Rory McIlroy set for huge early season equipment changes

Rory McIlroy looks set to make the switch the new range of TaylorMade Qi35 woods at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, with a driver and two fairway woods going in the bag.

According to Jonathan Wall on X, the four-time major champion is putting a new driver, 3-wood and 5-wood in play this week at Bay Hill.

It will mark a big change for McIlroy, who to this point, hasn’t made the switch from the Qi10 woods in PGA Tour competition.

If the clubs make their debut for the 35-year-old this week, he will have a little bit of on-course experience with them already. Back in December, McIlroy used the brand-new driver at the Showdown, an exhibition match also featuring Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

All signs point to Rory McIlroy putting @TaylorMadeGolf Qi35 woods in play at Bay Hill: Qi35 "Dot" driver (@FujikuraOnTour Ventus Black VeloCore+ 6X), 3-wood and 5-wood. pic.twitter.com/SnhVV61CwE

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) March 4, 2025

However, in every PGA Tour event this season, including his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, it was the Qi10 that took top spot in the bag. That now looks set to change.

The all-important driver looks to be a similar set-up to McIlroy’s previous model, as he’s been testing the tour only ‘Dot’ version. Essentially, this driver sits somewhere between the regular Qi35 and the low spinning Qi35 LS. McIlroy used an equivalent version in the Qi10. Similarly, McIlroy has tuned the nine degree head down in loft, in the same way he did before.

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Then, it also looks like the new 3-wood and 5-wood will be making their way into the bag. These will be the equivalent models to what McIlroy had in the bag with the Qi10 range.

Meanwhile, GolfWRX reported that fellow TaylorMade staffer Scottie Scheffler has also been testing the new driver. The world No.1 was spotted working with TaylorMade’s tour rep Adrian Rietveld, going between his current Qi10 and various versions of the Qi35 driver.

Scottie Scheffler testing the @taylormadegolf Qi35 driver versus his Qi10 gamer 👀

During this session, Scottie was going back and forth between multiple Qi35 heads and the Qi10 while TaylorMade tour rep made adjustments to the Qi35.

No word yet if it’ll make it into the bag. pic.twitter.com/VJWeruIYZy

— GolfWRX (@GolfWRX) March 4, 2025

Scheffler, however, has already started making the move towards the new line. In his last start at the Genesis Invitational, he had a Qi35 7-wood in play.

If the clubs do make their way into the player’s bags, it will be important that they hit the ground running with them, with the first major of the year a matter of weeks away.

More on the TaylorMade Qi35 range

How does the TaylorMade Qi35 compare to the TaylorMade Qi10?

Review: TaylorMade Qi35 fairway woods

Review: TaylorMade Qi35 driver

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Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor