Rory McIlroy explains big gear changes at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
2 Min Read
Rory McIlroy on equipment changes at Bay Hill
Written by GolfWRX
Rory McIlroy had three TaylorMade Qi10 woods in the bag (driver, 3-wood and 5-wood) when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month, as well as a 50-degree TaylorMade MG4 wedge. None of those clubs are in his bag this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, though.
Instead, McIlroy showed up to Bay Hill with three new TaylorMade Qi35 woods: a driver, a 15-degree wood and an 18-degree club that McIlroy calls his 4-wood. He also is using a TaylorMade “Proto” P770 3-iron and a new MG4 pitching wedge. While McIlroy previously used wedges with 46.5 and 50 degrees of loft, he now has a 48-degree MG4 and no 50-degree wedge in the bag.
A closer look at Rory McIlroy's new TaylorMade Qi35 driver. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
The changes are all related to McIlroy's switch to a TaylorMade TP5 golf ball earlier this season. The increased spin of the TP5 led McIlroy to rethink his wedge setup, which then allowed him to make changes to the top of his bag. Because the TP5 spins more on three-quarter shots, McIlroy is more comfortable having a larger gap in his wedges. He now carries 48-, 54- and 60-degree wedges instead of a four-wedge setup of 46.5-, 50-, 54- and 60-degree clubs.
“I just feel like with the ball I'm a lot more comfortable playing those sort of half- and three-quarter shots, so comfortable going back to three wedges," McIlroy said.
A closer look at Rory McIlroy's MG4 48-degree pitching wedge. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
Taking out one of his wedges meant that McIlroy had room to add one more club to the top of his bag. That led him to look for a club that carries 300 yards so that he could use it off the tee on holes where the landing area for a driver gets tight. McIlroy said he's had trouble getting comfortable with a mini driver, which more and more pros have put in the bag as a second option off the tee, so he started looking for a stronger 3-wood.
“I would hit my 3-wood that's going like 285, 290, but guys that are shorter than me are hitting driver sort of 300 or 310, so ... I feel like I was at a disadvantage in some ways, even to people that hit it shorter than me, depending upon the course setup," McIlroy said.
He carries his new 3-wood between 300-305 yards. He then replaced his 5-wood with a 4-wood to reduce the gap between his 3-wood and his second fairway wood. The 4-wood carries approximately 280 yards, he said.
His new 3-iron replaces his 5-wood, giving him a club that flies approximately 260 yards.
“It just sort of gives me more options off the tee," McIlroy said.
And it shows the chain reaction that can ensue with one simple change. A new ball led McIlroy to make big changes throughout his bag.