What TaylorMade ball do Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda have in common?

Equipment
Rory McIlroy golf ball

Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda have won 11 times around the world this season and there has been one common denominator: the TaylorMade TP5x ball.

The ball was first introduced in 2017 and TaylorMade have released updated versions, the latest of which came at the start of this season.

TaylorMade claim that the TP5x is their fastest and longest Tour ball, with a five-layer design incorporating four increasingly stiff layers and a softer cast urethane cover for increased groove interaction on greenside shots for more spin and better feel.

Korda has won seven times with it around the globe in 2024, including a second Major at the Chevron Championship and she is now the first American since 1990 to win seven-plus times in a season. There was also a winning Solheim Cup and she was unsurprisingly named the Player of the Year.

Korda switched from the TP5 to the TP5x ball thanks to being able to get her spin down in the long game. She began testing the new ball last September and it has paid dividends with her best season on Tour.

Earlier in 2024 she won a ridiculous five tournaments on the trot.

“Nelly was looking to bring the spin down, especially on her driver, so we did some testing in September,” said TaylorMade Senior Tour Manager Ryan Ressa.

“We saw the benefits of TP5x in her driver and irons bringing the spin down a couple hundred RPMs. Then, around the greens, her launch on chips was a little bit lower and she generated more spin around the greens with TP5x than TP5. She produced a lot more check in a preferred trajectory coming off of the TP5x versus the TP5. She’s been happy with the ball ever since.”

A quick summary of how the balls differ…

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Feel

TP5: Softer feel.
TP5x: Firmer feel.

The TP5 is designed for players who prefer a softer sensation on impact, particularly around the greens, while the TP5x has a firmer feel for more feedback off the clubface.

Trajectory

TP5: Mid-to-high launch.
TP5x: High launch.

The TP5x generally flies higher, making it ideal for players looking to maximise carry distance.

Spin

TP5: More spin around the greens.
TP5x: Slightly lower spin around the greens.

The TP5 delivers exceptional control and stopping power on approach shots and short game, whereas the TP5x offers lower spin off the tee for increased distance.

Distance

TP5x: Longer off the tee due to lower spin and higher ball speed.
TP5: Still long, but slightly behind the TP5x in pure distance.

Compression

TP5: Lower compression (85).
TP5x: Higher compression (97).

The TP5 is better suited for players with moderate swing speeds, while the TP5x caters to faster swing speeds for maximum distance and control.

The TP5x is slightly firmer so is slightly more resistant to scuffing but that won’t be much of a consideration to the Tour stars.

For McIlroy, his win at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai sealed a sixth Race to Dubai title and, while the Major barren spell continues, there were still four worldwide victories.

The first of those came back at the Dubai Desert Classic at the start of the season where he had just switched into the Qi10 driver, TP5x golf ball and Spider Tour X putter.

McIlroy immediately saw an extra 7-8 yards in distance off the tee and he also loved the new lower launch and less spin.

“It’s the fastest ball that I’ve ever hit. It’s unbelievably fast. Even going into the longer clubs, what I’ve picked up with driver as well, it’s amazing,” said McIlroy.

“It was a good test to still make sure that the mid irons were spinning enough going into greens and still being able to hold greens. I think the lower launch with the short irons and then the little bit more of a softer feel around the greens was sort of the big selling point to me.”

There is, also, more scope to employ more of a cut-off shot which means the Northern Irishman can mix up his shots to the green.

“The fact that it doesn’t spin too much when I hit that shot, I really like because I’ve always had this fear with whatever ball that I’ve played that if I hit that shot, there’s a tendency to come up short because it spins a little too much. But I don’t really have that fear with this golf ball, which is a really nice feeling.”

READ MORE: How far does Women’s World No.1 Nelly Korda hit her TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver?

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