Rory McIlroy has opted to revert to his familiar irons for his first PGA Tour event of the season, admitting his trial with alternative clubs is over. The world number three is competing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California, where he is the defending champion.
The 36-year-old had experimented with TaylorMade P7CB cavity-back irons, using them at the Australian Open in December and in several DP World Tour events earlier this year. However, after mixed results — including finishes of tied-14th, tied-third and tied-33rd — he has switched back to his RORS PROTO blades.
“That experiment's over, back to the trusty irons that I've played basically my whole career,” McIlroy said. He explained that the cavity backs produced a “right bias” in ball flight, which he found difficult to manage under pressure. “I would 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,” he added.
After the first round at Pebble Beach, McIlroy sits at four under par, six shots behind leader Ryo Hisatsune. Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley are a shot off the lead on nine under.
