Equipment

Is this a photo of Rory’s new custom Callaway Apex MB irons?

Published

7 years ago

Jan 6, 2017

Reports came down recently that Rory McIlroy will be playing a bevy of Callaway clubs in 2017, which has left GolfWRXers hunting for in-hand photos and exact specs of his new clubs.

In a GolfWRX forum titled “Rory McIlroy chose Callaway woods and irons,” it appears user ghost5 obtained a photo of McIlroy’s new Callaway Apex MB custom pitching wedge. While we’re not sure if this is actually McIlroy’s iron, a backup, a prototype he was testing, or just a club stamped “RM” to fool the internet, but it’s certainly a one-off club that cannot be found “off-the-rack.”

So far, this is the equipment we’ve confirmed that McIlroy will have in his bag when he tees it up again in competition:

Driver: Callaway Epic Sub Zero
Irons: Callaway Apex MB (custom)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey
Putter: Odyssey with prototype insert
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

As always, we’ll keep you up to date on any changes and specs we can confirm.

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24 Comments

Dave R

Jan 9, 2017 at 10:07 pm

Those are not machine marks. Look like a weld Job not completly polished . Looks like a snow job to me . Just a muscle back iron from Calloway that’s all.

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Count Tyrone Rugan

Jan 9, 2017 at 5:59 pm

Guys,

Look at the pic. the transition from the mid portion has 3D mill marks on them. That head is fully machined.

Reply Report comment
Carter

Jan 9, 2017 at 4:04 pm

I am really not surprised to much at him switching irons and driver. A player of his caliber can play well with just about anything. The thing that really shocked me was switching putters. He was putting lights out with that Scott Cameron mallet that he switched to prior the Ryder Cup. He obviously didn’t sign a 14 club deal with Callaway as evidence with the Vokey wedges. So why would he ditch the putter that was working so well for him?

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Joseph

Jan 8, 2017 at 4:16 pm

Did Rory play the cast made Vokey wedges before? Or did he play the Japanese forged versions?

Reply Report comment
James

Jan 8, 2017 at 12:42 am

Just a bunch of irons 99.999% of us could not ever use….2% of amateur golfers need custom fit clubs to improve, 98% of amateur can spend money for fittings and clubs till they are blue in the face but if not one dollar of that is on instruction you wasting your time. UNLESS you are buying what you want to play and that is what makes you happy then it is worth it….sometimes the most fun you can have (other then making a tee time) is buying some club or clubs you want.

Reply Report comment
- mike
  
  Jan 8, 2017 at 1:15 pm
  
  Doesnt mean that if you cant hit thoses….the that everybody cant hit them….come on……im a 18 handicapper and i play the taylormade tp mc 2014…..because im a lefty i cabt play the mb because they dont make some for my side…..and i would love to hit those blade kind of iron…….if you hit the center of the club theres no way that you cant play whatever you want…………..dont put everybody in the same boat and those percentage seems really high IMO……..
  
  Reply Report comment
Scott

Jan 7, 2017 at 7:29 pm

I really don’t get this. Rory was amazing when he played titleist. Amazing. Nike throws millions at him to change, he takes the bait and takes him how many years to make a comeback w Nike clubs. Now nikes out and he’s using Callaway. I don’t get it. Not knocking Callaway but why doesn’t he just go back to tried and true.

Reply Report comment
- John
  
  Jan 11, 2017 at 5:24 pm
  
  Uhhhhh 1. It took one year. Then he won more with Nike than Titleist.
  
  In 2014 he won 5 times worldwide including 2 majors and caused the North Carolina Audubon Society to permanently disband after his avian incineration at Quail Hollow. 6 wins if you roll the December 2013 Aussie Open into 2014.
  
  I’ll also point out he won 9 times 2009-2012, switched, then won 12 times 2013-2016. 2 majors each side.
  
  So yeah, terrible move by him. I’m sure his one-off custom irons and woods/wedges with any quality at all are really gonna hold him down. I bet Callaway REALLY threw the zeroes at him when he told them he had 5 years of Nike balls stockpiled (and was in actuality gonna use the 17 V1x and vokeys)
  
  Reply Report comment
The dude

Jan 7, 2017 at 5:56 pm

New Miura custom…..confirmed. RM will get x to stamp Callaway…

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Scott

Jan 7, 2017 at 2:59 pm

Those are actually titleist mb’s

Reply Report comment
WolfWRX

Jan 7, 2017 at 1:31 pm

Looks photoshopped.

Reply Report comment
- Mark
  
  Jan 8, 2017 at 6:40 am
  
  That is what I thought (and not very well done either).
  
  Reply Report comment
TexasSnowman

Jan 7, 2017 at 11:40 am

Rory playing forged muscle backs…. could have any company name stamped on it; wouldn’t matter. Interesting to me that he prefers Vokeys over Cally wedge offerings at this point. Not knocking Vokey, just that the current Cally Wedges are really nice IMO.

Reply Report comment
- Joseph
  
  Jan 8, 2017 at 3:54 pm
  
  When he played Vokeys, did he play the cast version or Japanese forged since his irons are forged blades. I’m sure whatever it was, was custom for him, so likely doesn’t make any difference.
  
  Reply Report comment
Branson Reynolds

Jan 6, 2017 at 1:49 pm

They look like Taylormade MB’s

Reply Report comment
- mike
  
  Jan 8, 2017 at 1:18 pm
  
  Not really
  
  Reply Report comment
John

Jan 6, 2017 at 1:04 pm

i would love to see him play with ping clubs

Reply Report comment
- Johnnylongballz
  
  Jan 7, 2017 at 6:53 am
  
  I can’t see that ever happening. Rory is a forged MB kind of guy, and that is not really PING’s style.
  
  Reply Report comment
Teaj

Jan 6, 2017 at 12:31 pm

it does look perdy though

Reply Report comment
MT

Jan 6, 2017 at 12:24 pm

Rory has never used a stock PW in the past. If he’s going back to Vokey wedges he likely would be using a 48* Vokey.

Reply Report comment
- Joseph
  
  Jan 6, 2017 at 1:54 pm
  
  He used a 46 Nike Engage the past 2 years I believe.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Kevin
  
  Jan 7, 2017 at 2:14 pm
  
  When he first switched to NIKE, he played a iron PW, but quickly switched back to wedge PW after couple tournaments.
  
  Reply Report comment
michael

Jan 6, 2017 at 11:42 am

I thought he usually carried a a PW that matched his wedges, not the irons.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Jan 6, 2017 at 11:27 am

lol this is gonna frost some wrx’er ballz.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

31 mins ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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