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Panorama

Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll File for Divorce Amid Major Preparations

Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish golfer, filed for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll. The filing, which was submitted in Palm Beach County in Florida, declares their marriage as “irretrievably broken.” This news comes just days before the start of the second major of the year, the PGA Championships of 2024.

McIlroy’s Statement on Divorce

McIlroy’s team confirmed the news and emphasized McIlroy’s desire for a respectful and amicable process. In a statement published by the New York Post his manager, Sean O’Flaherty, stressed the importance of handling this difficult time with dignity.

The divorce petition, asks for the enforcement of a prenuptial agreement. The couple signed this agreement on March 7, 2017, just before their wedding on April 21, 2017, at Ashford Castle in Ireland. The ceremony was a high-profile event attended by celebrities like Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin.

McIlroy and Stoll have one daughter, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, born in 2020. The divorce documents request shared parental responsibility and a co-parenting plan to ensure equal timesharing. The petition also highlights that both parties are capable of supporting their child financially.

Thomas Julian Sasser, McIlroy’s divorce attorney, is well-known for handling high-profile cases, including those of Tiger Woods and Jeff Gordon.

Divorce Filing Amid PGA Championship Preparations

Erica Stoll has been a supportive presence throughout McIlroy’s career, often seen at tournaments on the PGA Tour and even serving as his caddie on occasion. Public records list their residence in Jupiter, Florida, an estate valued at over $22 million.

McIlroy and Stoll’s relationship began at the 2012 Ryder Cup, where Stoll worked as a PGA transport official. They started dating in 2014, shortly after McIlroy ended his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. The 35-year-old recently won the Wells Fargo Championship and is among the favorites for the upcoming PGA Championship.

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Equipment

WITB: Team McIlroy/Lowry with TaylorMade and Srixon to victory

It’s the 25th win on the PGA Tour for Rory McIlroy and the first win for Shane Lowry since 2019. The Irish duo played their way through the four rounds of the tournament with aplomb, beating Team Ramey/Trainer in the play-off. Take a look at the Irish duo’s equipment during their victory in New Orleans.

WITB Rory McIlroy at the Zurich Classic 2024

(Image: TaylorMade)

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

3 wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15°, 18°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Driving Irons: TaylorMade Stealth UDI (16°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4)

Irons: TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46°, 50°, 54°) Titleist Wedge Works (60°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

(Image: TaylorMade)

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

WITB Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic 2024

(Image: Srixon)

(Image: Srixon)

Driver: Srixon ZX7 Mk II Driver

(Image: TaylorMade)

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus

(Image: Srixon)

Irons: Srixon ZX Utility (3), Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW)

(Image: Cleveland)

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50°, 54°), Cleveland RTX Full Face (58°)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Golf ball: Srixon Z-Star XV 2023

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Panorama PGA Tour

Team McIlroy/Lowry Celebrate Victory with a Round of Karaoke

The Zurich Classic is one of just a few team events in professional golf. Naturally, the pros make a special point of playing with their mates not only in the practice rounds, but also in a tournament. One example is the Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. The long-standing friendship between these two players is no secret and both enjoyed a weekend of top-class golf. To top it off, they even claimed victory in their first appearance as a team at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic 2024.

Rory McIlroy: “To win any PGA TOUR event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends is awesome”

“We went out there, we had loads of fun, and we won the tournament. You couldn’t ask for a better week,” Lowry said after their win. And McIlroy added: “To win any PGA TOUR event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends … Think about where we met and where we’ve come from, to be on this stage and do this together – just awesome to be able to do it alongside this guy.” And all of this happened because McIlroy “proposed” to Lowry at a “drunken lunch”, as the Northern Irishman told Claire Rodgers before the event.

In addition to the trophy, the duo received WWE-style belts. Well, for McIlroy it was a good fit and a perfect addition to the outfit. Shane Lowry, on the other hand, had a little trouble putting it on.

To celebrate McIlroy’s 25th career PGA Tour victory and Lowry’s first win since 2019, the pair took to the stage after the tournament and sang a perfect rendition of ‘Don’t stop believing’ by Journey.

Team McIlroy/Lowry celebrate with a round of karaoke

Categories
PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Multimillion Bonuses for Top Players

In February, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan unveiled the Player Equity Program. The PGA Tour had struck a deal with Strategic Sports Group to make an immediate investment of 1.5 billion dollars in a new for-profit entity called PGA Tour Enterprises. Part of the investment includes the Player Equity Program, designed to reward players for their loyalty to the PGA Tour. The 193 eligible recipients were notified of their equity shares by Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who is also CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises. “It’s about making sure our players know that the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal,” said Jason Gore, the Tour’s Chief Player Officer, in one of six informational videos the Tour has produced for members, which are available to Golf.com.

