When Chris Gotterup won earlier this season at the Sony Open, part of the story was the golf ball. He was playing one Bridgestone Prototype which had not yet reached retail. A few weeks later, Gotterup is back in the winner’s circle with the same ball.
Gotterup took his second win of 2026 using Bridgestone TOUR BXthe retail version of the VS Black prototype that he first put into play in Hawaii.
From VS Black Prototype to TOUR BX
The Gotterup ball used in both victories emerged from Bridgestone’s four-year VS Proto Project, an R&D effort that evaluated more than 240 prototype variations before narrowing the lineup down to four final TOUR B models.
The VS Black corresponds directly to the TOUR BX, Bridgestone’s strongest and fastest option, designed for players with higher swing speeds. During development testing, Bridgestone reported that the Gotterup saw an increase in ball speed of just over 2 mph and approximately seven yards compared to the previous generation.
These winnings will always depend on the player.
Redesigned core and mantle
At the heart of the updated TOUR B lineup is the VeloSurge, a redesigned core and casing integration that Bridgestone has positioned as a fundamental change.
The denser mantle shifts mass outward, which increases the ball’s moment of inertia. With a golf ball, higher MOI is less about error and more about stability of the spin axis. In practical terms, this means less deflection when impact conditions are less than ideal.
Time to Fix Your Mindset?
Gotterup also played one MindSet version i TOUR BX, a visual signaling system now used by many Bridgestone staff players. MindSet does not change the structure of the ball, but it has gained real traction in tournaments and for amateur players.
If you’ve been on the fence about putting Bridgestone’s new TOUR B golf balls into play, results like this are worth paying attention to. We’ll be testing the lineup later this year to see how it performs in a wider range of speeds and driving conditions.
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