course Fred Couples,” said Susan Bush, VP of Ashworth. “We are very excited for Fred to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and are extremely honored to create a special shirt that truly reflects his personality and favorite elements.”

The shirt also features Couples' signature in green on the inside neck and green thread on the top button of the placket in honor of his 1992 Masters victory.

A black TaylorMade R1 driver has been spotted on the USGA's conforming driver list. (Photo: USGA)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The USGA's conforming driver list has become a popular place for equipment gossip during the last few weeks. The first photos of Callaway's Phrankenwood driver showed up in the database right before the first round of the Masters, leading to a flurry of rumors and speculation before Phil Mickelson set the record straight during his press conference.

Just a couple weeks removed from the first major of the year, TaylorMade joined the equipment rumor mill when a black TaylorMade R1 driver appeared on the site.

While the photo doesn't offer up a whole lot of details — except that it's a left-handed R1 driver with a TaylorMade logo alignment mark and black paint on the crown — TaylorMade Public Relations Manager Dave Cordero confirmed the model is a smaller-headed 400 cc (the current R1 is 460 cc), left-handed R1 prototype, but that it wouldn't be coming to retail.

Even though the driver is just a prototype, the fact that TaylorMade designed a black R1 in a left-handed model would lead you to believe the club was being built for a left-handed tour player to test at some point.

Hunter Mahan with one of his S56 irons late in 2012. (Redington/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The first four months of Hunter Mahan's 2013 season have resembled a roller coaster ride. The five-time PGA TOUR winner started off on a high note, finishing inside the top-20 in five of his first six events, including a runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Since the Shell Houston Open, however, Mahan's struggled to find his game, missing the cut in Houston and at the Masters, while also posting an "MDF" at the RBC Heritage. 

The lack of consistency forced Mahan to make a switch at the Wells Fargo Championship and shelve his PING Anser irons for a set of PING S56 irons. 

The S56 irons were in the bag last season when he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play and Shell Houston Open. 

Mahan had been struggling with his distance control over the past several weeks and felt a switch back to an iron he had success with last season could rectify the problem. 

The Wells Fargo Championship could be the perfect place for Mahan to get back on track. In his last five starts at Quail Hollow Club, he's posted three top-20 finishes (his best a T12 in 2008).

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A little more than a year after Hunter Mahan put PING's Nome putter on the map with wins at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and Shell Houston Open, PING unveiled a new version called Nome TR on Monday at the Wells Fargo Championship. 

Taking a page from the recently-released Scottsdale TR line, which has an aluminum, variable-depth groove inset, PING added the same technology to 350-gram Nome TR with the addition of variable-depth grooves — the grooves are deepest in the center and get shallower toward the perimeter to deliver consistent ball speeds — that are milled directly into the face of the C805-aluminum putter head.

"The insert in the Scottsdale TR putter and Nome are both made out of aluminum," said Brad Schweigert, PING's Director of Engineering. "We were able to get weight out of the putter by milling the grooves into the face, and they work just the same as the inset you'd find in a Scottsdale TR."

While the milled grooves will likely be the most talked-about addition to Nome TR, Schweigert noted that a lot of work also went into improving the alignment bar and sightline.

As opposed to last year's model that featured a black alignment bar and white sightline, PING went a different direction, making the alignment bar white and the sightline black on the new model for easy aiming.

The reason for the switch? Schweigert said his team spent considerable time combing through alignment studies and found that by going with a non-glare matte-black body — instead of the original "nano nickel" satin-finish — they were able to get the alignment bar and sightline to pop against the putter head.

"Changing the color scheme doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but going with black makes everything disappear and allows you to focus on alignment over the putt," Schweigert said. "We did that before with Nome the first time around, but the new look definitely helps."

Like the first version, Nome TR remains a high-MOI putter that offers extreme forgiveness and balance due to a lightweight head and perimeter weighting in the form of tungsten-composite sole weights.

The putter comes in three different shaft bends to fit Straight, Slight Arc, or Strong Arc putting strokes. It will also be available in an adjustable-length version that can go from 31 inches to 38 inches.

Nome TR will be available in mid-May for $305 with a fixed-length shaft, and $340 with an adjustable-length shaft.

For more information or to buy a putter from PING's TR line, click here.