Fitting Insights

Kim's driver setup is built around controlling launch and spin without requiring an aggressive low-loft configuration. The Fujikura Atmos Black is a relatively stout profile with a firm tip section that keeps dynamic loft under control while providing a stable feel through transition.The Atmos Black helps prevent excessive shaft kick through impact, producing predictable launch windows and reducing curvature variance. In Scottish Open conditions, a driver fit that controls spin variability is often more valuable than one optimized strictly for distance.

This setup functions as more than just a distance club. In links golf, the 3-wood often becomes a positional weapon. The slightly heavier shaft and fairway-specific head design create a lower-launch, flatter flight than many modern high-launch fairway woods. That allows Kim to flight shots underneath the wind while maintaining enough ball speed to attack longer holes when necessary.

Fitting Insights

The utility iron is arguably the most important club in Tom Kim's bag for links golf. A 2-iron provides a flight window that none of the woods can replicate: lower launch, reduced peak height, more rollout, and exceptional wind stability. 

The Project X 6.0 shafts are particularly noteworthy. Many players at the highest level have moved into progressively heavier or stiffer profiles, but Kim stays in a shaft that provides stability while still allowing him to feel the club load during transition. This helps him control trajectory and work the ball without feeling disconnected from the shaft. 

Fitting Insights

Kim's wedge setup is built around simplicity and precise yardage spacing. The 46-degree wedge effectively serves as an extension of the iron set, maintaining similar launch and spin characteristics for full swings. The bent 53-degree gap wedge creates a smoother transition in carry distances while providing enough bounce for reliable turf interaction. 

The most technical piece is the 58A wedge bent to 59 degrees. The A-grind is one of Vokey's most versatile options, designed for players who manipulate loft and face angle frequently. By bending it weak, Kim gains additional loft while preserving much of the sole's versatility. This allows him to produce different launch and spin windows without dramatically changing technique. 

Fitting Insights

The Timeless GSS is a classic example of a player valuing precision and feel above all else. Unlike high-MOI mallets that prioritize stability, this head places a greater responsibility on the player to control face angle and strike quality. 

For a player like Kim, who relies heavily on touch and pace control, the softer feedback characteristics of GSS material provide detailed information at impact. The putter allows him to make subtle adjustments to speed and trajectory on links-style greens where distance control often becomes more important than making aggressive strokes.

Fitting Insights 

The Qi4D LS is the lowest-spinning option in TaylorMade’s Qi4D driver line, the LS head’s spin consistency helps protect against that vertical strike volatility, while the Ventus Blue OG gives her a more playable loading profile than something extremely tip-stiff. Ryu’s setup suggests she can launch the ball naturally, but still wants enough shaft feel to avoid losing timing. 

Fitting Insights 

From a fitting perspective, this club is not just a “shorter driver.” It is a dispersion-management club. At 11.5 degrees, it should launch higher and spin more than her 8-degree driver, but still produce more ball speed and a deeper-face confidence profile than a traditional 3-wood. That gives her a reliable option on tighter driving holes where driver may bring too much curvature or rollout into play. The Diamana PD 60 S pairing creates a controlled, penetrating tee-ball option due to the low torque and firm tip section that it boasts. 

Fitting Insights 

Ryu’s 17-degree rescue fills the role of a high-launch, steep-landing long club, but with more versatility than a fairway wood. The article notes the Qi4D Rescue is designed to hit carry yardages while maintaining a steep landing angle. The 17-degree loft is strong, very much like a 5 wood  but the rescue construction should help maintain launch and carry from the turf. The Ventus Blue HB OG 8-S adds weight and stability compared to the driver shaft. This is a strong example of long-game role separation: driver for maximum distance, mini driver for controlled tee shots, rescue for land angle and versatility. Each club creates a different window rather than duplicating the same yardage.

Fitting Insights 

This is a very clean progressive performance build. The P770 4-iron gives Ryu more ball speed, launch assistance, and forgiveness at the top of the set, while the P7MC from 5-PW gives her a compact forged cavity profile for tighter spin and distance control. The shaft progression is especially tuned in for Ryu’s game. A lighter 950GH S in the 4-iron helps add speed and launch in the longest iron, while the 1050GH S in the rest of the set gives more weight and control through the scoring clubs. That creates a natural fitting transition: easier launch where she needs carry, more mass and stability where she needs precision.

Fitting Insights 

Ryu’s wedge setup is built around simple loft spacing and consistent shaft feel. She stays in the same Nippon 1050GH S profile used in her irons, which suggests she values continuity in weight, timing, and release through the scoring end of the bag. That can be especially helpful for players who hit a lot of controlled full and three-quarter wedge shots rather than relying on heavy wedge-specific shafts.

The grind setup is also balanced. The 48-09SB likely functions as an extension of the iron set, the 54-12SB gives her more bounce and sole stability for standard pitches and bunker shots, and the 58-07LV gives her a lower-bounce, more versatile option around the greens. It is a great example of grind and sole variability being utilized to give yourself the most options on the course.  

Fitting Insights 

The Phantom 11R OC is a major technical piece because it is an onset center-shafted, low-torque mallet.

That means the putter is designed to reduce the amount the face wants to rotate open or closed during the stroke. For a player under major-championship pressure, that can help simplify start-line control. Instead of relying heavily on hand timing to square the face, the putter’s geometry helps stabilize face orientation. The heavier mallet body improves speed stability on off-center strikes, while the low-torque configuration reduces face rotation variability.