How the Money Is Distributed Among the PGA Tour Players

The plan envisages that around 930 million US dollars will be distributed to 193 players, taking into account four main categories. The players will not receive the money immediately, but in the form of shares in PGA Tour Enterprises, which will house the Tour’s commercial activities. Led by the Tour’s top stars, 36 players will receive a share of 750 million US dollars based on their performance over the last five years. That’s just over 80% of the prize that goes to only a few dozen pros. Points are awarded based on the number of years as a Tour member, participation in Tour Championships and victories, with special achievements such as Major titles, victories in the Players Championship and the FedEx Cup earning additional points. The second group, consisting of “consistent performers and up-and-coming talent”, will receive 75 million US dollars for 64 players. Their participation is based on FedExCup points over the last three years. A further 30 million US dollars will be awarded to 57 players in the third group, based on career earnings and the number of top 125 finishes in the FedExCup points. The fourth group, comprising “Legends of the Past”, including names such as Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, will receive 75 million US dollars. These funds are awarded on the basis of the “Career Points” system and are earmarked exclusively for living golf legends.

A key element of the program is the eight-year commitment period. Participations reach 50% of their value after four years, 75% after six years and the full 100% after eight years. At this point, players can sell their holdings to PGA Tour Enterprises. This arrangement is designed to strengthen player loyalty to the PGA Tour. Strategic Sports Group valued the PGA Tour at US$12.3 billion when it joined and this value is expected to increase over time.

What’s In It for the Top Players

According to a rough estimate by Golf.com, Tiger Woods will receive 528 career points, Rory McIlroy just 199, while Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have both accumulated a similar number of just under 100 points. All four players are expected to be part of Group 1 and all will receive substantial grants, but the difference in career points is expected to bring some differences in value. In short, Woods will receive the highest grant value (possibly by a wide margin) and McIlroy’s will be the second highest. Golf journalist Joe Pompliano estimates that Woods’ shares could be worth up to $100 million, double Rory McIlroy’s $50 million.

Further Bonuses Expected In the Coming Years

In addition to the initial investment of 1.5 billion US dollars, the players will receive a further bonus of around 600 million US dollars in the coming years. These funds, amounting to USD 100 million per year from 2025 to 2030, will be awarded based on the performance and results of the Player Impact Program, with a particular focus on young talent.

Categories
Professionals

 How Much Prize Money Has Rory McIlroy Earned? 

Rory McIlroy is one of the best-known players on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. With several major titles and Ryder Cup appearences, he has earned a fair share of prize money. But exactly how much has the Northern Irishman earned in his career to date?

This is how much Rory McIlroy has earned in prize money in his career

Since becoming a professional player back in September 2007 Rory Since turning professional in September 2007, Rory McIlroy has quickly become one of the top golfers on both the European and American Tours. With good finishes, he started to make the big money in 2009 with his victory at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) and his first PGA Tour title in 2010 at the Quail Hollow Championship. He followed his success with four major titles in 2011, 2012 and 2014 and increased his winner’s share to almost ten million in 2012 and 2014. After a few years with “only” smaller earnings, he won his first Tour Championship and the Players Championship in 2019, bringing his prize money for the year to a whopping 20 million, surpassed only by his 22′ prize money, which totals 40 million dollars. With his second FedExCup win and top finishes in all four major championships, McIlroy climbed back to the top of both tours and won the DP World Tour season standings.

Year Total Earnings
2007 $0
2009 $1,212,219
2010 $3,104,280
2011 $2,321,859
2012 $8,047,952
2013 $1,802,443
2014 $8,395,096
2015 $5,113,312
2016 $5,790,585
2017 $2,430,182
2018 $4,450,296
2019 $22,785,286
2020 $5,428,415
2021 $8,475,559
2022 $40,456,566
2023 $5,333,285

Rory McIlroy and the “Players Impact Program”

In addition to his tournament prize money, McIlroy collected a considerable sum from the “Players Impact Programme” introduced in 2021. A third place in 2021 earned him 3.5 million dollars, in 2022 a second place behind Tiger Woods earned him 12 million and in 2023 he received 15 million for his first place in the PGA Tours popularity rankings.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters 2024: Rory McIlroy Scores 73 on Final Day

Rory McIlroy finishes The Masters 2024 with a round of 73 (+1). The 34-year-old leaves Augusta with an overall score of four over par. He narrowly misses out on a place among the top 20. He still has to wait for his career Grand Slam. McIlroy also failed to win The Masters at his 16th attempt and thus all four major tournaments. He has already won the US Open, the PGA Championship and the Open Championship.

