Rory McIlroy has made major changes to his bag, now playing with a new set of irons. He explains the reasons behind this switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the start of the year at the TGL by playing with a completely new set of irons, marking his first change since 2017. After making some adjustments to his bag in the fall of 2025, only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta win remain. At his season opener in Dubai, he spoke about the reasons and thoughts behind his switch.
“If There’s Help, I’ll Definitely Take It”
The Northern Irishman’s shots are mostly near perfect, and even when Rory McIlroy mishits a ball, the shots would still be the best many players will ever achieve. But at the professional level, centimeters decide between birdie and par, victory or defeat, and these small differences led McIlroy to change his clubs.
“If there’s help to be had, I’ll definitely take it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” McIlroy said on Thursday after his 66 at the Dubai Invitational. “Even in Dubai at the end of last year, I hit some 5-irons slightly off, and instead of coming up five or seven yards short, they were 10 to 15 yards short.”
TaylorMade’s Custom Irons for Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade crafted him a custom set of P7CB irons with a similar leading edge to his P760 long irons – in addition to his regular 4-iron, he also has P760 2- and 3-irons in utility versions. The 4-, 5-, and 6-irons from this set were used in last month’s opening rounds of the Australian Open, and they pleased him so much that he added the 7-, 8-, and 9-irons over the weekend. “On the firm turf down there, I felt these irons passed through the grass better than the blades,” he said. “And since then I’ve been practicing with them at home.”
McIlroy also played with a new, unreleased 2026 TaylorMade TP Proto golf ball. He debuted the new setup last week, kept his P760 4-iron, and officially played the irons this week in Dubai.
The Trend Towards More Forgiving Irons
The switch to the more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly seen at the highest level of golf. More pros are moving away from blades to more forgiving cavity backs, thanks to new technologies