McIlroy sarcastically reflects on his failed club switch after struggling at Bay Hill, reverting to old gear
Rory McIlroy tried something new at the Arnold Palmer Invitational—new TaylorMade woods. It went just about as well as you’d expect when you mess with a club setup that was already working. After 54 holes of frustration, he binned the experiment and reverted to his old driver for the final round.
“It was a really good idea to change,” McIlroy quipped, dripping in sarcasm, after finishing T-15 at Bay Hill. It was a classic Rory moment—dry humour masking some very real frustration.
The Northern Irishman had switched to the new TaylorMade Qi35 driver, 3-wood, and 4-wood, believing they would complement his switch from a TP5x ball to the TP5. On paper, it looked promising. On the course? A disaster.
McIlroy ranked 50th in strokes gained off the tee, hitting just 24 of 56 fairways. Compare that to Pebble Beach, where he led the field in driving stats with his old setup. The numbers don’t lie.
By Sunday, McIlroy had had enough. He swapped back to his old woods, and while it was too late to salvage the tournament, he knew one thing for sure: there will be no more club tinkering before the Masters.
“Yeah, just went back to what was familiar and what’s comfortable,” he admitted.
With Augusta National looming, McIlroy has no intention of making further changes. He confirmed that he’ll take another scouting trip to the course before the Masters but remains undecided on any additional events before then, apart from next week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy acknowledged the dangers of switching clubs too soon, noting that while everything looked great on the TrackMan and at The Bear’s Club, tournament conditions exposed the flaws.
“You have to go through these 12-month club cycles,” he said. “It’s a blessing and a curse.”
Translation: Club manufacturers want pros to use the latest gear, but sometimes, old faithful is still the best option.
For now, McIlroy has learned his lesson: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Expect to see his trusted Qi10 woods back in play at Augusta.
