Why it's in the Bag: Max Homa & Richy Werenski

 Max Homa (left) and Richy Werenski (right)

It’s officially Major Season on the PGA TOUR. And as we settle in to watch all of the PGA Championship action at TPC Harding Park, we also wanted to share an exclusive look inside the bags of Titleist Brand Ambassadors Max Homa and Richy Werenski.

Both players have enjoyed some recent success on tour as they head into the first major and were both kind enough to give us the scoop on why they choose their Titleist setups and how they got dialed in.

Keep reading below for their first-hand accounts and enjoy the deep dive!

MAX HOMA

Pro V1 golf ball, TS4 (9.5°) driver w/Rogue Black 130 TX, TS3 (15°) fairway metal w/Rogue Black 80 X, U500 3-iron w/KBS Tour S-Taper, 620 MB (4-9) irons w/KBS Tour S-Taper, Vokey Design SM8 pitching (46), gap (52), sand (56) and lob (60) wedges w/KBS Hi Rev 2.0, Scotty Cameron T5 W putter.

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BALL

After switching to the new Pro V1 golf ball at the 2019 Desert Classic, Homa went on to make 7 of 9 cuts, including three top 20’s and his first Tour win at the Wells Fargo Championship in May of 2019. This season, Homa already has one 3rd place finish, four top 10's and seven top 25's in only 18 starts.

DRIVER

“When I switched to the TS4 (at the Valero Texas Open), I was looking for a driver with just a shade less spin," Homa said. "And that’s what the TS4 did for me. I was fortunate that week too to get to play a golf course where the little bit of extra roll-out in the fairways was a huge deal in San Antonio and I drove it great and fell in love with it immediately. I tested all of them. They’re all great, that one just fit my eye — I like the shape of it as well. For me, I’m a high spin player so I needed to knock that down a little bit and I thought that the TS4 did that for me.”

“Max's high spin and high speed made him a perfect candidate for this driver," said Titleist Tour Rep Jim Curran. "After nine holes in his first practice round at Valero, Max said the spin reduction was very positive, he saw increased distance and he would be putting it in play that week. He immediately liked the size and shape of the TS4 when he first saw it, and we kept him in the same 9.5 loft that he was using in his TS3. He said he could still hit his 'fairway finder' fade, only it's longer.  Max also said he can use the driver off the deck when necessary on the longer par 5's."

FAIRWAY METAL

“Titleist 3 woods have always been my favorite," Homa said. "I like the shape of them a lot. Every new one that comes out I put straight in the bag”

UTILITY IRON & IRONS

“I’ve been using the Titleist utility irons since they came out. They go quite a bit higher than a normal 3 iron and I just think they’re a bit easier to hit so that’s been a staple in my bag,” Homa said.

Sticking with a similar setup he has on his utility iron, Homa plays KBS Tour S-Taper shafts in all his irons and has typically played blades throughout his career.  “I’ve always liked the muscle back Titleist clubs. They have that classic look.”

WEDGES

Gaming four Vokey Design SM8 wedges, Homa has complete trust in the master craftsman. “[Vokey] has always been the epitome of what a wedge should be — what it should look like; how it should perform,” he said.

Homa typically has a Vokey Design SM8 60.10K lob wedge in the bag, but has swtitched this week to a 60.04L lob wedge due to the firm bunkers at Harding Park. "I thought I needed a little less bounce to get under the ball and get into the sand a little more so I can get the ball in the air or else I would just kinda bounce my wedge into the ball and hit those not-so-fun skulls," Homa said.

PUTTER

To Max Homa, the name Scotty Cameron is deeply personal— not just because his dog is named Scotty Cameron. “One day I woke up and my dad kind of surprised me... I think I was 14 or 15, he got me a Teryllium, and I’ll never forget it because I still have it. I actually ended up bringing it back to Scotty so they can stamp my name on it and just make it mine. That was my first one. I loved it and I just remember the first high school tournament I played with it, I won. That might have either been the first one or one of first ones, and I just remember thinking ‘this thing is magical.’”

Having always been a "big blade guy," Homa switched to a mallet last year (T5 W prototype putter).

RICHY WERENSKI

Pro V1x left dash golf ball, TS4 (10.5°) driver, TS3 (15.0°) fairway metal, 818 H2 (17.0°) hybrid, T100 (3-5) and 620 MB (6-9) irons, Vokey Design SM8 pitching (46°), sand (54°) and lob (60°) wedges, Scotty Cameron GSS putter.

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BALL

“I have always played the Pro V1x because of the firmer feel. It just feels natural to me. I started doing some serious golf ball testing at the beginning of the 2018 season when I was searching for more distance with my driver. When we hit the Pro V1x Left Dash for the first time at the Sanderson Farms a couple of years ago, I loved how easy it launched, and the spin numbers were ideal. The spin wasn’t too low, and the golf ball stayed in the air plenty long enough. So I liked that, and it felt just like the stock ProV1x I was playing. The spin around the greens was a little different than what I was used to, but I have learned to make this ball stop in more and different ways which has been great for my game and has made the switch easier.

“The Pro V1x Left Dash is great in the wind, and even if I don't hit it perfectly solid, it's just very consistent. A very consistent, very predictable golf ball, and that’s what I like about most it. That’s why I have played Titleist golf balls my whole life. Once I made the switch to the Left Dash, I haven’t looked back.”

