In the mid 2000′s, there were approximately only 35 to 40 players on the PGA Tour who carried a utility like hybrid wood.  Todd Hamilton used a version of today’s hybrid to win the British Open at Royal Troon.  He played with a Sonartec called the MD Transition and used it on nearly every tee.  He even used it as a chipper where he proceeded to get the ball up and down on 13 out of 14 attempts around the barren terrain fronting the greens.
There was a bit of controversy …