Tour Edge Exotics Staff Player Phillis Meti won the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bash long drive event Wednesday, aired live on the Golf Channel, for her 2nd victory out of three WLD events so far this season.
Meti had to conquer a swirling wind and a smaller grid with her 7.5 degree 47” Exotics EXS Driver with a Reve Revolver X shaft.
The EXS Driver comes in a 9.5 degree loft designation, but it features an adjustable hosel that Meti has dialed into a 7.5 degree wind-defying, distance machine.
Despite the immense wind conditions, the 31-year-old Meti hit drives of 284 yards, 278 yards and 272 yards in Round 1 of the competition and 261 and 239 in the final rounds to secure the victory.
“First things first, I’ve never played in a wind this strong,” said Meti. “It’s never easy on the tee block, but I think experience prevailed today. Sometimes that’s the way the ball rolls, and I’m just glad the ball rolled my way. I feel super relieved and blessed.”
The World No. 1 women’s long driver is a the three-time and defending World Long Drive champion who has won the last two championships of out three with an Exotics driver in play.
“The last event I was in was windy too, and this time I was better prepared,” said Meti. “You definitely try to get on the board first, and then you let loose and try to improve your number. I did have a good day and got away with a couple bad shots. We had three rounds today. You have to be switched on from the get go.”
Distances were down overall due to the severe wind, and there were several “one and done” matches throughout the evening because competitors couldn’t land one of their eight shots in the tight Atlantic City Country Club grid, meaning their opponent only had to hit one ball in play to move on. Tim Burke won the men’s division with a 283 yard drive.
The victory helped Meti widen her margin as the No. 1 ranked long driving woman in the world. Meti was a runner-up in her last event, the Ft. Jackson military based event in South Carolina.
In the first event of the 2019 season, she won the Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun in Arizona with two world record drives in a row of 408 and 413 yards.
“It hasn’t really even sunk in,” said Meti. “I didn’t even think that was possible. That’s probably the fastest I’ve ever swung it to be honest. Hopefully I can stay on this path and keep riding the rollercoaster for the rest of the season.”
On her 413 yarder, she recorded a 127 MPH club head speed and a 182 MPH ball speed with a 117 foot height apex.
“The EXS driver is a $299 driver that has now won numerous awards and that has been put into play on the PGA Tours, but this takes the cake,” said Tour Edge President and Master Club Designer David Glod. “For Phillis to hit 408 and 413 and produce those kinds of ball speed numbers means that she is an extremely great long driver and that the EXS is the perfect fit and the perfect driver for her quest to become the world’s greatest.”
Meti held the previous world record of 406 yards, also set with an Exotics driver. She won the 2018 World Long Drive Championship with an Exotics driver, her 2nd World Long Drive Championship in the last three years playing Exotics.
The New Zealander has a strong history with World Long Drive as the World Long Drive Champion (2006, 2016, and 2018), World Long Drive Runner-Up (2007, 2008).
Meti has won the World title three times, finished 2nd twice and finished third once in the six Worlds’ she has competed in since winning in 2006.
