Scotty Cameron
Brooks Koepka’s victory at the 2023 PGA Championship marked another major championship moment for one of Scotty Cameron’s most iconic designs: Teryllium copper alloy inlay. Tiger Woods put the soft label on the map when he won the 1997 Masters with Newport Ti3, but Kupka has kept it relevant over the past decade with five major victories.
In 2021, Cameron introduced a limited edition Champion racquet with the same Terrillium inlay and “return button” design as the Koepka stick – and watched them sell out in minutes. Two years after unveiling Champions Choice, Cameron is introducing an updated version that highlights the success of the “Plus” designs. Of course, this version also features the famous copper alloy coating.
“Realizing the demand for the original Champions Choice edition in 2021, I had to do it again,” said Cameron. “But, of course, it had to be special. With the introduction of the new Super Select Plus models and the popularity of this new blade shape, it was only natural to create some unique Newport and Newport 2 models for this seasonal release. The over-width has been called a “tweener” because it sits between a regular blade size and a Squareback 2 wide hammer size. Add Teryllium in our Button Back design, and our new Champions Choice Plus Button Back models celebrate our winning years with our rackets in four new designs designed to look as good as they perform.”
Available July 28, 2023 Champions Choice Limited Edition ($700) The racquet line consists of four “Plus” blade models – the Newport Plus Button, Newport 1.5 Plus Button Back, Newport 2 Plus Button Back and Newport 2.5 Plus Button Back (also available left-handed). Similar to the Newport 2 Plus that Scottie Scheffler is currently using, all four racquets in the line are slightly wider face-to-edge for an extra layer of stability.
Each putter head is milled from 303 stainless steel with a 6061 aluminum sole plate and trillium inlay secured with three button head screws and Cameron vibration dampening technology. The same I-Beam neck design found in the current Super Select line has also been added to Champions Choice.
An I-beam has been used in the past by Cameron to strategically move weight to other areas within the head. As for the notch, it was first introduced with the popular Mil-Spec as a way to efficiently adjust loft and lie-down without adversely shifting the neck.
“We did a Mil-Spec where we had a notch in the back for the bend,” said Cameron. “I hate seeing pro shops bend the racquet, and the neck wants to bend at the bottom of the neck, where I want it to bend upward to keep the neck straight. By weakening that, you’re going to the weakest point. So the notch takes the weight off and makes it weaker, so when you bend it, it bends in the right area.”
All four Champions Choice models come with stainless steel platform weights that reach to the heel and either a plumbing or jet-set neck in three lengths (33, 34, and 35 inches).
Want to fix your bag for 2023? Find a suitable location near you at True Spec Golf.