Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy has announced a significant equipment change, declaring his "experiment is over" as he returns to his familiar RORS PROTO irons for his inaugural PGA Tour appearance of the season. The reigning Masters champion, who is competing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where he also enters as the defending champion, made the switch after a brief trial with TaylorMade clubs that began in December.
McIlroy Reverts to Trusted Equipment
The 36-year-old Northern Irish golfer, who clinched victory at this tournament last year, had initially opted to use TaylorMade P7CB cavity-back irons at the Australian Open in December. He continued with these new clubs through several early-season events on the DP World Tour, including the Dubai Invitational, where he recorded finishes of tied-14th, tied-third, and tied-33rd.
However, as McIlroy prepares for his first PGA Tour event of the season in California, he has decisively returned to what he calls his "trusty" RORS PROTO irons. "That experiment's over, back to the trusty irons that I've played basically my whole career," McIlroy stated emphatically.
Technical Reasons Behind the Change
McIlroy provided detailed technical explanations for his decision to abandon the TaylorMade clubs. "I felt like the cavity backs just had a little bit of a right bias in them," he explained. "So whatever way the weight of the head was or whether it was the blade length, I would hit shots - I'd make swings that I feel like I'd make with my blades that would be a very neutral ball flight, and then with the cavity backs they would just like start to tail off to the right."
The golfer further elaborated on the psychological and competitive aspects of the equipment change. "Once you get on the course, with the card in your hand, for so many years I'm used to feeling that like held-off position through impact and then to go from that to trying to release it, it just was a different feel, especially under pressure or in the heat of competition."
Current Tournament Standing
In his opening round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy carded a four-under par score, placing him six shots behind current leader Ryo Hisatsune, who fired an impressive 10-under par. Other notable competitors include Sam Burns and Keagan Bradley, who are just one shot off the lead at nine-under par.
This equipment reversal comes at a crucial time for McIlroy, who seeks to build momentum early in the season while defending his title at one of golf's most prestigious venues. The decision underscores how even elite athletes sometimes return to familiar tools when seeking optimal performance under competitive pressure.
