PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider Jonathan Wall gives an update at the 2013 PLAYERS on the featured grouping of Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider 

Even though Tiger Woods doesn't play a part in Nike's latest commercial, it's nearly impossible to watch the 30-second clip and not think of the top-ranked player in the world.

The ad for Nike's 20XI and One RZN golf balls features, among others, Rory McIlroy, Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley performing various trick shots with a red RZN core. While the ball and the faces in the ad may be new, this isn't the first time Nike's done a trick shot video to this catchy tune.

The background music was actually used in the iconic Nike commercial that features Woods bouncing a ball with his wedge before smacking it out of the air. The ad is considered to be one of the greatest golf commercials ever produced.

Bud Cauley tweaked his driver last week in Houston. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

TaylorMade's Spider Blade putter made its debut at the Shell Houston Open with Fabian Gomez becoming the first to use it in competition on the PGA TOUR during the first round. 

The high-MOI style blade putter features a 130-gram counterbalanced grip that promotes stability and performance. Spider Blade was available for TOUR players in lengths of 36, 37 and 38 inches on the practice green at Redstone Golf Club. Like the rest of the Ghost Tour putter line, Spider Blade features a black True Roll insert and white leading edge that promotes consistent alignment. The putter is being touted as TaylorMade's most stable blade putter ever and will be available at retail in two models -- Spider Blade 12 (L-Neck) and Spider Blade 32 (Short Slant).

Spider Blade was first introduced as a wax model to players last year at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and received critical feedback from a number of TaylorMade staffers in the month leading up to its release at the Shell Houston Open, including Dustin Johnson, Sean O'Hair and Justin Rose. 

Rory McIlroy adds second VR_S Covert fairway wood: Rory McIlroy added a third VR_S Covert wood to the bag at the Shell Houston Open, swapping out the VR Pro Limited Edition 5-wood he opened the season with for a VR_S Covert version following a testing session early in the week. McIlroy noted the VR_S Covert's higher trajectory was a big reason for the switch.

In preparation for the Masters, McIlroy also put a new set of VR Pro wedges (54 and 60 degrees) with fresh grooves in play. Nike staffers Carl Pettersson (60-degree) and Russell Henley (60-degree) also received new VR Pro wedges. 

Louis Oosthuizen decides to go with familiar putter grip at the Masters: He didn't have the grip on his putter at the Shell Houston Open, but Louis Oosthuizen will swap out the PING midsize PP58 cord grip for a PING AVS PP58 grip. The reason for the switch? Oosthuizen likes the lighter AVS version on Augusta National's green and had success with it on his putter last year. 

Steve Wheatcroft games Adams Super Idea DHy: Steve Wheatcroft, who had to Monday quality to get in the Shell Houston Open field, became the latest to put Adams Golf's new Super Idea DHy driving hybrid in play. The 21-degree club allowed Wheatcroft to hit the ball high as well as keep it under the wind at blustery Redstone Golf Club. Adams made DHy and the Super 9031 Proto hybrid available to tour staffers for the first time in Houston. 

Hunter Mahan switches shafts in PING G25 3-wood: Less than a month Hunter Mahan swapped shafts in his PING G25 3-wood at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, he made another adjustment at the Shell Houston Open. Still searching for one that allowed him to turn the ball over, Mahan decided on an Aldila Tour Blue X shaft that was a little softer in the handle and produced the shot shape he was looking for.

Bud Cauley makes adjustment to Titleist 913D2 driver: Bud Cauley didn't change drivers in Houston; but he did make a necessary adjustment to his current Titleist 913D2 (7.5 degrees) gamer. 

Cauley felt he was hanging his drives out to the left, so the Titleist Tour team made an adjustment to his SureFit Tour hosel, moving it from B-1 to a neutral A-1 position. The tweak produced a tighter dispersion with a ball flight and launch that Cauley preferred. He finished the week T16, his best finish of the season.

Divots: Justin Hicks became the latest player to switch into TaylorMade's RBZ Stage 2 driver (9 degrees with a Fujikura Fuel X shaft). ... Bill Haas put a new UST VTS 100g shaft in his Titleist 913Hd hybrid, preferring the ball flight, tighter dispersion and distance with the new combination.

Rory McIlroy missed the cut in his first start after making an equipment change in the offseason.
(Redington/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

MARANA, Ariz. -- One month after Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in his first event as a Nike athlete, the two-time major winner arrived at Dove Mountain for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship with a positive outlook -- and some equipment tweaks to two clubs in his bag.

After using a Nike Method 006 putter prototype during the first round in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy went back to his Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport GSS the following day, noting after the second round that he felt the Method 006 was a little light for the greens.

McIlroy had the Method 006 putter back bag in the bag on Monday and mentioned during Tuesday's press conference that he made a slight adjustment to the putter, adding 6 grams of weight plus a new shaft to the putter.

"It's a little bit heavier," McIlroy said. "a little bit heavier head, added six grams to the head of it and actually changed the shaft as well. That seems to have worked out pretty well."

McIlroy also made a minor tweak to the MRC Diamana prototype 70X shaft in his Nike VR_S Covert Tour driver. Looking to keep the ball in the air longer, Nike Tour reps tipped the shaft a half-inch less. 

"It's basically the same driver," McIlroy said, "but the shaft isn't tipped quite as much, so I'm just getting a little bit more spin on it, which is keeping it in the air."

Redington/Getty Images

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Rory McIlroy arrived in Abu Dhabi for his first event of 2013 with 14 Nike clubs in the bag, but by the time he departed Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Friday following a second-straight 75 to miss the cut, the world No. 1 was down to 13, after he ditched his Nike Method 006 Prototype putter on Friday for his Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport GSS putter.

"I just felt like I wasn't getting the ball to the hole," McIlroy said. "The greens here are a little slow and the Nike putter I used yesterday is quite light, so for practicing on fast greens it's great, but when you get on greens that aren't quite as quick like here, I felt like I was having to hit it a bit more. So, it's just a weight issue. The one I used today is a bit heavier, so I thought I could stroke it a bit more, so that was it."

Even though the putter swap didn't lead to an improved score in the second round, the decision will likely lead many to wonder if he'll put the Method 006 back in the bag for his next event.

During the Nike press conference announcing his move to the company on Jan. 14, McIlroy was asked specifically if his contract allowed him to switch putters. While the 23-year-old refused to get into specifics regarding his contract, he did say he felt comfortable enough with the putter to put it in play.

McIlroy won't be back in action until Feb. 20 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Editor

Golf’s recruiting season came to a close on Monday, and as expected, it ended with a bang, as Nike announced the signing of Rory McIlroy to a head-to-toe multi-year deal.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although The Associated Press reported that the deal was worth $200 million.

McIlroy, who opens the season this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship will have 14 Nike clubs in the bag this week -- including a Nike Method 006 prototype putter, likely the biggest change after years of using a Scotty Cameron model.

"I visited The Oven and I was seriously impressed with both the craftsmanship of the Nike club engineers and how much R&D and product innovation goes on there," McIlroy said. "I've been blown away by the attention to detail when it comes to product."

McIlroy moves to Nike after six years with Titleist, where he won two majors and topped the PGA TOUR and European Tour money lists last season.

What’s in Rory McIlroy’s new bag

Driver: Nike VR_S Covert Tour, 9.5 degrees, neutral position
3-wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition, 15 degrees
5-wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition, 19 degrees
Irons (3-PW):  Nike VR Pro Blades (3-PW)
Wedges: Nike VR Pro (54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Nike Method 006 Prototype
Ball: Nike 20XI X
Apparel: Nike Golf Tour Performance Collection
Footwear: Nike Lunar Control