Rory McIlroy Quotes After The Masters Tournament 2024

Question: Rory, can you give us your reflections on today and your Masters week?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah. I mean, I don’t really know what to say. Just sort of felt like my game was okay and managed it pretty well, but obviously Friday was a really tough day, and losing five shots sort of put me in a pretty difficult position going into the weekend.

Then the conditions were pretty tough. The greens are crusty and firm and hard to get the ball super close and hard to make a ton of birdies. Once you get seven or eight back going into the weekend here, it’s hard to make up that ground.

Question: Can you sum up your disappointment?

Rory McIlroy: I guess it’s more the same of what I’ve shown this year. It’s not as if it’s been a down week in comparison to the way I’ve been playing. It’s just a matter of me trying to get my game in a bit better shape going towards the rest of the season.

Question: Do you feel like you can get that confidence and momentum back with three majors coming up in quick succession?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, I need to take a little bit of time and reflect on this week and what I did well, what I didn’t do so well, and sort of try to make a plan for the next few months, especially from here going through obviously the end of July. As you say, major season, they’re going to come thick and fast here, so hopefully get myself in a bit better form for those last three.

Question: Will you scale back a little bit?

Rory McIlroy: No, the next two weeks I’m playing Hilton Head, I’m playing New Orleans. I’ll take a week off, playing Quail Hollow, play the PGA, take another week off, then play another four in a row. Loving golf at the moment. Loving it.

Question: Do you feel like you’re close?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, because all these disappointing weeks are 20ths, 25ths. They’re not terrible weeks by any stretch, but there’s a lot of room for improvement. I’m close in some ways, but then I feel quite far away in others. It’s a bit of a — once I get one thing, sort of put that to bed, then another thing pops up, and it’s just one of those at the minute.

Question: (On what’s missing in his game).

Rory McIlroy: Just a little bit of control, I think, with the ball-striking, especially in those sorts of winds. It really exposes any weaknesses that you may have. That Friday definitely exposed a few things. As the golf course changes here, you just have to be so precise, and I wasn’t quite precise enough this week.

Question: You’ve been on tears like Scottie is on. We talked about this at the API. What’s in his head right now?

Rory McIlroy: Nothing. Nothing. Not a lot of clutter. The game feels pretty easy when you’re in stretches like this. That’s the hard thing whenever you’re not quite in form. You are searching and you are thinking about it so much, but then when you are in form, you don’t think about it at all. So it’s trying to find that balance.

Question: We make a big deal about a first-timer hasn’t won here since 1979. When you look at Ludvig, does he strike you as a first-timer?

Rory McIlroy: No, I think he showed why at the Ryder Cup. I think every stage throughout his very, very young career, he’s shown that he belongs. Gets the win in Europe, plays the Ryder Cup, gets the win in the States, playing in his first Masters, contending on the back nine on Sunday. He’s sort of proven at every stage that he’s played at that he belongs.

Question: Michael Collins shared that at Bay Hill you had a bit of a longing for Bryson to be there, or at least you would see the value in Bryson being at Bay Hill. When you see what he does this week, a bit of an entertainment factor, does it reiterate the value of him and a few guys back into the pro golf world?

Rory McIlroy: Absolutely. The Masters stands alone in terms of every other golf tournament, but I think even in terms of the ratings the first two days on ESPN looked like they were up, which is a sign that when we’re all back together, then golf thrives. When we’re divided, it doesn’t. That’s just another example of why we should all try to put our heads together and get back together.

Question: When you talk about reassessing things, is there a way to measure when the time has come for that that’s almost analytical as opposed to emotional? How do you determine that?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, probably not the right time to be analytical at the moment, but I think as well if you’re really going to make wholesale changes it’s hard to play a lot of golf and make them at the same time. I don’t feel like I need to make wholesale changes. That’s why I’m playing a lot. But if the time comes that I need to make wholesale changes with my golf swing and really try to reassess, it could be a six-month to a year process. Not saying I wouldn’t play any tournaments in that time, but the focus would be on the sort of technical side of things and really not result driven at all. I don’t think I’m there yet, but there may come a time where I need to address that and really go back to the drawing board.

But I think right now it’s little tweaks here and there and managing my game. I really feel like I can sort of play my way into form here over these next few weeks.

Question: (On what he did to his caddie.)

