Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish golf sensation, has never been one to shy away from bold moves—on or off the course. But as he tees up for the 2026 season, fans and fellow pros alike are buzzing about a different sort of transformation: a sweeping overhaul of his equipment, highlighted by a historic switch in his irons. After a spectacular 2025 that saw McIlroy slip on the coveted Green Jacket at The Masters, complete the elusive Career Grand Slam, and help Europe reclaim the Ryder Cup, he’s entering the new year with a bag that’s as fresh as his competitive fire.
Let’s rewind to April 2025. McIlroy’s victory at Augusta National was more than just another trophy—it was the missing piece in his already glittering collection, making him only the sixth player in golf history to clinch the Career Grand Slam. That triumph, followed by a string of worldwide wins and a pivotal role in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph, cemented his legacy among the game’s greats. Yet, even after a season most would call career-defining, McIlroy was already plotting his next evolution. And it all starts with what’s in the bag.
For most of his professional life, McIlroy has been synonymous with blade irons—the unforgiving, razor-thin clubs favored by purists and shotmakers. From his early days wielding Titleist 660 blades at the Betfred British Masters, to custom Nike and TaylorMade muscle-backs, blades have been his trusted tools. But as 2026 dawned, McIlroy made a headline-grabbing change: for the first time in his career, he started a tournament with a full set of cavity-back irons.
At the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Resort, McIlroy unveiled TaylorMade P7CB irons from 5-iron through 9-iron, ditching his bespoke RORS Protos blades. According to TaylorMade, the switch was all about forgiveness and consistency. "He felt like on mishits, a few were coming up very short and wanted to explore something with a cavity. We made him a set of CBs, and he immediately noticed that forgiveness with improved distance control. Maintained spin consistency and they even held the line a little bit better," the company told PGATOUR.COM.
This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. The experiment began at the Crown Australian Open in late 2025, where McIlroy initially slotted cavity-backs into his 4- through 6-irons for extra help in the longer clubs. By the weekend at Royal Melbourne, he was wielding a full set—and finished the week with a +0.59 Strokes Gained: Approach, a testament to how quickly he adapted. The transition continued in the Boston Common’s Season 2 TGL debut and was confirmed at TGL events in early January 2026, where he was spotted with the full P7CB lineup.
The customizations don’t stop at the model. McIlroy’s P7CBs feature a unique leading edge, mirroring the design of his beloved P760 long irons, with less offset than retail versions. These tweaks are designed to minimize turf interaction and prevent the club from digging—a subtle but crucial adjustment for a player who demands perfection. The irons are paired with Project X 7.0 shafts, a setup McIlroy has trusted for years and shows no sign of abandoning.
But the irons aren’t the only stars of McIlroy’s revamped arsenal. In November 2025, he made another significant switch, swapping his TaylorMade Qi10 driver for the new Qi4D model. The debut came at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, with the driver featuring a 9° head set closer to 8° and a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft—a familiar but finely tuned combination. Observers noted a lighter grey face and more address markers on McIlroy’s version, likely helping him frame the ball with greater confidence.
The Qi4D theme continues in his fairway woods. Both his 3-wood (15°) and 5-wood (18°) are now Qi4D models, equipped with Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X and 9 X shafts, respectively. This setup mirrors what he used during his Masters victory—a testament to the trust he places in this configuration. Notably, TaylorMade fairway woods were already the most popular among PGA Tour winners last season, and McIlroy’s endorsement is sure to keep them in the spotlight.
In the scoring zone, McIlroy remains loyal to his TaylorMade MG5 wedges, a switch he made at the 2025 Amgen Irish Open, which he also won. His wedge setup—46°, 50°, 54°, and a 60° wedge bent to 61°—is fairly traditional, but with a twist. The lob wedge adjustment is all about turf interaction, especially on tight lies and those tricky 40-to-70-yard shots that have given him headaches in the past. TaylorMade’s VP of Tour Operations, Keith Sbarbaro, explained the rationale: "That distance is the hardest shot to hit with a wedge, even for a tour pro... By bending Rory's lob wedge to 61°, the shorter shots from 40-to-70 yards are much easier for him. He can utilize more speed, which means more control to those awkward numbers."
On the greens, McIlroy continues to wield the TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter, a model he adopted at the 2024 Tour Championship. This putter, with its Short Slant, torched finish, and full sight line, has been instrumental in his improved performance on the dance floor. In fact, it helped him leap from 59th in Strokes Gained Putting in 2024 to an impressive ninth in 2025—a leap that contributed directly to his Masters win. The putter is fitted with a SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour grip, a detail McIlroy is unlikely to change any time soon.
The ball is another quiet hero in McIlroy’s story. At the start of the 2025 PGA Tour season, he switched from the TaylorMade TP5x to the TP5, a move that paid immediate dividends. The TP5 gave him a slightly lower launch angle on full iron shots, with the same spin rates and ball speed. As McIlroy himself put it, "I sort of stumbled upon it.. I just started to hit some chips with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how it felt. I hadn’t really tested the 2024 TP5, and I loved how it was reacting around the greens. And then I started hitting some like 60, 70-yard shots with it and it was coming off with a much lower launch, but spinnier." The result? Victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Players Championship, and The Masters—all in the space of three months.
Of course, McIlroy’s partnership with Nike remains as strong as ever. He continues to sport Nike apparel and Victory Tour 4 shoes, a relationship that began in 2013 with a reported $250 million, 10-year deal and was renewed in 2017. His look is as iconic as his swing—a detail not lost on fans and sponsors alike.
As McIlroy embarks on his 19th year as a professional, his willingness to embrace change—whether it’s a new club, a new ball, or a subtle tweak in his setup—shows the relentless pursuit of excellence that defines champions. The 2026 season is just getting underway, but with a new set of tools and the same burning ambition, Rory McIlroy is once again poised to make headlines. Golf’s eyes are fixed on Dubai and beyond, waiting to see just how far these changes will take him this year.
