The Open: Rapture driving iron key to Open success for Ping

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THE DRIVER may well be out of bounds for players at this week's Open Championship at Muirfield - at least fewer will be carrying the Big Dog with fast running fairways and primary rough that's waist-high in places.

So no surprise then that Ping staff players will have an opportunity to play a new 17-degree, prototype Rapture driving iron to contend with the expected windy conditions on baked fairways that demand more accuracy than length.

Remember how Ernie Els introduced three Callaway Prototype X utility clubs into his bag on his way to winning at Royal Lytham & St Annes last year? Phil Mickelson has already proved how accurate his Callaway Hot Deep 3-wood is in winning the Scottish Open and Dustin Johnson has revealed he'll be relying on TaylorMade fairway metals for his tee shots leaving the big White stick in his locker.

The Rapture, it's claimed, features a thin, flat stainless steel face, rather than the traditional curve  from toe-to-heel or sole-to-crown found in hybrids and fairway woods. Players like to work the ball through the air of the tee so Ping designers have apparently delivered this effect.

A combination of high-density tungsten weights positioned low and back within the head also make the head more stable at impact, increasing the moment of inertia and helping deliver a flatter more penetrating ball flight that works better windy conditions. An added feature is a tungsten-polymer sole plug tuned to individual players' swing weight

Some players may opt for a 2-iron or even the favourted 1980s 1-iron to keep the ball under the wind and rolling on the parched fairways. But drivers and high flying hybrids may well be substituted in favour clubs like the Rapture - at least by players with Ping on their caps and visors.