Sports
The key gear switch that led to Nico Echavarria’s Cognizant victory
Nico Echvarria made an under-the-radar but crucial gear change before his third PGA Tour victory at the Cognizant Classic.
During his post-tournament press conference, Echavarria revealed he just switched to Srixon’s Z-Star Diamond golf ball from the firmer Z-Star XV.
“I changed to a different model because the greens were firm, so I think that helped a lot with the control of coming into the green,” he said. “I went from the XV to the diamond, which is a little softer and spinnier.”
As it turns out, this was a change Echavarria has been mulling for a little while now. He signed with Srixon last offseason and originally tested both of the company’s primary Tour balls, the Z-Star XV and the Z-Star Diamond. Before joining the Srixon team, Echavarria played the firmer, but spinnier Pro V1x.
That decision was driven by his goals with his swing last year, Srixon Director of Tour Operations Michael Jolly told GOLF.
“At times last season, he was much steeper and generating a lot of spin,” Jolly said. “With both balls, he’s seeing less curve and more stability in the wind, which ultimately were the key factors in his decision to make the switch to Srixon overall.”
With the extra spin he was generating, that made the XV the more optimal fit at the time.
He tested at different points last season, but never seriously considered making the move to the Diamond until this offseason, when he started testing with Srixon’s team again.
To start the season, he still leaned on the XV for every start except the WM Phoenix Open, where in the dry and firm conditions, he decided to give the Diamond a first trial run. Playing the Diamond in Phoenix was also crucial because the ball doesn’t spin as much there. So having a spinnier ball can be ideal.
But that’s also why testing golf balls for the early part of the season can be challenging, Jolly said.
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“We know spin numbers at Phoenix are typically low, San Diego can be a bit unpredictable, and the different grasses from week to week often produce varying launch and spin profiles,” he said. “All that makes it challenging for a player to not only switch golf balls, but to fully trust the data they’re seeing.
“That’s why Cognizant felt like such a great test. It gave him a chance to put the ball in play during competition, in weather and course conditions where he trusted what he was seeing and validate the decision under real pressure.”
Between the two balls, Echavarria’s numbers off the tee don’t change very much, but where the two separate is with the irons, and he sees about 300 RPMs of additional spin.
“The biggest difference has really been with his irons throughout the bag, added stopping power combined with the ability to hit more shots in different windows,” Jolly said. “As he told us today, ‘I’ve just realized I can really play when I have more spin.’”
He said he also preferred the slightly softer feel around the greens.
After his win, where he finished fourth in the field in SG: Approach, Echavarria told the Srixon team he will be sticking with the Diamond for good.
A lot of times, it’s actually more surprising for a player to win in their first week with a new ball than it is with new clubs. Remarkably, it’s the second time it’s happened this year already with Collin Morikawa switching to TaylorMade’s new TP5x before his win at Pebble Beach.
What probably gave Echavarria some confidence was having played the ball last month in Phoenix. He didn’t play well at the WM — he missed the cut — but it was a first test of what the ball can do.
Once he and the Srixon team got to more normal conditions in Florida last week, then they could finally pull the trigger and make the switch. It was a long awaited move, but one that clearly worked out in the end.
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