Richard Sterne has been a professional for 25 years and he used all his knowhow to win his first DP World Tour title in 13 years at the Soudal Open.
The 44-year-old may have only played Rinkven International Golf Club twice in tournament golf but it is a layout where it is clear from first impressions what is required.
A parkland test with plenty of trees, it requires accuracy, and Sterne, who often alternates, last week decided to use two utility irons - Srixon, Zxi Us with 20 and 23 degrees of loft - instead of a three wood.
He also had a new five wood in the bag, swapping out a Ping G440 Max for a TaylorMade Qi4D.
That combination, coupled with some good play with his Ping G440 LST driver helped him hit 71.67% of fairways across the week.
His quality play with fairway woods and utility irons also saw him top par-five scoring as he recorded six birdies and a decisive final round eagle across the two longest holes over the week.
He was playing just his second event after switching from a L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter to a DF3i and gained 1.46 strokes over the field across the week,
His Titleist Vokey SM11 wedges are a relatively new addition having been added at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and combined with his TaylorMade P-7MC irons, which have been in the bag for around 18 months, helped Sterne top the GIR stats in round four.
Sterne plays with a Titleist Pro V1 X 2025 ball.
Club information supplied by Inside Tour Golf.
WITB: Sterne's winning clubs at Rinkven International Golf Club
• Driver: Ping G440 LST (10.5)
• Five wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (18)
• 20 and 23-degree utility irons: Srixon, Zxi U
• Irons 5-9: TaylorMade P-7MC
• 46, 50, 54 and 60-degree wedges: Titleist Vokey SM11
• Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF3i
• Ball: Titleist Pro V1 X (2025)
