Tony Finau only Tour pro testing this 61-degree mystery wedge

LA JOLLA, Calif. — Tony Finau knows what a good wedge shot from a tight lie is supposed to sound like. The contact needs to be crisp as the head glides through the turf and grooves come in contact with the ball, sending it on a journey that hopefully ends with it stopping next to the hole.

When executed properly, Finau says he can hear the ball coming off the face when he imparts just the right amount of spin.

During a recent practice session at TPC Scottsdale, Finau was working on his short game when that exact sound grabbed his attention. Only the sound wasn’t coming from his scoring tools, but rather one in the hands of former Tour winner Gabriel Hjertstedt.

“I could hear the ball coming off the face with a lot of spin and then watched it hit and stop on the green from 20 yards,” Finau recalled to GOLF.com. “It was really impressive. So I went over and asked [Gabriel] what he was using to hit the shot. I’ve since been testing it at home and liked what I’ve seen. We’ll see what happens.”

The lob wedge in question is one Hjertstedt actually designed himself almost four years ago under his own Gabe Golf brand. Dubbed the 6109 — it’s also known as “The Surgeon” — the 61-degree lob wedge was built to include all of the elements the two-time PGA Tour winner wanted to see in a wedge: micro-grooves to stop the ball on command, a flattened-out heel to allow it to kick higher in the bunker and toe relief that made it easier to choke down and lay the face open on tight lies.

“I got to play the Masters three times, so when I was building the wedge, I wanted to create something that would work well around all of the tight areas at [Augusta National],” Hjertstedt told GOLF.com. “If I can do that it should be a good wedge for anywhere else, especially all different grasses.”

Finau, who had two lob wedges (6109 and Vokey WedgeWorks) in tow during Tuesday’s practice session at Torrey Pines, is currently the only pro on Tour with Hjertstedt’s creation in the bag. But he isn’t the first to be enamored by the design. Two years ago, Adam Scott tested the wedge ahead of the Masters and loved the greenside performance — but he never officially put it in the bag.

“It was so new back then that [Adam] was worried about how it might perform on long shots,” Hjertstedt said. “Justin Rose also played it for a couple of weeks. The problem I have is I can’t compete with the [big brands] on Tour. Many are getting paid to play the wedges.”

Even without outside financial backing, Hjertstedt, who is now a golf coach following a 10-year PGA Tour career, believed he had an idea worth pursuing. He initially considered partnering with a manufacturer to design a wedge, but he felt the deal “wasn’t very good.” With a few ideas kicking around in his head, he ponied up his own money to create the 5612 and 6109 wedges to keep control of the entire process.

“I’m putting my own money into this project,” he said. “Everything is self-funded. It’s one of those deals where you better get it right because you don’t get a second chance.”

With Finau’s interest piqued, Hjertstedt handed the six-time Tour winner the only head he had with him, hoping it might eventually wind up in the bag. He’s since handed off three more heads to Finau — a sign the wedge is worthy of future consideration.

“I figured I’d just give him a wedge and see what happens,” Hjertstedt said. “I wasn’t sure if he was going to use it, but I know it’s a great wedge. The mini grooves on the face react with today’s golf ball, especially at slower speeds, better than the regular grooves. And because I mill them, I can get them right to the edge and still keep them USGA conforming. Is it a more expensive way to make a wedge? Of course. That’s why I’m charging $300 per wedge. But it’s designed exactly the way I want it.”

One of the more subtle aspects of the wedge Finau highlighted was the slightly larger head profile that looked good to his eye in the address position. While the profile is bigger, Hjertstedt confirmed the head weight is a consistent 303 grams from one to the next, including the one in Finau’s bag.

“I think it’s smart Tony leaves the lob wedge open if he wants to test anything,” Hjertstedt said. “It’s such a versatile club for Tour pros. You want to make sure you have something that can do it all in the bag.”

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Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour. He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.