[Winner's Club] Driver Swing Adjustment Pays Off

by Roh Woolae

Published 13 May.2025 09:00(KST)

Updated 14 May.2025 07:17(KST)

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Straka Wins Truist Championship
Takes a Gamble by Changing Driver Swing Mid-Tournament
Equips Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver
Impressive 71.43% Fairway Hit Rate in Final Round

Jeff Straka (Austria) made a bold move and it paid off.

On May 11 (local time), Straka claimed victory at the Truist Championship, a PGA Tour Signature event with a total purse of $20 million, held at the Wissahickon Course (par 70) of the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Pennsylvania, USA. This marked his second win of the season, coming four months after his previous victory at the American Express in January, and his fourth career title overall. The winner's prize was $3.6 million (approximately 5 billion KRW).

Jeff Straka is teeing off on the 18th hole of the 4th round at the Truist Championship. Philadelphia=AFP Photo

Straka struggled with his tee shots during the first two rounds of the Truist Championship. In the middle of the tournament, he took the risk of changing his driver swing. He said, "My tee shots were really terrible during the first two days," and added, "I made a slight adjustment to my takeaway. After that, my driver shots improved significantly," smiling as he recalled the change.

Straka added the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max (9 degrees) to his bag. This club is equipped with Callaway's most advanced and high-performing 'Ai Smart Face' ever. The head features a 360-degree carbon body with an added titanium structure, making it 15% lighter than its predecessor. The saved weight was redistributed to optimal positions within the head, improving forgiveness.

In the second round of this tournament, his fairway hit rate was only 42.86%, but he raised it to 64.29% in the third round and 71.43% in the fourth round, enjoying the thrill of victory.