DRIVER

“I played the TS3 before the TS4, but I started messing around with the TS4 at the Zurich Classic last year. I love how it looks, first of all. It's the best looking head to me. I'm not one of the longest hitters on tour, but I can hit it pretty straight. What I love about the TS4 is, while I don't necessarily get the spin that some of the other heads get, it works perfectly with the combination of my Atmos shaft. We did a little bit of work with shafts, messing around with all different combinations, but this one just seemed like the best. It launched it really easily, and it just feels awesome. I mean, I don't feel like I need to help to get the ball up in the air. And then when it's not spinning, it stays in the air and hits the ground, and gets some roll. So that's what I was looking for and we got it pretty dialed in.”

FAIRWAY METAL

“I’ve had my TS3 fairway in the bag for a couple of years now. I haven’t changed it since I got it. It fits a perfect gap for me. I hit it about 265 yards and a little longer if I step on it. I feel really confident with it off the tee. It doesn’t spin much so when it hits the ground it rolls, and that's why I like it. I don't really need it if I'm hitting it into a par five or something. I mean, I'm a long way away and so I'm not really trying to get too aggressive with that. So I'm not really worried about having that one spin a little bit more. I use it most of the time off of a tee. So I like to keep the spin down off of the tee, for sure.”

HYBRID

“My hybrid is another great gap filler. I use it a lot off tee, and it’s one of my favorite clubs in the bag. I absolutely love that thing and have it so dialed in right now. I can hit almost every shot with it. I can hit it high and with a little bit of spin if I do need it into a par five or something like that. I can also hit a lower one that doesn't have much spin, and it stays out of the wind, and be really good off the tee. So it's really versatile for me. I mean, I can hit a bunch of different shots with it, and I love that club."

IRONS

“Before the T100 irons came out I was always just a straight blade guy throughout the bag. I remember it was at the Travelers last June when I went from the 718 MB to the split set of 620 MB and T100’s. I love the blades, but when I would miss hit one, it would lose a little distance. For example, I'd be hitting a 5-iron into a green, and just catch it a little thin, and it comes up short in the bunker. When Titleist came out with the T100’s, I tried them andthey're so easy to hit. It's a joke. I mean, they feel so good when you hit it into center too. So I went with the T100 in the 3 through 5 and stuck with the blades in the 6 through 9.”

“It was pretty easy transition for me to get into the combo set. We did a lot of work with (Director of Titleist Player Promotion) J.J. (VanWezenbeeck) on the range, and we were using TrackMan and stuff like that. The gapping between the 5 and 6-irons was good. The trajectory, height and spin, and all that stuff was good. I mean, it wasn't hard at all. It just went in the bag and we never looked back.”

“I love the look of the T100s. They're awesome. The blade look to me, is what an iron should look like. And so, when I start messing around with some cavity backs and stuff like that, I don't like offset and I want it to have a good looking top line. I don't like looking down at something that's really fat. So they look really good to my eye. I don't really feel like I'm looking down at something that's so easy to hit. So it was awesome. It was a really easy switch for me.”

“I love having the combination of the T100 and the 620 MB. The T100’s launch it really nice, and they don't spin too much for me, which is good. So I can hit that higher one if I need to, but I can also work it a little bit. Not quite as much as a blade. But when you're hitting a 4 or 5-iron into a green, you're probably not trying to work it too much. So that wasn't super important to me. It was just getting that consistent yardages. And so if I do miss hit a little bit, instead of ending up in the bunker, it hits on the front of the green and maybe releases a little bit. It allows me a bit more freedom in the long irons.”

WEDGES

“I’m pretty low maintenance across the board with my equipment and that goes for wedges as well. (Vokey Tour Rep) Aaron Dill is incredible. He's the best at his job that I've ever seen. He's got so much information, he just makes it easy to work with. I mean, I don't work with him every week, but anytime I have a question he’s there. For a while, I was struggling out of firmer bunkers. Less sand, firm bunkers. I was struggling, hitting a high soft one. And I had him watch me hit a few, and he grabbed a couple of different wedges, a couple of different 60s, and gave me a couple tips on my technique. And I mean, we got it dialed in. So he does a really good job of knowing exactly what you should be in, but he lets you figure that out while you're working with him. So right now I’m in a 46.10F pitching, 54.08M sand, and 60.10S lob wedge.”

“I used the lob wedge to pitch in on No. 16 for eagle on Sunday, and on No. 18 I opened up the pitching wedge," Werenski said of his recent win at Barracuda Championship. "My only choices were to play to the left side of the green and have a 40-footer at best or go over the tree. My caddie and I talked about it a lot and we knew if I opened up my 46 a bit and hit it hard and clean we should have enough to get over and get close to pin. We were confident in our decision, the ball and club, and executed the shot we planned if we were to have any chance to win.”

PUTTER

"I use a Newport-style GSS. I have only had this one for a few months, but it’s basically the same as my old one that I used for over a year. Scotty Cameron putters are the best in my opinion and I have used one my entire life. I’ve been to the Cameron Studio once and worked with Paul Vizanko. It was an amazing experience. At the time I was in college and got to sign the same wall as all the best players in the world. It was very cool to see the signatures of all those great champions. [Scotty Cameron Tour Rep] Drew Page has been great to me out on tour and he really knows his stuff. I don’t see myself changing putters anytime soon.”

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Good luck to Max and Richy at Harding Park this week!

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