His Open win made this hybrid popular. But its manufacturer could not capitalize
Todd Hamilton cruised around Royal Troon in a uniquely designed hybrid.
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It’s rare for a single club to be the highlight of a major championship win, but it does happen.
Think Gene Sarazen’s 4-wood from the 1935 Masters, Jack Nicklaus’ jumbo MacGregor putter from the 1986 Masters or Henrik Stenson’s trusty Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood from his 2014 Open Championship win.
Also on that short list: Todd Hamilton’s Royal Troon-conquering Sonartec MD hybrid, which is very similar to his Open win from 20 years ago.
The group
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Thanks to Hamilton, Sonartec is known for its hybrids, but before their MD was successful, the product was already a small company focused on wood with many fans. Their products were first brought to North America by an entrepreneur in 2000; the clubs were under the Sonartec name, with technology licensed from a Japanese company called Royal Collection.
Ryan Barath
Models from the SS Series, including the SS-03 and SS-07, were popular on the PGA Tour with many players, including Nick Price. David Duval used a Sonartec fairway wood when he won his first major at the 2001 Open Championship.
Hamilton’s club was a 17-degree Sonartec MD hybrid that bent down at a loft of 14 degrees and was built at 42.5 inches, just under the standard 3-wood length. Hamilton used that team many times during his wins, hitting his most famous shot in qualifying against Ernie Els.
A gun
On the fourth and final hole of the combined score play-off, Hamilton putt his Sonartec just short of the green and let loose a bump and run into the hard, tight fairway to less than three feet from the fairway.
Even if the last shot was the most memorable, Hamilton had used the club several times off the tee during the week to avoid trouble and had only one bunker in four rounds.
Rise and fall
Like many small companies that have enjoyed success on the big stage, Sonartec was unprepared for the influx of requests from retailers and golfers following Hamilton’s victory.
The company found a strong niche with better players needing fairway woods and hybrids, but when demand far exceeded initial forecasts, production delays followed. That delay allowed other companies — namely, TaylorMade and its Rescue models, as well as other smaller companies, such as Nickent and Adams — to capture the newfound passion among golfers for hybrids.
Even after its success in 2004, Sonartec predicted low availability of its MD hybrids in 2005 and soon had to play catch-up after delays caused by several problems, including a shortage of graphite shafts and even headcovers. Then, in an effort to expand its offerings to include driver, wedges and clubs that appeal more to golfers with disabilities, Sonartec ended up digging itself a financial hole that led the company to seek outside investment.
Although the funding allowed Sonartec to continue investing in R&D and inventory, the relationship quickly soured due to financial and debt conditions, and due to the financial crisis of 2008, Sonartec was officially closed in March 2008.
Although the company is gone, its mixed-race legacy will live on thanks to one amazing week at Royal Troon.
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