Tiger Woods Expected To Make Golf Ball Switch On His Return

Tiger Woods is expected to make a significant golf ball change ahead of his appearances in Capital One's The Match and PNC Championship in the coming weeks. The American, who hasn't played competitive golf since The Open Championship in July, has been testing different Bridgestone golf balls in order to try and find one that offers him some more distance. It is expected he'll deploy the Bridgestone Tour B X in play during Saturday's The Match - a charity match that will pit Woods and Rory McIlroy against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas - as well as the PNC Championship, which starts on the 15th of December. 

Historically, Tiger has tended to play a softer golf ball that offers him more spin to shape the ball and give him some control around the greens. Since signing a golf ball deal with Bridgestone in late 2016, he's tended to use the softer three-piece balls in the range. Most recently, that has been in the shape of the Bridgestone Tour B XS which he has been using since it was launched by the brand in 2020. Now, however, it looks like Woods will be using the firmer Bridgestone Tour B X over the next two events at least. 

The Tour B and Tour B XS are both three-piece golf balls designed for golfers with a driver clubhead speed of over 105mph, with the much firmer X being geared up to promote a lower flight with lower spin. According to Golf.com, Woods has been testing the Bridgestone B X on his home simulator and found an extra 10 yards of carry from using it which ultimately amounts to him being able to hit one less club into greens.

With this in mind, it appears Tiger will be making a fairly significant switch to his golf ball ahead of his appearances in The Match and PNC Championship in the next two weeks. With both of these being exhibition events, it's an ideal time for Tiger to get a feel for the ball out on course ahead of some more competitive action in 2023. However, according to Golf.com, if Tiger is able to tee it up at Augusta National next April he’ll likely switch back to the Tour B XS. 

Tiger has undoubtedly been more malleable to equipment changes in recent years. One of the most notable in 2022 was his appearance at Augusta National in FootJoy Premiere Series Packard golf shoes, rather than his customary Nikes. During his hosting duties at the Hero World Challenge last week, he was spotted once again in Nike shoes. At his appearance at the PNC Championship in December last year, Woods debuted the then-unannounced TaylorMade Stealth range of drivers and fairway woods. After Collin Morikawa was spotted with the new TaylorMade P Series of irons in his bag at the Hero World Challenge last week, it'll be interesting to see if Woods and co. will debut any other new pieces of hardware in the last few events of 2022.