John Daly Goes Vertical in Open Championship

John Daly will tee off at Royal Birkdale with the Vertical Groove driver, the first time the club will be used in the Open Championship.
Daly Vertical Groove Driver
John Daly will tee off at Royal Birkdale with the Vertical Groove driver (and, presumably, longer pants).

Although not under contract with Vertical Groove, Kenny Perry used a Vertical Groove Driver to win the 2017 U.S. Senior Open.

Now the club will make its first appearance in the Open Championship July 16th-23rd at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England, where two-time major champion John Daly will play it in the 146th Edition of the event he won 22 years ago at St. Andrews.

Tony Dear wrote about the new driver last November. 

The innovative Vertical Groove Driver, which continues to gain popularity among professionals and amateurs, already has two tour victories in only its first season in the market, including a Major Championship.  In May, Daly captured his first professional tournament victory since 2004, using the Vertical Groove Driver to win the Insperity Invitational at the Woodlands Country Club in Texas.

Coming off the U.S. Senior Open victory, the Vertical Groove Driver is ranked #1 and #2 in driving distance on the PGA Tour Champions, while a host of players, including  and 2016 Sr. PGA Champion, Rocco Mediate, are currently playing the only driver to feature vertical groove face technology.

“We were confident that professional success would come quickly for the Vertical Groove Driver, but two wins, including a major, in just six months has exceeded our expectations,” said Rubin Hanan, COO/Managing Partner, Vertical Groove Golf. “What excites us even more is the increasing number of players who are teeing up the driver on the PGA Tour Champions each week. In fact, we now command the #1 and #2 positions in driving distance on the tour, which speaks volumes to the performance attributes of this product.”

Hanan adds, “More amateurs continue to see the benefits of the driver at the professional level, and are going Vertical. Having John Daly play the driver in the prestigious Open Championship gives us great exposure in Europe, especially as we have just expanded our distribution into the UK, which is the #4 golf market in the world.”

The cutting edge Vertical Groove Driver, which conforms to the Rules of Golf, is designed to reduce spin at impact, forcing tighter dispersion and leading to, on average, up to 40% straighter ball flight and up to 10 yards further in driving distance.

The 450cc Vertical Groove Driver, which is available in both right and left handed models, is offered in 8, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts (right) and 9.5 and 10.5 degree lofts (left), while featuring a full range of Aldila premium grade, tour-proven aftermarket NV2K series shafts as standard.  The available flexes include: 45 gram L (Ladies), 50 gram A (Senior), 55 gram R (Regular), 65 gram S (Stiff) and 65 gram X (Extra-stiff).   At a length of 45.5 inches, the Vertical Groove Driver provides an optimum launch angle while maximizing carry distance and ball speed for many players. It is equipped with Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips in standard, midsize and oversize models.  Alternative shaft options from Fujikura, Mitsubishi and Aldila also will be available. Suggested retail price of the Vertical Groove Driver is $399.99.

vertgolf.com

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