Rory McIlroy: No, I was very apologetic. I didn’t mean to do it. The club got stuck, and I just — anyways, he’s resilient. He’ll be all right.
Transcript by asapsports

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024 Live Blog: Rory McIlroy finishes Masters with solid 1-over 73

Rory McIlroy is one of this generation’s top golfers. The now 34 year old Northern Irishmen captured various PGA Tour titles and DP World Tour victories all while winning several Major Championships as well. But the Masters Tournament and its prestigious green jacket is still missing in McIlroy trophy collection. Previous to the Masters 2024 McIlroy changed his routines and plays the Valero Texas Open as a test run for Augusta National. He also misses out on the famous Par 3 Contest on Wednesday.

Follow all Masters Tournament Live Scores

Rory McIlroy – Carreer and Past Results

Rory McIlroy won his first professional event at the age of just 20, launching his great career on the DP World Tour (formerly known as European Tour). Two years later, he achieved his first major title when he captured the win at the US Open with 16 strokes under par, that is the best score ever achieved at this tournament so far. In March 2012, he became the second youngest number 1 in the world golf rankings of all time being just 22 years old, crowning this success with his second major at the PGA Championship in August of the same year.

McIlroy scored his third major title in 2014 with his victory at the Open Championship. In the same year, the Northern Irishman also achieved his fourth Major success when he won the PGA Championship for the second time. That means McIlroy is now only missing a Masters Tournament victory for the career grand slam. And is on a “major drought” for around ten years.

Away from the majors, Rory McIlroy also won the Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, in 2019. In addition to his impressive performances at the season highlights on the Tour calendar, McIlroy has already secured overall victory in the PGA Tour’s annual rankings twice, winning the Tour Championship and the FedExCup in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024 Tee Times: Rory McIlroy’s Final Round

Rory McIlroy improved his score in the third round of The Masters with a round under par. But to win the Green Jacket, he would have to make up ten strokes on Scottie Scheffler. Can he accomplish that? He goes into the final round of The Masters 2024 together with Joaquin Niemann. Like McIlroy, the Argentinian is on two three over par.

The Masters Tournament 2024 Tee Times: Rory McIlroy alongside Joaquin Niemann

Rory McIlroy will start his final round at The Masters Tournament 2024 alongside Joaquin Niemann at 12:45 PM.

The Masters Tournament 2024: Tee Time Rory McIlroy Round 4

Tee Times The Masters 2024 Rory McIlroy
Tee Time Round 4 (Sunday) 12:45 PM (local time)

Patron Portraits: Past and Present. #themasters pic.twitter.com/wue1lGfl5h

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2024

Tee Times The Masters Tournament 2024 Round 4

Tee Tee Time Player 1 Player 2
1 9:15 Adam Hadwin Vijay Singh
1 9:25 Jake Knapp Grayson Murray
1 9:35 Neal Shipley (A) Tiger Woods
1 9:45 Tom Kim Denny McCarthy
1 9:55 Kurt Kitayama Thorbjørn Olesen
1 10:05 Erik van Rooyen Eric Cole
1 10:15 José María Olazábal Camilo Villegas
1 10:25 Russell Henley Jason Day
1 10:35 Keegan Bradley Min Woo Lee
1 10:45 Si Woo Kim J. T. Poston
1 11:05 Corey Conners Brooks Koepka
1 11:15 Phil Mickelson Shane Lowry
1 11:25 Taylor Moore Sahith Theegala
1 11:35 Akshay Bhatia Harris English
1 11:45 Jon Rahm Tony Finau
1 11:55 Hideki Matsuyama Luke List
1 12:05 Ryan Fox Rickie Fowler
1 12:25 Danny Willett Adam Scott
1 12:35 Will Zalatoris Tyrrell Hatton
1 12:45 Rory McIlroy Joaquín Niemann
1 12:55 Matthieu Pavon Sepp Straka
1 13:05 Matt Fitzpatrick Patrick Reed
1 13:15 Adam Schenk Chris Kirk
1 13:25 Patrick Cantlay Lucas Glover
1 13:45 Cameron Young Tommy Fleetwood
1 13:55 Byeong Hun An Cameron Smith
1 14:05 Cameron Davis Nicolai Højgaard
1 14:15 Bryson DeChambeau Xander Schauffele
1 14:25 Max Homa Ludvig Åberg
1 14:35 Scottie Scheffler Collin Morikawa
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Highlights Tours

The Masters 2024: Rory McIlroy Scores Under Par in Round 3

Rory McIlroy improved his score at The Masters 2024 to +3 with a round of 71. As in the first round, the 34-year-old remained one under par at Augusta National. After a 77 on Friday, however, the four-time major winner had already fallen a long way back. Read the interview to find out whether he is happy with his score and whether the golf course was easier to play today because there was less wind.

