Rory McIlroy teases new TaylorMade driver! Here’s what we know so far

After two years of Stealth, we’ve all been wondering what’s next from the brand that Rory McIlroy trusts to put in his bag. It seems the answer is the TaylorMade Qi10 driver.

That revelation came from the man himself. The four-time major champion is in Dubai this week for the DP World Tour Championship, where he revealed he is putting a new driver in play.

Speaking ahead of the season finale, McIlroy, who has already wrapped up the Race to Dubai title, said: “You’ll probably see a new driver in the bag this week.”

He added: “It’s just a new driver that I have been playing around with. I still want to go out and try to win the golf tournament, but it could be a good time to test it out in competition.”

New driver for Rory 👀 #DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/lYHdc5kPSV

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 13, 2023

Clubs that are set to be launched in the traditional January launch season generally appear on the USGA’s conforming list toward the end of each year, which allows players to test the new equipment ahead of the new season. The TaylorMade Qi10 driver that appeared on the conforming list, notably the LS – or Low Spin – model, so it is likely we’ll get three versions when it’s made official.

When will that be? TaylorMade generally launches its new product in early January, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer for our full review.

But what do we know about it so far? Well, that’s it in terms of the basics. But if you want to get into the tech, there are a few more noteworthy details.

First up, TaylorMade is sticking with the carbon face. That isn’t really a surprise to anyone that’s been following this story closely, as the brand said at the launch of the original Stealth driver it “will never make a titanium-faced driver again”. It will be interesting to see if the crown is also made from carbon.

• What’s in Rory McIlroy’s bag?

In terms of lofts, the USGA conforming list shows the Qi10 LS comes in 8-, 9- and 10.5-degree models, and if you look closely at the picture you’ll see a sliding weight marked ‘draw’ and ‘fade’, so golfers can adjust to their needs. While we’re talking about making the crown heavier, the USGA also notes there is a “weight port” in the back of the sole of the driver head.

It also looks like brands are going to be more neutral with their colours when it comes to drivers in 2024. Judging from the photos of McIlroy using it at the DP World Tour season finale, the Qi10 will be predominantly black and grey with a splash of orange.

As always, our gear expert James Tait will have everything you need to know the moment he gets the TaylorMade Qi10 driver in his hands.

Watch this space…

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor