Scheffler, McIlroy, Woods: which golf ball do the world's best players use and why?

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The world's best players, whether through multiple sponsorship deals or personal choice, use different golf balls for different reasons.

But what are their thought processes?

We look at what goes through a player's mind when he chooses the one constant in a round of golf: the ball.

Scottie Scheffler – Titleist ProV1

Titleist says: “The Pro V1 is the premium performance option for many players, and the most popular golf ball model. The Pro V1 has a softer feel, less spin and a flatter trajectory than the Pro V1x, making it the model of choice for players who want more distance, the ability to shoot on the fly, and score with precision and touch.”

Scheffler says: “It was a great ball game when I was introduced to it, everyone wanted to play Titleist and I still feel like everyone wants to play Titleist and you can see the consistency over time. You always play a different kind of shot. I rarely hit a stock shot, you always try to do something small with the ball.

“So having that is consistent and knowing that the golf ball is going to react the way I need it to react when it comes off the face and when it's on the green – especially when you go into a Tour set-up where the greens are crazy. you're tight, the wind is blowing – you have to have complete control over where that golf ball is going to go. I feel like I've found that out with the Titleist ball over the years, and I'm really looking forward to how it reacts.

“It's one shot that I always practice when I'm going to get something out of it. I need to see if it's still the same distance gaps between my perfect shot and when I take something out of it. If I have a little mishit or if the shot doesn't feel right, I usually have a really good feel for how far it went.

If my stock wedge is 140 and I'm trying to hit 135, and maybe I'm holding back a little bit and I'm like, 'man that feels like 132,' if it goes that distance, that's really important to me. And that gives me a lot of faith in what that golf ball is going to do.”

Ludwig Aberg – Titleist Pro V1x

Titleist says: “The Pro V1x is the perfect choice for premium performance for players who want more distance, higher flight and more stopping power. The Pro V1x is often recommended for players with naturally low launch conditions and low spin. “

Aberg says: “I like to put spin on the ball. I like to hit it a little higher so I have a little bit of a different angle coming into the hard greens that we play here on the PGA Tour. So I think the Pro V1x helps me with that and helps me compete with the best players in the world. I just love the feel around the greens, putting, cutting, I love the soft feel (of the 2023 Pro V1x), and it flies the way I want.

“What you want when you're teeing off is that little extra feel to test the green, and to make sure that when the green gets a little tighter and faster, you can still put that spin on it. What I feel about it [the Pro V1x] let me do it. Chipping and the short game is based on intuition – what you like to hear, what you don't like to hear. And this allows me to have that creative mindset.

“You're always looking for the perfect shot and execution. It's not always going to happen, but at least this golf ball allows you to have that consistency and that way I know exactly what it's going to do when it responds to the green, when it responds to the wind. This allows me to have my spin rate at a consistent level, which allows me to get better scores.”

Bryson DeChambeau – Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash

Titleist says: “Left Dash golf balls are designed for players who want a high flight like the Pro V1x with a full low spin and solid feel. This model brings a different combination of performance features than the Pro V1 and Pro V1x and allows players to fine tune their flight, feel and spin.

DeChambeau says: “It's not a spinny golf ball, and you need a lot of spin to control the golf ball here (Pinehurst). But that's what I'm comfortable with. That's what I like to use on my irons. This is the kind of flight I need to get some air.

“I soak my golf balls in Epsom salt, we actually float the golf balls in the solution to make sure the ball doesn't bounce. The heavy slide floats on the ground, and we mark the top with a dot to make sure it keeps rolling on itself. It works like a mortar. If there is too much weight on one side, you can put it at 90 degrees when you paint on the right or paint on the left. I use mud as a weight reference there. It will fly the other way and fly inconsistently.”

Rory McIlroy – TaylorMade TP5x

TaylorMade says: “The TP5x is TaylorMade's fastest 5-layer Tour ball, which prioritizes ball speed for golfers looking for increased speed off the clubface. It delivers low spin performance with driver and long irons for more distance, while maintaining exceptional greenside control. The new Speed​​​​ Wrapped Core means ½ club length while delivering a softer sound and better feel.

McIlroy says: “It was a good opportunity to test it at least in Dubai, you have desert conditions and not much wind. Obviously I tested it a little bit at home, I liked that it was a touch lower launch than the golf I've been playing, and then a touch lower spin as well.

“The greens are very firm over the weekend on both courses, so it was a good test to make sure the mid-irons turned green and could hold the greens. And it's fast, it's a really fast golf ball. I definitely feel like I took it a little too fast with it, especially off the tee. It's a ball that spins a little but it feels soft to me near the green, so I like that feel of it.”

Xander Schauffele – Callaway Chrome Tour

Callaway says: “The Spine is designed for advanced players who want the best balance of long range and soft feel. This new, uniquely designed aerodynamic package is designed for stable ball flights in any condition. Better players can follow shots with more spin in the bag, while the cover system provides outstanding control and a tour-level feel.”

Schauffele says: “The new golf ball was amazing. It checks all the boxes for me. It has a very stable flight off the tee. Maintains spin well on short shots. Good spin and feel close to the green.

“Perhaps the most impressive thing about football is its stability in the air. It can be tricky to find a ball that performs well with every club in the bag, but that's exactly what the Chrome Tour does.”

Jon Rahm – Callaway Chrome Tour X

Callaway says: “Fast ball speed from the new Hyper Fast Soft Core. The core is designed for advanced players who want maximum ball speed and distance, especially without a driver. The best exchange for greenside spin and control from the new high performance Urethane Tour is the soft Urethane cover. Better players can use the spin and performance on the Chrome Tour X to hit more accurate iron shots and wedges.”

Jon Rahm says (about his move to Callaway in 2021): “I saw an opportunity to improve my short-iron game, which has improved over the last few years, but it's something I feel like I can improve a lot. I can add various shots now. The golf ball was one of the key ingredients. Once I see that I can hit it well, like I did a few years ago, I can try to strengthen the weaknesses.”

Callaway's former PGA Tour manager Jacob Davidson says: “We gave him a bucket of balls and we knew that in order to win his confidence with the ball, we had to work from the green back. He went to the green and started hitting shots. He hits shots with our ball and his previous ball. He compared the way they came out of their invention, and the way they reacted to being green. I think from then on he was very happy because he saw things he had never seen before.

“Then we went back to the middle of the bag. It was a windy day so we were able to test different shots and Jon is a sound player and wants to hit all different types of shots. He felt comfortable with the way the ball was playing, from there we went to the forest, and when we got to the driver, he saw the speed of the ball increase more than what he was playing with.”

Tiger Woods – Bridgestone Tour BX

Bridgestone says: “The Tour BX delivers increased ball speed long off the tee and hits and stays on approach shots. Tiger Woods and Jason Day helped develop the Tour BX and play it in a professional tournament.”

Woods says: “I'm always looking for more distance off the tee and more control on the green, that's the Holy Grail and that's what Bridgestone brings with the Tour B X. I tell people all the time how important it is to make the ball fit, and if you're fit, so that I can be good again. Bridgestone put me back on the Tour BX and it has more pop and control that I need on the greens. “

READ MORE: PXG: Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X golf balls “take it to the next level”