One of the PGA Tour’s shortest drivers just won his second PGA Tour title the week after the Tour’s longest got his first.
While there will certainly be some attention to why Brian Campbell uses a Ping G440 LST driver with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6-TX shaft, a setup that would be commonly associated with bombers, it’s his iron setup that draws our attention.
At the John Deere Classic, Campbell used Ping’s Blueprint S irons in his 5-PW and the unreleased Ping iDi driving iron for his 4-iron in his second Tour victory this year. The Blueprint S has been around on Tour for almost two years now and serves as a better player cavity-back option between the Blueprint T blades and the popular i-series.
Blueprint S has been wildly successful on Tour with many players adopting them straight away in part because of the added forgiveness compared to the original Blueprints and Blueprint T, and added control. Precision-Pocket Forging creates an optimized weight pocket in the longer irons to help optimize launch.

PING Blueprint S Custom Irons
View Product
ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore
But for a player like Campbell who needs help creating height, he uses the new iDi driving iron as a 4-iron to help create extra launch and spin from his longest iron. This is a growing trend we’re seeing out on Tour with more players, even faster ones like Justin Thomas, turning to hollow-bodied players distance irons, or even driving irons, to replace their long irons to hit the ball higher and hold greens.
And remember when we said Campbell uses a TX flex shaft in his driver? Well, he goes the other way with his irons, using the KBS Tour 120 S all the way down to his pitching wedge. Yes, there are players on Tour who don’t use extra-stiff flex shafts! Ironically, he then uses the KBS Tour 130 X in his gap wedge, before dropping back down to stiff flex in his sand and lob wedges.

KBS Tour Iron Shaft
View Product
It just goes to show you two things: 1, no flex from brand to brand is equal, meaning one company’s stiff could be another’s X or even R. And 2, that just because you’re stiff in one club, doesn’t mean you need to be stiff in every club. Every club is different and you swing each one a little bit differently. The more you can optimize each club in your setup, the better off you’ll be.
Learn from Campbell and optimize every club in your bag and you’ll be well on your way to shooting lower scores.
Want to optimize your irons for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
Latest In Gear
Mizuno Pro S-1 irons | 4 things to know

Jack Hirsh
Golf.com Editor
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.