The Masters 2024: Rory McIlroy on His Score in round 3

Question: Are you happier today?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, obviously conditions were a little easier than yesterday. Still tricky, though. Greens are firm. Some of the hole locations are really tough, especially some of the downwind holes with the pins at the front. Hard to get the ball close, and then you sort of just have to take your chances from 20, 25 feet. But definitely hit the ball better today, gave myself a lot of looks. Missed a few, but shooting something under par was a decent effort.

Question: Did you feel like you got a little bit more momentum going today?

Rory McIlroy: A little bit. It was hard to get any momentum yesterday just because of the conditions. So, yeah, it was nice to see — I think I made three birdies today compared to zero yesterday. So nice to see some red numbers on the card. Yeah, it was a little better.

Question: You crushed that ball off of 9. I don’t know if you’ve seen the video, but it was actually rolling around the people walking across the crossway.

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, I haven’t seen it yet. I hit it way further left than I thought I was going to. I thought I was going to catch these trees over here. It was so far downwind that I covered there. Yeah, I certainly didn’t expect the ball to be down there whenever I — I was looking somewhere in the left pinestraw. Just sort of shows the strength of the wind.

Question: We saw you back on the range still after your round last night. Is that still working on the technical things you’re working on?

Rory McIlroy: I just needed to get some rhythm. It was so start/stop yesterday, and I didn’t have any fluid in my golf swing because of that. I just wanted to got and try and find some rhythm last night.

I only hit 10, 15 minutes, but definitely felt better as well. As the wind is coming down you start getting out of sync. It was better to make some normal golf swings and hit some normal shots. Definitely hit it a bit better today. No, I mean, all I can do is come here and try my best. That’s what I do every time I show up. Some years it’s better than others. I’ve just got to keep showing up and try to do the right thing.

Question: When you played with Scottie on those first two days and he’s so unmoved by everything, so unflappable, is that difficult?

Rory McIlroy: No, not really. If anything, it’s good because, to have someone beside you that has a great attitude and sort of does everything the right way, it’s nice to try to feed off that.

Question: What you’re working on with your irons, you’ve seen progress this week to be ready as the summer rolls on with all these other big events coming up?

Rory McIlroy: I think so. I made good progress last week in San Antonio, my strokes gained numbers and approach were good. I thought my — I would say my strokes gained approach numbers today were probably pretty good. So it’s getting better. It’s definitely better than what it was through the Florida swing.

Question: You said you were going to try to be patient. How much has this been a test of patience this week?

Rory McIlroy: A lot. But it’s this tournament and this golf course and especially these conditions. That’s all you can be. You can’t really do anything else. You’ve got to try to have as much acceptance as possible and try to keep hitting good shots and move on.

Question: I think it’s currently 2-under on the par-5s this week. How much frustration you haven’t been able to take advantage of those a bit more?


Rory McIlroy: That’s okay. The par-5s have been playing difficult and into the wind. It’s been hard to go for the greens in two because of the conditions. Yeah, it’s probably not quite what I would have wanted, but it’s probably not too far off what everyone else is playing them in because they have been sort of difficult.

Question: What would a 15 handicap do around here?

Rory McIlroy: It’s hard because a 15 handicap usually doesn’t get the ball in the air far enough for the wind to affect it, but they would have struggled.

Question: What are you hoping to finish off with tomorrow?

Rory McIlroy: Just go out and finish on a positive note. Shoot a good round of golf and move on to Hilton Head next week in a good frame of mind, I guess.

Question: Thoughts on Hilton Head? What went into adding Hilton Head next week to your schedule? You weren’t committed until yesterday?

Rory McIlroy: I think I’m like 50th in the FedExCup. I need to get all the events under my belt as I can.

Question: You look at the top of the leaderboard much and pay attention to it?

Rory McIlroy: A little bit. Obviously Scottie’s got off to a great start. I’m excited to watch it.
Interview via asapsports.com

 

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Equipment Highlights Tours

WITB Rory McIlroy: The Equipment for the Masters Tournament 2024

Rory McIlroy attempts his 16th run for a Masters Tournament victory and the completion of his career Grand Slam. Take a look at the equipment of the Northern Irishman for the first major of the 2024 season. As always McIlroy trusts his longterm sponsor TaylorMade from driver to golf ball.

WITB Rory McIlroy at the Masters Tournament 2024

(Image: TaylorMade)

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

3 wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15°, 18°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Driving Irons: TaylorMade Stealth UDI (16°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Irons: TaylorMade P760 (4)

Irons: TaylorMade P730 Rors Proto (5-9)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46, 50, 54, 60)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

(Image: TaylorMade)

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x