News
Rory McIlroy using new Odyssey putter, Titleist Pro V1x in South Africa
There’s finally visual proof that Rory McIlroy is using a new Odyssey mallet putter at the European Tour’s South Africa Open Championship, as well as a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball. The Odyssey putter uses the company’s Microhinge insert, a new design Odyssey announced on Monday.
We can also confirm that McIlroy is using four Titleist SM6 Vokey wedges (46-08 F Grind, 52-08 F Grind, 56-10 S Grind and 60-08 M Grind) as well as a Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage XT 70TX shaft in his Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero driver.
Related: See video of Rory swinging Callaway’s GBB Epic Sub Zero driver.
The European Tour posted a story on Rory’s equipment change, which said TaylorMade’s M2 fairway woods were in his bag. McIlroy also has a set of set of Callaway Apex MB Prototype irons (3-PW) in his bag with Project X 7.0 steel shafts.
“They are the clubs for this week but that could change week to week,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament interview. “This is my first event with this set-up so we will see how it goes this week. You never really know until you have a card in your hand and at the end of the day the person swinging the club is more important than the club itself.”
GolfWRX will keep you updated on what clubs McIlroy puts in the bag for Round 1 of the tournament, which begins Thursday. He tees off at 7:10 a.m. local time (12:10 a.m. in New York).
Related
- Rory McIlroy WITB 2017
- See what GolfWRX Members are saying about McIlroy’s 2017 equipment changes in our forum.
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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Tom54
Feb 6, 2017 at 7:45 pm
I’ve always enjoyed different clubs throughout my golfing days and can only be jealous of Rory being able to try all sorts of clubs whatever he wishes with clubmakers fixing him whatever he wants. They lead a charmed life for sure. I think somehow he’ll sign with Calloway.
tlmck
Jan 12, 2017 at 1:50 am
And I’m still using a 1990 Ping Anser 5BZ. Still works awesome on slick greens, even with modern balls.
Tom
Jan 11, 2017 at 9:31 pm
Ewww that stings. Scotty M 1 out for the first tournament of the season.
MB
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:40 pm
So which model putter is he playing?
Tom
Jan 11, 2017 at 9:37 pm
The soon to be famous Odyssey with the “microhinge” insert.
PXG
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:21 pm
“…at the end of the day the person swinging the club is more important than the club itself.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa…Don’t let Parsons hear you saying stuff like that. In fact, don’t let Callaway hear you saying that with an Epic in your hand.
Ian
Jan 12, 2017 at 10:46 am
+1
Greg Laves
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:10 pm
I haven’t seen any comments about the Titleist ball. That Pro V1x doesn’t look anything like the Pro V1x I can buy. I wonder if it is like some of the test golf balls Titleist sent out for evauation last year. One ball I got to test was really awesome. Longer and straighter off the tee with more spin around the greens on soft shots.
Dr Troy
Jan 11, 2017 at 10:21 pm
Yes, those are the new ones coming out soon
Teaj
Jan 11, 2017 at 3:12 pm
are the irons raw?
westphi
Jan 11, 2017 at 2:20 pm
Wow those irons look juicy!!!
Forsbrand
Jan 11, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Actually, has Rory borrowed the irons from Ryan Moore?! 🙂
Forsbrand
Jan 11, 2017 at 1:21 pm
So Titlesit 660 irons stamped Callaway then?!!!
Tom
Jan 11, 2017 at 9:44 pm
hawt damn. Ur right ……Thats brilliant. They must have bought the rights to the die sets.
KTM2000
Jan 12, 2017 at 2:39 am
The shape on the tip of the muscle is a bit different, and also the grind on the bottom.
Tom
Jan 14, 2017 at 12:33 am
grinding after the form process to get the final shape
Vince
Jan 14, 2017 at 11:43 am
The sole on the 660’s is a lot thinner then these Callaways.
MR B
Jan 11, 2017 at 11:34 am
PX 7.0 is stout
Dj
Jan 11, 2017 at 11:28 am
You can’t possibly tell me that there isn’t a deal in place with callaway with all of these prototypes he has that even every other callaway staffer doesn’t have.
emb
Jan 11, 2017 at 12:25 pm
Unless Callaway is paying him over $25m/year then why can’t you believe it? The rumor was that he’s getting around $25m from nike per year and that contract still exists. Any new deal he enters is subtracted from what Nike pays him ex. Callaway signs him for $10m therefore Nike now only has to pay him $15m to equal the $25m total. If he’s going to get the same money regardless of who its coming from then why would he sign with Callaway and lock himself into a deal? Now he has the freedom to play other clubs if these protos don’t work out. Plus he’s playing vokeys & a Pro V1x which probably wouldn’t fly with Cally if they signed him. Callaway obviously wants to sign him when his Nike deal is over so they are going above and beyond as he’s arguably the best player in the world.
Travis
Jan 11, 2017 at 12:29 pm
They don’t need to pay him for an entire year or sign a contract. Just pay him to use the clubs in a couple of events.
Joseph
Jan 11, 2017 at 7:28 pm
Does anyone know if he is playing the cast Vokeys or Japanese forged ones?
Zak Kozuchowski
Jan 11, 2017 at 8:10 pm
The cast ones.