Rory McIlroy is finally messing with the formula. For nearly a decade, you could bet your life on what was in his bag: a low-spin driver, a couple of fairway woods he could launch to the moon, and the most unforgiving, razor-thin blades TaylorMade could forge. It worked. He won. But as we head into the 2026 season, something has shifted in the Northern Irishman’s psyche. He’s chasing that extra one percent, and honestly, the changes he’s making to his rory mcilroy golf equipment setup are the most radical we’ve seen since he left Titleist and Nike years ago.
The big shocker? The blades are gone. Sorta.
During recent TGL action and early season testing in Dubai, Rory was spotted with a full set of TaylorMade P7CB irons. This isn't just a minor tweak to his lofts or a new shaft experiment. He is moving away from the "Rors Proto" muscle-backs he’s gamed since 2017. For a guy who treats ball-striking like a high-art form, moving into a cavity-back iron is like a Ferrari driver asking for cruise control.
The Cavity-Back Revolution: Why Rory Ditched the Rors Protos
It’s hard to overstate how much of a "blade guy" Rory has been. His signature Rors Protos were essentially customized P730s with a thinner topline and specific groove configurations borrowed from Tiger Woods’ P7TW irons. They were beautiful, but they offered zero help on a toe-strike.
Why the switch to the P7CB? Basically, it comes down to "playable forgiveness."
Modern golf courses are getting longer, and even for Rory, hitting a 4-iron from 240 yards into a tucked pin is a high-stress shot. The P7CB irons give him a slightly higher MOI (Moment of Inertia). This means when he doesn’t catch it perfectly in the center, the ball doesn't fall out of the sky quite as fast. He’s not sacrificing the "feel" he craves, but he is gaining a safety net.
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He's currently gaming the P7CBs from the 4-iron all the way down to the 9-iron. Most pros might blend their sets—cavity backs in the long irons and blades in the short ones—but Rory has gone all-in. It’s a clear signal that he’s prioritizing consistency over the ability to work the ball six different ways with a 7-iron.
Driving Strategy: Moving into the Qi4D
If the irons are about stability, the driver is about pure, unadulterated speed. Rory has officially moved into the TaylorMade Qi4D driver for 2026.
He skipped the "Qi35" models that some other staffers toyed with last year, sticking with his older Qi10 until the new Qi4D was ready. His current spec is a 9.0° head, though it’s usually clocked down slightly to around 8.25° or 7.5° depending on the course conditions and how much he wants to "hold" the ball against a wind.
The shaft remains his faithful Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X. It’s a stout, low-launch, low-spin handle that can keep up with a swing speed that regularly touches 122 mph.
- Head: TaylorMade Qi4D (9.0°)
- Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X (45 inches, tipped 1 inch)
- Swing Weight: D5 (Heavy, just how he likes it to feel the head at the top of the swing)
He’s also updated the top end of his bag with the Qi4D Tour fairway woods. You’ll usually see a 15° 3-wood and an 18° 5-wood. Interestingly, his 5-wood is often built more like a "4-wood" to gap specifically between his 3-wood and his longest iron.
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The TP5 Ball Change That Actually Changed Everything
You’ve probably heard people say the ball is the only piece of equipment used on every shot. For Rory, a switch from the TP5x to the standard TP5 golf ball was the catalyst for his recent resurgence.
Most high-speed players gravitate toward the "X" ball because it’s firmer and lower spinning off the driver. But Rory found that the softer TP5 gave him a more predictable "misty" launch with his wedges. He felt like the TP5x was sometimes too "jumpy" on partial shots.
By switching to the TP5, he lowered his launch angle with his irons by about a degree, but kept the spin high enough to stop the ball on firm greens. It sounds counterintuitive, but the softer ball allowed him to be more aggressive with his flighting.
The Short Game: MG5 Wedges and the Spider X
The bottom of the bag is where the rory mcilroy golf equipment story gets technical. He’s moved into the new Milled Grind 5 (MG5) wedges.
One specific detail that gear nerds noticed: he actually added loft to his lob wedge. He’s now playing a 60° MG5 LB (Low Bounce) that is bent to 61°. He pairs this with a 54° and a 50° (which often replaces a traditional pitching wedge to manage his gaps).
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Then there’s the putter. After years of flirting with blades and different neck styles, he seems married to the TaylorMade Spider Tour X. It’s a short-slant neck mallet with a high-MOI design. It helps him keep the face square through impact, which has historically been his biggest struggle. He uses a SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour grip—no more of those oversized "fat" grips from a few years back.
The Full 2026 WITB Breakdown (Estimated)
Honestly, his bag changes faster than the weather in Holywood, but this is the current "Dubai/Major Season" setup:
- Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9.0°) | Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
- 3-Wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15°) | Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
- 5-Wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (18°) | Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
- Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4-9) | Project X 7.0 shafts
- Wedges: TaylorMade MG5 (50°, 54°, 60° bent to 61°) | Project X 6.5
- Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X | SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
- Ball: 2026 TaylorMade TP5 (marked with "RORS" and the number 22)
What This Means for Your Bag
You don’t have Rory’s 185 mph ball speed, but there’s a massive lesson here. If the best driver of the golf ball in history is willing to move from blades to cavity-back irons for more "forgiveness," why are you still struggling with those butter knives?
The shift in rory mcilroy golf equipment proves that "workability" is being traded for "consistency" at the highest level. You should probably do the same. If you’re looking to emulate this setup, don't just buy the driver; look at his gapping. He doesn't carry a 3-iron because he knows a high-launching 5-wood is easier to hit.
Next Steps for Your Own Gear:
- Get Fitted for a Ball First: Rory’s whole 2026 turnaround started with the TP5. Don't just play the "ProV1" because everyone else does; find the spin window that helps your wedges stay low.
- Evaluate Your Long Irons: If you see a gap larger than 15 yards between your 4-iron and 5-iron, it’s time to look at a "7-wood" or a high-lofted hybrid, much like Rory’s "4-wood" spec 5-wood.
- Prioritize MOI in the Putter: Switching to a mallet like the Spider Tour X was the best move Rory ever made for his career longevity. Square the face more often, make more putts. It's that simple.