The Equipment Change That Gained Justin Thomas 10 Yards At Hero World Challenge

Justin Thomas has enjoyed a resurgence in form over the past months, with the two-time Major winner registering a tie for second and a solo third in his last two outings.

It's been a welcome return for Thomas who, during 2023, was visibly struggling with form, finishing outside the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings for the first time in his career. However, thanks to some changes, he's getting back to his best, with a few reasons being down to equipment.

At the Hero World Challenge, Thomas led the Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and ranked second for Driving Distance at 317.20 yards. It's safe to say the big-stick was working well for JT, with the American revealing that he had put a new shaft into his driver.

"I've had a long driver that I'll travel with for the last year or so," stated Thomas. "I've used it a couple times, but this shaft that I'm using is different. I just, I want to be able to have that because I think there's some courses that it's a huge advantage.

"It's a little over an inch, maybe an inch and a bit. This one's 46" and my gamer is 44 7/8". It's pretty consistent, like probably two or three miles-per-hour more ball speed. I'd say it's probably 10 yards in the air and I can get another 15 out of it, so I think that's what's nice. Again, it's very specific for courses, but I gave it a try."

Producing 10 drives of over 325 yards at the Hero World Challenge, the shaft in question, we believe, is a Mitsubishi Diamana BB Prototype, which measures 46" and joins Thomas' Titleist GT2 driver. We believe it replaces the Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft that he usually has in the bag.

Also explaining that he has been hitting the gym hard during the off-season, it's not just in the club department where Thomas has made changes, with the 31-year-old continuing to use specific footwear.

At the ZOZO Championship, Thomas was seen donning a pair of FootJoy HyperFlex Carbon golf shoes and not his usual pair of FootJoy Premiere Series Packard and Tarlow.

Although it's unclear as to why the 15-time PGA Tour winner has switched to the HyperFlex Carbon shoe, it's worth noting that the likes of Bryson DeChambeau currently wears the same footwear.

In terms of our experience with the shoes, we know that they are amongst the best spiked models on the market, offering a blend of comfort, grip and stability in equal measure - something the best players in the world are always looking for.