Pagunsan Qualifies For The Open Using 11 Clubs Prompting Yet More Calls To Just Try It One Lousy Week You Tour Dullards!

Okay maybe I got a little carried away with that header.

But for those who’ve long wondered what it would be like to see today’s decathletes play a reduced set of clubs. Because there would be the ensuing shotmaking, plus lots of chatter about how the team at (fill in gratuitous manufacturer plug here) helped tweak the bag to cover the numbers.

So it’s with this in mind Alistair Tait celebrates Juvic Pagunsan needing just 11 clubs to win the Japan Tour’s Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open last weekend. With caddies forbidden due to Covid-19, Pagunsan lightened his bag of the 3, 4, 6 and 8 irons while adding a hybrid.

Tait suggests the overall max number should be lowered, but I’d take just a tournament here or there where it was the Local Rule. Anyway, Tait explains what Pagunsan was thinking:

Not only did he win to qualify for Royal St George’s, he did so by three shots with a 17-under 199 thanks to scores of 66, 65 and 68. So much for 14 clubs.

“What do I do when I need 6-iron? Well, I will just adjust it by using different club,” Pagunsan told the Japan Tour website.

“On 11th, wind was blowing at me and I had 160 yards to play, and I used my 5 Iron, what choice do I have?"

"Since I didn't have much choice of clubs, I didn't have to think too much to choose," he added.