Winner’s bag: Rory McIlroy’s TaylorMade gear at the HSBC Champions

Rory McIlroy became the first European to win three World Golf Championship titles with a sudden-death victory over Xander Schauffele at the HSBC Champions. McIlroy made a few changes to his equipment setup over the last month, reinserting Mitsubishi Chemical’s Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 70TX driver shaft at the Japan Skins, and replacing a 48-degree TaylorMade Milled Grind wedge with a P730 pitching wedge.

The victory also marked the fourth time this year that McIlroy has found the winner’s circle with TaylorMade’s TP5 golf ball. Playing alongside Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas during the 2018 PGA Championship, McIlroy noticed how both were able to flight the ball with the scoring clubs — a characteristic he believed could be beneficial to his game as well.

“I felt like a little lower launch and higher spin with my wedges and short irons could be a benefit,” McIlroy told GOLF. “I remember playing with Tiger and [Justin Thomas] during last year’s PGA Championship and watching them flight their short irons and wedges. I felt like I could benefit from similar ball characteristics with my irons and wedges. I’ve had better distance control and improved wedge play since I switched.”

Here’s a look at McIlroy’s entire TaylorMade setup: