Rory McIlroy swaps out TaylorMade driver (again). Here’s how it’s different

Rory McIlroy has a new driver in his bag — again.

McIlroy began his opening round Thursday at the RBC Canadian Open with a brand-new TaylorMade Qi35 driver in his arsenal, three weeks after his last start at the PGA Championship.

In Charlotte, McIlroy became the center of attention after his gamer TaylorMade Qi10 driver — one he had used for much of 2024 and won three stars with, including the Masters, earlier this year — reportedly failed a CT test and was deemed non-conforming, forcing him to use a backup head.

While drivers commonly fail CT tests or are taken out of play before becoming “too hot,” McIlroy struggled off the tee at Quail Hollow, a course he had historically dominated, and finished T47.

The major change McIlroy made with his driver

With a few weeks off before McIlroy’s next event this week north of the border, TaylorMade sent their star staff player with several options to help find a new driver for the rest of the season.

“They knew he was going back home for three weeks and they sent him home with a bunch of options for drivers,” GOLF’s Johnny Wunder said on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped. “So Rory actually went back with some Qi35 heads and with some Qi10 heads. They gave him options. These were all his spec and they actually sent him some shorter options as well.”

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When McIlroy tests drivers at home, despite playing ribbed versions of Golf Pride’s MCC grips, TaylorMade will send him shafts with round grips because McIlroy will test all of the options himself and fit himself to one. Without the ribbed grips, McIlroy can adjust the FCT Sleeves on the drivers and play with different settings without worrying about where the rib sits in his hands. When he gets back on Tour, he has TaylorMade reps swap out the round grip for a ribbed one.

Recently, McIlroy had been playing with driver builds around 45.75″, just under the USGA legal limit. But TaylorMade sent him some shorter options as well.

As TaylorMade sources told Wunder, McIlroy landed on one of the shorter options paired with his new Qi35 (DOT) head.

McIlroy’s new driver build

The final build was a 9-degree (stated loft) Qi35 (DOT) head, the Tour-only version of the driver that is essentially a combination of the Qi35 LS and Qi35 Core heads, with a 44.75″ Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X shaft, one inch shorter than his previous gamer.

“The nice thing for TaylorMade is that Rory landed on this Qi35,” Wunder said. “Rory landed on the shorter build. These were ideas that TaylorMade had that they sent to him.”

This isn’t the first time McIlroy has gone with a driver shaft shorter than 45″. He played a 44″ driver during the spring of 2023, notably switching to Fujikura’s Ventus TR Blue model, as opposed to his trusted Ventus Black. The shorter build did nothing to limit his prodigious length as he flew one tee shot 349 yards at the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Ryan Barath of Skratch was the first to report that McIlroy’s new driver was in the bag for the Wednesday pro-am at the Canadian Open, and Wunder pointed out an interesting nugget from the photo of the driver as it was set to go into play.

The driver was set in the lower setting, which on TaylorMade’s Tour-only 1.5-degree FCT sleeves means a 9-degree head would play at 7.5 degrees. But Wunder presumed that the actual loft of the driver might be higher than that.

“If I see the guys in a lower setting, it tells me that they were probably playing a head that’s a higher lofted number head,” he said. “So it might say ‘9.0’ on the driver, but it’s probably closer to 9.5 to 9.75. So the fact that Rory is in a lower setting, tells me that he is in one of those higher lofted 9-degree heads, so that the loft is probably closer to like 8, 8.25.”

That would be just about the same actual loft as his previous gamer, if not just a touch lower, but the shorter shaft will also create a lower launch because the shaft will deflect less during the swing, delivering less loft. While McIlory might lose a little yardage, he’ll be able to maintain much of his length because he’ll also be more efficient as he delivers less loft. The shorter shaft also should help him rein in dispersion when he’s not swinging his best.

Qi35 Round 2

This is the second time McIlroy has put Qi35 woods in the bag. He first gamed them for the opening three rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational before making an about-face and putting his Qi10 woods back in for the final round Sunday. The driver head he’s using this week appears to be different than the one from March as it’s missing the date that was written on the sole, and it has more weight (8 g vs. 3 g) in the forward TAS port.

Along with the driver swap this week, McIlroy is also re-inserting a Qi35 3-wood and a P770 Proto 3-iron. The 3-wood has more to do with McIlroy’s personal preferences than anything, according to Wunder’s sources.

“That’s kind of how Rory thinks; he just doesn’t want to have a Qi10 3-wood and a Qi35 driver,” Wunder said. “So the 3-wood that he had in the Qi35, he liked it. He already liked it before. He took it out of the bag because he switched back to the Qi10, so he wanted everything to match up.”

It’s likely that McIlroy is gaming the 3-iron based on conditions at TPC Toronto this week, as well as his upcoming starts at the U.S. Open and subsequent Scottish and Open Championships.

Here’s what the top of McIlroy’s bag looks like this week.

Rory McIlroy’s new WITB

Driver: TaylorMade Qi35 (DOT) 9.0˚ (FCT SLEEVE: 1.5° set LOWER), Fujikura Ventus Black Velocore 6-X (44.75″ EOG, Tipped 1″, D5)

TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Driver

$599.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, TaylorMade

3-wood: Qi35 Bonded 15˚, Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X (42.5″ EOG, Tipped 1.5″, D4) 

TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, TaylorMade

Irons: TaylorMade P770 PROTO (3), P760 (4) RORS PROTO MB (5-9), Project X HZRDUS 105 TX (3), Project X 7.0 (4-9, Length: +.25″, Lie: 1˚ Flat)
Loft Progression: 20/23/26/30/34/38/42

TaylorMade P7MB Custom Irons

 TAYLORMADE P7MB IRONS: Tour Inspired Shape with thin topline, progressive offset and narrow sole 1025 carbon steel made with compact grain forging for a solid, consistent feel Machined face and grooves for precision and quality Faceted muscle back geometry for traditional performance with a contemporary look

$175 from Fairway Jockey

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Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 Raw (46/09SB, 50/09SB, 54/11SB, 60/08LB), Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 Custom Wedge

Milled Grind 4 utilizes laser etched Spin Tread and a raw face to provide better bite around the greens and superior spin in wet conditions. Refined shaping creates a smooth aesthetic that inspires creativity around the greens, while improved mass distribution provides a solid feel. IMPROVED SPIN IN WET CONDITIONS Spin Tread technology utilizes laser etching to channel away moisture and help retain spin in wet conditions. The same way that tire treads help your car stay connected to the road, Spin Tread redirects water at impact and creates more friction between the club face and golf ball to impart more spin than prior generations. REFINED SHAPING MG4 features refinements in shape and visual appeal with a focus on what players perceive at address. Details from the hosel blend, offset and leading-edge straightness were all inspired by the insights and preferences of the best players and most experienced designers. Compared to the previous MG3, MG4 showcases a slightly larger footprint that provides players with a sense of roundness, smoothness and improved ease of use. RAW FACE & NEW FINISH There’s a reason raw wedges are preferred by the game’s best players. The unplated material will rust over time to preserve consistent spin while also delivering better performance in wet conditions. A new refined finish with a slightly darker tint minimizes glare and blends seamlessly with the raw face for a unified appearance.

$179.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Putter: Spider Tour X (Loft 3, Lie 69.5), Short Slant, Full Line, Pure Roll insert, Black Stepless shaft, 34 1/2″ EOG, E0

TaylorMade 2025 Spider Tour Black Custom Putter

BLACK PVD FINISH The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish with sole plate, back badge and copper accents. TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole. WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERTMade from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel.Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment. THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance. HYBRAR ECHO®DAMPENER HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feelon every putt with the best possible sensation. TSS WEIGHTING TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths. STEEL WIREFRAME Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location.

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Grip: Golf Pride MCC Black/White 60 Rib, +2 Wraps

Golf Pride MCC Grip

The MCC™ (New Decade® MultiCompound) is an innovative hybrid grip that fuses the positive performance of rubber and cord. The MCC boasts the Golf Pride® exclusive Brushed Cotton Cord in the upper hand area for firm all-weather control, and a performance rubber material in the lower hand for ultimate feel and responsiveness.

$11.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5, “RORS” play number

TaylorMade 2024 TP5 Golf Balls

The all-new 2024 TaylorMade TP5 Golf Balls are the softest 5-layer Tour ball, delivering a notably softer feel and enhanced spin around the green with lower driver spin than previous generations. TOUR SPIN WITH NEW SPEED WRAPPED CORE The TP5, the softest 5-layer Tour ball, delivers a notably softer feel and enhanced spin around the green with lower driver spin than previous generations. It is engineered with a new Speed Wrapped Core that delivers a softer sound while promoting a faster, more responsive overall design. For golfers who prioritize touch and feel in their short game, the TP5 provides precision greenside performance. TP5 YELLOW WITH ENHANCED VISIBILITY & DURABILITY While many high-visibility golf balls rely solely on a painted finish, we doubled down for added durability. An enriched yellow urethane cover means that your golf ball stays brighter for longer with no chipped paint and better color retention.

$54.99 from Fairway Jockey

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For more from Wunder and this week’s guest, Chaz Bowker, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here or watch it below.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.