--- title: "Matt Fitzpatrick's WITB: the best bag in golf that nobody pays for" url: "https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/matt-fitzpatrick" type: "whats-in-the-bag" player: "Matt Fitzpatrick" tour: "PGA Tour" author: "Jordan Hale" published: "2026-07-30T00:00" verified: "2026-07-13" publisher: "ifrothgolf" --- # Matt Fitzpatrick's WITB: the best bag in golf that nobody pays for > Four brands, zero club contracts, twelve-year-old irons and a seven-year-old golf ball — and a career-high world ranking of No. 3. The most instructive bag on tour. **Setup verified:** 2026-07-13 Here's the thing almost everyone gets wrong about Matt Fitzpatrick: **he is not a Titleist staffer, and he never has been.** He is one of the longest-standing equipment free agents in elite golf — a player who reached world No. 3 in April 2026 with Ping, TaylorMade, Titleist and Bettinardi clubs in the same bag and no manufacturer paying him to carry any of them. That freedom produces choices no staff player could make. His 5-iron through 9-iron are **[Ping S55](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/matt-fitzpatrick)s that launched in 2014**. His ball is the **2019** Pro V1x, not the current one. And in June 2026 he cracked his driver and replaced it with a Ping G430 LST — a two-generation-old head, chosen over Ping's newer G440. Nothing here is in the bag for any reason other than that it tested best. ## Quick facts - **Tour:** PGA Tour & DP World Tour - **Clubs:** Equipment free agent — Ping, TaylorMade, Titleist, Bettinardi - **Driver:** Ping G430 LST (9°) - **Ball:** Titleist Pro V1x (2019 model) ## The bag | Club | Model | Spec | | --- | --- | --- | | Driver | Ping G430 LST | 9° (playing 8.2°) · Mitsubishi Tensei Orange 65 TX · 45.75" | | 3- & 5-wood | [TaylorMade Qi35](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/taylormade-qi35-fairway) | 15° · Tensei AV Raw Orange 75 TX; 18° · Tensei 1K Pro Orange 80 TX | | 4-iron | [Ping i210](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/ping-i210-irons) | 23.25° · Ping CFS X | | Irons | Ping S55 | 5–9 iron · Ping CFS X | | Wedges | [Titleist Vokey SM10](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/titleist-vokey-sm10) | 46.10F, 52.12F, 56.08M, 60.08M (bent to 61.5°) | | Putter | Bettinardi DASS BB1 Flow | 34" · 2.5° loft · 72° lie · Winn AVS grip | | Golf ball | [Titleist Pro V1x](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/titleist-pro-v1x) | 2019 model | ## Notes **Kill the myth first.** Fitzpatrick is widely described as a short-driver-shaft, control-over-distance player. It isn't true. His driver plays **45.75 inches** at a heavy **D7+** swingweight — at or above tour-standard length. The reputation is a hangover from a genuinely different era. **What actually happened is far more useful.** In 2019 he averaged 112.8 mph of clubhead speed and ranked 117th on tour. By 2022 he was at 118.1 mph, with a peak measured average of 121.3. Driving distance went from 293.5 yards in 2021 to 303.8 in 2022 — and then he won a U.S. Open. Speed training changed his career. He is not the player who chose control over distance; he's the player who bought distance and kept the control. **The irons are the real lesson for the rest of us.** Ping S55s from 2014, still in the bag in 2026, from a player with no contract obliging him to upgrade and every incentive to find something better. He has tried. They give him "the best combo of forgiveness and responsiveness" he's found while holding his spin. If you're wondering whether your five-year-old irons are costing you shots, a world top-five player is quietly answering that question every week. **The putter has had three acts.** The Bettinardi BB1 blade won him the 2022 U.S. Open. In August 2025 he switched to a BB48 mid-mallet, won the DP World Tour Championship with it, then lost strokes putting in four straight starts and reverted to the BB1 at Sawgrass in March 2026. In July 2026 he debuted a links-spec version — same head, sole re-milled with a honeycomb texture so it grips turf and sits still on firm ground instead of sliding. **For context on the Ryder Cup:** Bethpage Black in 2025 was comfortably his best, going 2-1-1 for 2.5 points, including a 5&3 foursomes win alongside Ludvig Åberg over Scheffler and Henley. Worth being honest that his career record is 3-8-1 — Bethpage was a redemption arc, not business as usual. ## FAQ ### What driver does Matt Fitzpatrick use? A Ping G430 LST at 9° (playing 8.2°) with a Mitsubishi Tensei Orange 65 TX shaft, the CG shifter in the heel and 3g of hot melt added in the heel. He switched into it at the Travelers Championship in June 2026 after cracking his Titleist GT3 — and chose the older G430 over Ping's newer G440 LST. ### How long is Matt Fitzpatrick's driver shaft? 45.75 inches, tipped an inch, at a D7+ swingweight — standard tour length with a heavy head feel. The widespread belief that he plays a short, choked-down control driver is not supported by his actual build. ### Is Matt Fitzpatrick sponsored by Titleist? No. He is one of the longest-standing equipment free agents in elite golf and has never had a major club contract. His bag mixes Ping, TaylorMade, Titleist and Bettinardi; the only equipment commitments reported are the Titleist ball and his Bettinardi putter relationship. ### Why does Matt Fitzpatrick still play twelve-year-old irons? His Ping S55 5–9 irons launched in 2014 and he has repeatedly failed to beat them in testing. They offer the best mix of forgiveness and responsiveness he has found while maintaining the spin he needs as a lower hitter — and with no club contract, nothing forces him to upgrade. ### What golf ball does Matt Fitzpatrick use? The Titleist Pro V1x, specifically the 2019 generation rather than the current one. He tried the 2021 model and reverted. In his own words: "There's no change in golf ball, I never change the golf ball." ## Sources - [Today's Golfer — Matt Fitzpatrick WITB (updated 13 Jul 2026)](https://www.todays-golfer.com/equipment/witb/matt-fitzpatrick/) - [golf.com — Matt Fitzpatrick's 2026 RBC Heritage winning WITB (Apr 2026)](https://golf.com/gear/matt-fitzpatrick-2026-rbc-heritage-witb/) - [golf.com — Inside Fitzpatrick's driver search (Jun 2026)](https://golf.com/gear/matt-fitzpatrick-new-driver-search/) - [golf.com — Why his irons are more than ten years old (Mar 2026)](https://golf.com/gear/inside-matt-fitzpatricks-bag-valspar-irons-10-years-old/) - [Golf Monthly — Fitzpatrick debuts a links-spec putter (Jul 2026)](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/matt-fitzpatrick-debuts-new-putter-at-genesis-scottish-open) --- Source: [ifrothgolf](https://ifrothgolf.com) — independent golf-gear editorial. 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