Tour Edge Exotics staff player and two-time World champion Phillis Meti won the Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun, a World Long Drive Association (WLDA) event live on Golf Channel, Tuesday night with an unprecedented 380 yard drive.
Meti used an Exotics XJ1 driver by Tour Edge in a 9 degree loft and a Fujikura 569 X shaft to hit the monstrous drive that was deemed the highlight of the live-for-TV event.
Meti hit drives of 346 and 350 yards to advance to the finals in Arizona. She then hit a 356 yard drive in the finals vs. a 7-time world champion before unleashing the 380-yard bomb.
The winning drive was 30 yards longer than the 2nd place finisher in the women’s division and was even longer than the 2nd place finisher in the men’s division, who’s best shot in the grid was measured at 372 yards.
The announcer of the Golf Channel event described Meti’s 380 yard smash, which carried 320 yards and rolled an additional 60 yards, as “effortless.” Her swing speed was clocked at 120 MPH and her ball speed at 176 MPH on the big hit, while her Apex was 163 feet, 52 yards higher than her Apex on the 356 yard drive in the same set.
“The XJ1 is a great head,” said Meti. “It looks great at set up, feels great and rewards great swings with ball flight and roll! 380 is by far one of my best balls I’ve ever hit in competition, I couldn’t have asked for a better tool to keep me going on the Women’s Long Drive Tour.”
An XJ1 driver was used by Meti in setting a new Women’s Long Drive World Record with a 406-yard drive in the semifinals of the Mile High Showdown semifinals last season in Denver, Colorado. That record still holds, but 380 yards at 1000 feet elevation would also qualify as a world’s best at a lower elevation in WLDA women’s tournament play.
The XJ1 Driver is designed to be the lightest and fastest driver on the market. It is made with a Ti 9-1-1 that Tour Edge calls “Supermetal” because it is 10 percent lighter than 6-4 Titanium.
The standard weight of the driver clubhead is 192 grams, 10 grams lighter than many of the typical driver head weights. The total weight varies between 265 and 290 grams from lightest to stiffest flex, with 265 grams being the lightest of any mainstream driver in the U.S. market.
“Philis is a professional golfer as well as a long drive athlete, which is why the XJ1 is the perfect driver for her,” said Tour Edge President and master club designer of the XJ1. “She is able to put a golf swing on the XJ1 in a normal loft and still produce these massive drives due to how powerful she is, but also due to how light the head weight is on the XJ1 driver. I estimate she is able to gain about 15% club head speed and ball speed due to the lighter weight of the XJ1 and that is perfect for her in this sport and for her swing.”
Meti, from New Zealand, has a strong history with Long Drive as the Volvik World Long Drive Champion (2016), Volvik World Long Drive Runner-Up (2007, 2008) and 2017 Clash in the Canyon Runner-Up.
At the young age of 19 years and two months Meti became a World Record holder for winning the 2006 Women’s Long Drive Championship with a drive of 326 yards. She was runner up the following two years in 2007 and 2008 and during that year hit a massive 349 yards. In 2009 she took a break away from Long Drive to focus on her playing career and came back with a win in 2016.
To find the closest retailer to you carrying the Exotics XJ1 Driver, call (800) 515-3343 or visit touredge.com.
About Tour Edge Golf
In 1986, David Gold founded Tour Edge with a focus on offering golfers with high quality and technologically advanced golf products that were as cutting-edge as they were affordable. He is now considered one of the preeminent master club designers in golf club design and has led Tour Edge to be a Top 10 manufacturer in every club category.
Tour Edge is driven to provide the very best in forward-thinking technology and in utilizing advanced materials that are proven to perform better than the status quo. Independent robotic tests and professionals who play Tour Edge products on the PGA TOUR, PGA Champions Tour, LPGA Tour and Web.com Tour without club contracts have proven time and time again that the unique technology approach that Glod and Tour Edge have taken has set them apart from the competition. Tour Edge products have earned 10 victories and over 50 Top 10 finishes on the PGA TOUR.
Tour Edge, an American owned and operated company for more than 32 years, manufactures and sells golf clubs under three distinct brand names: Exotics, Hot Launch and Bazooka.
• Exotics products bring futuristic technologies to the marketplace with tour preferred designs and smaller production runs.
• Hot Launch has forged a name for itself as a producer of high-quality premium game improvement golf clubs from driver to wedge.
Hot Launch has proven to provide the greatest custom fit value in golf and includes an unprecedented guaranteed 48- hour custom fit delivery program.
• Bazooka represents the absolute best value available in golf, offering advanced players, beginners, women and juniors the best in playability and affordability.
All Exotics and Hot Launch clubs are hand-built in the United States and then distributed throughout the world. Every Tour Edge club comes with a Lifetime Warranty and a 30-day play guarantee.
High resolution images are available at touredge.com (select Media Center). For more information, call (800) 515- 3343 or visit touredge.com.
Contact:
Jon Claffey
Vice President of Marketing
Tour Edge Phone: 800-515-3343 Ex: 110
Email: jclaffey@touredge.com
