Another high-profile equipment free agent is off the market. Less than a month after Brooks Koepka signed a multi-year deal with Cleveland/Srixon, Scottie Scheffler followed suit and joined TaylorMade’s Tour staff at the Players Championship, agreeing to terms on a multi-year deal that will see him continue to play the company’s Stealth Plus driver and P7TW irons.
The agreement also states Scheffler will play TaylorMade Stealth fairway woods, which means the days are numbered for his Nike VR Pro Limited 3-wood.
Scheffler enters the Players Championship having won two of his last three starts and was arguably the most coveted free agent on the market before signing with TaylorMade. With Scheffler moving to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking following his win at Bay Hill, TaylorMade now boasts two of the top 5 players in the world on their Tour staff. (World No. 2 Collin Morikawa agreed to a multi-year extension with TaylorMade in February.)
“TaylorMade equipment has been integral in my career for many years, and I couldn’t be more excited to formally be a part of their roster of elite golfers,” Scheffler said in a release. “I’ve worked with TaylorMade’s team on Tour for multiple seasons and their commitment to getting the right equipment in my bag was a driving force in joining Team TaylorMade.”
Schefffler has been playing P7TW irons for over a year, but the 8-degree Stealth Plus driver is a relatively new addition that went into play in January following a preseason fitting session. During the session with TaylorMade Tour reps in Texas, Scheffler noticed an average ball speed increase of 3.4 mph — 177.4 mph with Stealth Plus vs 174.0 with the previous gamer — and carry distance gains of 11-plus yards with the driver.
In a competitive setting, Scheffler has continued to see a ball speed increase of just over 2 mph with Stealth Plus in his first five starts. During the 2020-21 Tour season, Scheffler’s average recorded ball speed was 174.55 mph, good enough for 54th in the statistical category. Through Bay Hill, he ranks 41st at 176.58 mph. He’s also averaging just over 310 yards this season compared to 305 yards the previous year.
Winner’s bag: Scottie Scheffler at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational
“We are humbled that Scottie chose to commit his equipment future to Team TaylorMade,” said David Abeles, TaylorMade Golf’s CEO & President. “As he has proven with his two wins in his last three starts, Scottie’s game and champions mindset have driven his ascension to No. 5 in the world. Our goal as a company has been and will always be to attract the best players in the game and Scottie’s decision to join our team has us motivated to continue to push the limits of innovation across all product categories.”
Aside from new fairway woods that will likely be added in the not-too-distant future, the bottom of Scheffler’s bag will remain unchanged. He’ll continue to use Titleist’s Vokey wedges and Pro V1 ball, as well as a Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Tour Prototype putter that was inserted at the WM Phoenix Open.
And if the timing of the annoucement seems odd — most equipment deals are signed, sealed and delivered in January — don’t forget TaylorMade signed another megastar (Rory McIlroy) at this very event five years ago. If you’re going to make a signing splash, you might as well do it at one of the biggest events of the season.
Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.