Rory McIlroy shocked the golfing world with his decision to twist and have the TaylorMade Qi35 series in his golf bag for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Fast forward a month and McIlroy has joined an elite group with a career Grand Slam thanks to a dramatic victory in the 2025 Masters.
But there was no Qi35 in the bag – instead, the generational great completed his most famous career victory with a TaylorMade Qi10 which has been a permanent fixture since late 2023.
Was the U-turn after the Arnold Palmer Invitational a pivotal point in his victory at Augusta National Golf Club?
And how did his trusted Qi10 perform off the tee as he won a Green Jacket following the equipment switch?
Why has the most recent TaylorMade Qi35 technology been absent from McIlroy’s bag?
Put quite simply, McIlroy has remained faithful to his Qi10 products through an ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ mentality.
And this is understandable, why change equipment when your current tools are yielding the desired results?
“Honestly it’s probably the best driver I’ve had in the last few years. I’ve really gotten comfortable with the driver, and I think some of the technical things in my swing are just a little bit better,” explained McIlroy on his relationship with the model.
The good drives are still very good but the bad drives aren’t as bad so the misses aren’t as wild.”
It likely sparks a debate at TaylorMade, who would inevitably prefer their brand image to be used and ultimately marketing their latest product to a hungry audience.
But this is sport, and at some point the line has to be drawn with McIlroy making a personal decision to stick with his trusted model rather than trying to force a relationship with his equipment maker’s latest tech.
And hey, a Masters win in front of millions around the world is never going to be a bad look for the brand – regardless of the model.
How did McIlroy and his Qi10 driver perform against the field at Augusta National Golf Club?
McIlroy’s dominance off the tee showed with an average driving distance of 342 yards in the final round, 42 more than the field’s average of 300.
His understanding of the Qi10 driver allowed him to be aggressive with his tee shots, helped by his familiarity with the club and its combination of power and forgiveness.
The World No.2 comfortably outdrove Justin Rose in the playoff by nearly 50 yards, affording him an easier approach shot which consequently helped him win The Masters.
Despite the weight of the event and the impact of nerves, he managed to average over 329 yards off the tee in Georgia, up from the 325 yards he’d averaged in the four events prior, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational where he used the Qi35 driver and woods.
How did his Masters performance with the Qi10 line compare to his Arnold Palmer Invitational debut of the Qi35 variety off the tee?
After opting to use a Qi35 driver and woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy made an admission following a poor round on the Saturday.
“They didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to, I lost strokes off the tee which is the first time I’ve done that in a long time,” he noted.
In the third round of the event he found only six fairways and was 14% less accurate than the rest of the field off the tee. All told, he lost strokes in two of his four rounds at the Bay Hill Club.
On the other hand, the Masters was a balanced display of composure and dominance off the tee with the Qi10 line, despite the inevitable effect that a higher heart rate would have had on performance in comparison to previous PGA Tour events.
He gained 2.6 strokes off the tee at Augusta, a stat that would have placed him in the top 5% of PGA Tour drivers of the ball.
This combined with driving distance: McIlroy ranked second only to monster-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, the Northern Irishman driving the ball deep with immense accuracy.
His consistently good tee shots gave him equally good approach shot opportunities which he converted as he led the field with a staggering 2.3 strokes gained per round in his approach play.
What’s next for the career Grand Slammer and his golf bag?
It’s hard to imagine that his TaylorMade Qi10 driver and woods will be going anywhere anytime soon.
He’s won three of five events this season with the Qi10 in his bag for the whole weekend and 50% of events entered in total: The Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
With the Major season just getting underway and the long-standing pressure of a career Grand Slam off his shoulders, who knows how many more events McIlroy could win this season.
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