Since switching to Nike's Victory Red (VR) irons, a new Nike prototype
putter and the new Nike ONE Tour ball, Paul has enjoyed a banner
2009 season which moved him up to third in the World Rankings

IRONS

2 & 3-IRONS NIKE PRO COMBO
4 & 5-IRONS NIKE VR SPLIT CAVITY
6-IRON TO PW NIKE VR TW BLADES

If I don't want to carry my 5-wood because of the course or conditions, I'll take my 2-iron. This is a great club off the tee where I may need to hit it 250 yards into a narrow gap. It is very accurate; it doesn't stop that quickly unless you cut it. You just point it in one direction and it laser beams down there. It's not a club to hit out of a poor lie. It's a full over-sized forged caVity-back, certainly more forgiving than the other clubs in my bag! I match my 3-iron with the same Project X7.0 shaft as in my 2-iron.
I use the Nike Split Cavity in 4- and 5-irons, which are absolutely phenomenal. I could really consider going the full set, but I really
don't need that much assistance. I am still able to shape them exactly how I want - they are simply brilliant clubs. There is just a fraction more forgiveness with the splits. I change into the blades from 6-iron down. The mid- and low-irons have a slightly better feel. I feel there is a good progression in the forgiveness between my clubs.
I used to be a low ball-hitter when I was an amateur, because my swing was fairly terrible. But since I went to the States and worked on my swing, I have a fairly high ball flight. I have particular shaped shots that I like to hit with certain clubs, so the 2-iron I like to draw, while the 5-wood I like to fade and the 3-wood is fairly neutral. I like to fade my driver if I can. Now I have to work harder to hit low ball flights. With 90% of the courses that we play you are looking to get the ball to stop as quickly as possible. With the greens being so hard now - and there being loads of trouble in front of them - you really are trying to get the ball to stop just as it hits the green.

 

KEY IRON STATS
Greens in Regulation Percentage: 68.21%
Birdie average: 3.81 per round
GIR from over 200 yards: 47.8%
Total birdies: 137

FAIRWAY WOODS
NIKE SQ SUMO 11 13° 3-WOOD
NIKE SQ SUMO 11 19° 5-WOOD
(Mitsubishi Diamana Blue 103x shaft)
The shaft in my fairway woods is supposed to give a mid trajectory, but as my 3-wood has only 13° of loft it still gives me a penetrating flight - it iS 103gm as well, which is heavy. This is a club that I rarely use off the deck into par 5s, it is mainly a teeshot club to get myself into position. It still goes a very long way! In flat, calm conditions I can easily hit it 270-275 yards. I used it a lot when I won at Wentworth and in my win at Houston, where there was a strong wind. On the final hole there I used this club even though it is a 470-yard par 4. It's a club that I can turn to in pressure situations and I also find it easier to work, even more so than the driver, especially when I want to move it right to left and keep the trajectory down.
My 5-wood has the same shaft and is a club that gives methe ability to hit it out of almost any lie, and I can get it up quite high so it stops quickly, although it sometimes is quite tough to get it running. I can hit it low, but it just doesn't want to get skipping along the ground. It is a great club off the fairway.

 

KEY WOOD STATS
Holes per eagle: 216
Par-5 performance: -52

DRIVER - Nike SQ 460 Tour 8.5° (Mitsubishi Diamana White 83x shaft)
I am one of the few Nike players still using the SQTour. I have tried some of the new square drivers as they offer a higher MOI and straight ball flight, but I actually prefer something that I can work. I'm not bashing new technology, it's just that I'm slightly old-fashioned and I like to move the golf ball. Square drivers are great for amateurs, but for someone like me who wants to hit draws and cuts they are actually too good. I like to have a classic headshape. I use a Mitsubishi Diamana Whiteboard 83x flex shaft, but when I tested Nike's Str8-Fit I had to drop ten grams to get the same launch monitor numbers.

 

KEY DRIVING STATS
Distance: 295.8 yards
Accuracy: 62.9%
Longest drive: 362 yards

WEDGES

54° NIKE VR (BENT TO 52°)

60° NIKE VR (BENTTO 59°)

My wedges are pretty much off-the-shelf stock. I bent the 60° to 59° because I always play with a 59°. I am not sure why - perhaps it puts a little bit more offset in it. Similarly, the 54° I have bent to 52° which means it just knocks back that leading edge - if it is sticking out too much I feel the ball gets into the air too quickly. By knocking it back I get a slightly lower trajectory and you don't lose any spin. You do lose some of the bounce by taking the degree down, but they have quite wide soles which means I can get away with losing a bit of bounce.

 

KEY WEDGE STATS
Sand Save Percentage: 39.-71%

Scrambling: 52.4%

PUTTER
Nike Method #001.
Putter length 34 inches, 4 degrees of loft, 71 degree lie angle.

I have not always been a classic-shaped putter man, but this really suits me. I have grooves and a polymer insert in it. I feel very happy with this on any course whether it be in Europe or America, it really produces a very good roll. I think I was the first person to win with this, in Abu Dhabi, and then also I was the first person to win with it on the PGATour in Houston. I like the detailing at the bottom of mine with a map of Texas. I use a corded grip, which is unlike some of the other guys who really like a soft grip. It's just something I prefer.


KEY PUTTING STATS
Putting Average: 1.781 per green
Putts Per Round: 29.58
Putts per GIR: 1.75

BALL
Nike One Tour

(My caddy marks a dot between the Nike Swish and the number)

RAINWARE
Nike Waterproof Jacket and Trousers

TEES
Nike

GLOVES
Nike Dri Fit Tour

SHOES
Nike Air Zoom Elite II

OTHER STUFF
Blackberry mobile, Sunscreen, Knife (crucial for caddy to sharpen pencils, or to use as scissors for loose clothing etc or a corkscrew & White Discs ( same size as a golf hole, use them for putting and chipping practice)