PICTURES: Titleist TS2, TS3 prototype drivers in play at US Open for Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker
Equipment

PICTURES: Titleist TS2, TS3 prototype drivers in play at US Open for Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker

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Titleist is launching its latest drivers at the 2018 US Open, with Justin Thomas and Jimmy Walker among those putting the TS2 and TS3 drivers into play at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Both the Titleist TS2 and Titleist TS3 drivers appear on the June 4 USGA list of conforming golf clubs. Curiously, pictures of both drivers wouldn't appear when clicked upon from the list. (It's a technical issue, not some kind of stunt.) However, Titleist then released some of its own imagery of the new drivers.

The Titleist TS2 model appears to have a back sole weight which could be swapped out for others, most likely as a way to keep the center of gravity low and back for higher, lower-spin launches.

The Titleist TS3 model has SureFit adjustable center of gravity, as has become a regular feature in their drivers in recent years. The back-sole weight is not there, like in the TS2.

An X pattern on the TS3 sole could indicate weight placement, suggesting higher MOI than the TS2. The TS2 pattern leads straight back from the center of the face, which could signal it's for those who are less worried about MOI.

Titleist doesn't open up about the features of their tour-only releases. They use these releases to build a little buzz for what will ultimately be a retail piece of equipment, and they're still getting feedback from their staff on the final products.

In recent years, Titleist has used the Quicken Loans National as a release ground for this testing.

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