The four equipment tweaks that sparked McIlroy’s $17m money rush

Scott Allen
Rory McIlroy tosses a golf ball

After winning the Irish Open, Rory McIlroy revealed that “2025 is going to go down as one of the best, if not the best of my career”, and his equipment changes have played a major role in that improvement.

McIlroy’s huge 28-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole at the K Club drew one of the loudest crowd roars in golf.

The putt forced the Irish Open into a play-off, where McIlroy beat Joakim Lagergren on a third hole to the delight of the Irish fans in County Kildare.

Four shots back at the start of play on the final round, McIlroy cut a frustrated figure. But with the help of the TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter he’s been using since 2024, he made 160 feet of putts on the final day; including that eagle, a 38-foot birdie putt on the 2nd and a 43-foot birdie putt on the 5th.

 

But his victory at the K Club was also notable for his first win with a new set of MG5 wedges in his bag, upgrading from the MG4s.

McIlroy has made a number of changes to his equipment this season, mainly driven by a change of ball in February, and it has reflected in his prize money earnings.

On the PGA Tour alone his winnings have shot up from $10,893,790 in 2024, to $16,992,418 in 2025. That’s not including the $1,020,000 he earned at the Irish Open.

Here we look at all the equipment changes McIlroy has made in 2025.

Rory McIlroy’s new golf ball

McIlroy switched from the TaylorMade TP5x ball to the softer, higher‑spin TP5 early in the season. He also changed to a 60 low bounce lob wedge bent to 61°. That week he won at $3.6m at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The Northern Irishman admitted that he liked how the TP5 felt around the greens.

“I sort of stumbled upon it. I was messing around at the Grove the other day. This has got to be like Thursday last week. I just started to hit some chips with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how I felt,” said McIlroy.

“I hadn’t really tested the 2024 TP5 and I loved how it was reacting around the greens. … I started hitting some like 60, 70-yard shots with it and it was coming off much lower launch, but spinnier.

“This seems to launch probably a degree lower for me, but the spin rate’s very, very similar, which I really like.

“Yeah, did some testing with it, really like it. Doesn’t seem to lose any speed with the driver either, even though it’s a lower-compression golf ball.”

McIlroy also experimented with Qi35 woods

As a result of the TP5 ball change, McIlroy started tinkering with the rest of his bag.

At the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March, McIlroy rocked up with a fresh set of clubs.

Swapping out his reliable TaylorMade Qi10 driver, 3-wood, 5-wood and also ditching a 50-degree TaylorMade MG4 wedge, for three new TaylorMade Qi35 woods and a 48-degree MG4 pitching wedge.

But after disappointing three rounds, he returned to his old favourites, eventually finishing eight strokes behind tournament winner Russell Henley, tied for 15th but $349,000 better off.

“I led strokes gained: off the tee in both Pebble and Torrey, so it was a really good idea to change,” said McIlroy.

“[Saturday], I lost strokes off the tee, which is the first time I’ve done that in a long time. Yeah, just went back to what was familiar and what’s comfortable.

“I tried new woods for the first three days, didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. So, yeah, I went back to my old stuff. Driver, fairway wood, everything.”

A switch to the Qi35 driver

McIlroy continued on with his Qi10 driver, but after finishing tied for 47th at the PGA Championship, he rang the changes again.

For the Canadian Open in June, just before the US Open, McIlroy made a shorter build Qi35 driver his main weapon of choice.

But the switch didn’t help and he missed the cut. Admitting he was “still searching for a missing piece off the tee” following the lowest position in his PGA Tour career.

“I hit some drives that I liked and that I liked to see, so that was encouraging…it’s hard with the driver, like with the one I had been playing with previously, when I missed with it, I was a little bit left,” said McIlroy after the first round.

“Then my miss with this one is a little bit right. It’s just trying to figure that out and manage it a little bit.”

McIlroy went away to ‘test quite a few drivers’ ahead of the US Open and as a result admitted that he “wasn’t using the right driver!”

He returned to the Qi10 driver for the US Open and pocketed $243,070 after finishing T19.

Wedges upgraded to MG5

For the Irish Open, McIlroy changed his MG4 wedges (46°, 50°, 54°, 60°) to a newer MG5 set, which included a 60° LB lob wedge still bent to 61°, as well as MG5 46°, 50° and 54° wedges.

The new wedges helped him finish ninth in strokes gained: Around the Green, gaining 0.95 strokes on the field, sitting over 70% in scrambling and making five of six bunker saves.

But we all know it was that trusty TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter that was the real hero on the day.

What was in McIlroy’s bag for his Irish Open triumph?

Driver: TaylorMade, Qi10

Three wood: TaylorMade, Qi10

Five wood: TaylorMade, Qi10

Four iron: TaylorMade, P-760

Five to nine iron: TaylorMade, Rors Proto

46, 50, 54 and 61-degree wedge: TaylorMade, Milled Grind 5

Putter: TaylorMade, Spider Tour X

Ball: TaylorMade, TP5

READ MORE:How much prize money did Rory McIlroy scoop in 2025?