It’s one of golf’s most popular brands, but which star names has Ping in the bag? Let’s take a look
Ping have continued to be one of the leading brands in golf over the last 50 years. The Anser putter created a blueprint for blade-style flatsticks, while the Eye 2 remains one of the most popular iron sets of all time. Almost every golfer will have used one at some point in their life, but which players on tour are currently playing Ping golf clubs?
The big hitters
Three of Pings most well-known players also happen to be some of the longest in the game. Bubba Watson, Tony Finau and Cameron Champ constantly rank towards the top of the PGA Tour distance charts, and all trust Ping’s metalwoods to help maintain their prolific length year-after-year.
On the women’s side Brooke Henderson is also known for her firepower off the tee. However Bianca Pagdanganan is actually the longest Ping player on the LPGA Tour, averaging 276.4 yards off the tee.
While the brand has historically been known to produce some of the most forgiving products on the market, they also know how to maximise length for the world’s best, with the current Ping G425 one of the longest in the game.
When it comes to quality ball-striking, you can’t help but admire the quality of Harris English. The American has won four-times on the PGA Tour, with a stellar 2021 season seeing him claim two trophies, a top-five finish at the US Open (a true test of ball-striking), and a win under his belt at the Ryder Cup. English has a reputation for simply beating courses into submission through his relentless hitting of fairways and greens – something he does exclusively with Ping clubs.
Leona Maguire has also showed us her ball striking prowess in the last few months. In July she equalled the record for the lowest round in a major championship by a man or woman when she carded a 61 at the Evian, then in September she went on to become the record points scorer for a rookie in a Solheim or Ryder Cup, and now she’s got an LPGA title on her CV.
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Another Ping player who is rightly known among his fellow professionals as a fantastic iron player is Tyrrell Hatton.Hatton has won six-times on the European Tour and has transitioned well onto the PGA Tour, claiming the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2020. Infamously animated on the golf course, Hatton recently provided his manufacturer with a memorable soundbite after hitting a less than perfect shot which just managed to find the putting green: “Well, it’s a good job I play Pings.” A testament to the forgiveness of the brand’s irons.
The veterans
Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen possess two of the most admired golf swings in the game. Both are long-time Ping players, and have used the brand throughout their coveted careers over the decades. Oosthuizen used a set of Ping S57s en route to claiming the Claret Jug at St Andrews in 2010, and currently plays the i210s.
While a major championship has evaded Westwood to date, the Englishman has still enjoyed a hugely successful career, all while keeping his trust in Ping clubs. Westwood has picked up 44 worldwide victories, played on 10 Ryder Cup teams, finished top-five in all of the majors, and won the DP World Tour Order of Merit three times. All of these successes coming while donning a Ping cap.
The next generation
Two of the hottest properties in the game right now are Viktor Hovland and Joaquin Niemann. The pair have currently racked up five PGA Tour victories between them, despite having a combined age which wouldn’t allow them on the Champions Tour!
Hovland is one of the most all-round talents in the sport, and his ascent to the top-five in the world rankings this year has been meteoric. The Norwegian consistently ranks among the leaders in driving as well as iron play on the PGA Tour, and when he get’s the putter going there are few better players in the world.
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Niemann has almost been a victim of his own success with many thinking the 23-year-old Chilean has been around for a years after earning a tour card as a teenager. But ‘Jaco’ is only just getting started. He’s already claimed two PGA Tour victories and played in a President’s Cup – all this after being ranked as the No 1 amateur in the sport. Another advocate of Ping, Niemann is certainly one to keep an eye on over the coming seasons.
Ping have also snapped up Sahith Theegala to their tour roster this year. The young American has already claimed a string of PGA Tour top 10s, and seems to possess a game moulded by all of the Ping professionals that have come before him.
Theegala boasts the impressive length of a Finau, combined with the quirkiness of a Bubba, all coupled with some extremely solid iron striking too. After earning his place on the PGA Tour following a strong finish at the Korn Ferry finals, expect to see more of Sahith excel over the coming years as he gets used to life on the biggest stage.
It’s hard to categorise Jennifer Kupcho as an up-and-coming star when she already has a major championship to her name. But the American only started her first full season on tour in 2020 and has a serious future ahead of her.
