Equipment
TOUR REPORT: Rickie Fowler changes back to his Scotty Cameron “Tiger Woods” putter from 2014
Welcome to Detroit, a.k.a the Motor City, a.k.a. The D, a.k.a Motown a.k.a. The 313, a.k.a Detroit has a lot of nicknames, but we can move along now.
Detroit is home to some of the most passionate automotive gearheads in the world, but this story is for the golf equipment gearheads. Car people are still welcome to read, you’ll just need to hamper your expectations; this is about golf clubs.
As the PGA Tour headed to Detroit Golf Club for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage, GolfWRX was live on site during the practice round days to figure out what clubs the pros are playing, what changes they’re making, and why.
No sense wasting any more time on the intro, let’s dive right into this week’s Tour Report.
Tony Finau’s hilarious reason for switching up golf ball markings between holes

Tony Finau, fresh off his 3M Open win last week, spoke to GolfWRX at the Rocket Mortgage about his golf ball markings.
His unique markings are two-fold:
- The five-line markings on the side help Finau with his aim, alignment and stroke feedback.
- He marks the front of the golf ball with the initials of one of his five kids.
How does Finau decide which child he’s going to represent on his golf ball, though? His explanation is hilarious.
“I start with one (kid) and see how they perform,” Finau told GolfWRX on Tuesday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “If they’re not performing well, I just start switching them out. I’m pretty lenient, I’ll give them some time, but right out of the gate, if it’s lip-out and lip-out in a couple holes, it’s the next one up.
“The good thing is I have five kids, so usually one of them is working, at least.”
Read our full story about Finau over on PGATOUR.com
Webb Simpson switches back into classics

Simpson was in our equipment news in May thanks to his switch to Titleist T100 irons. The changeup was notable because Simpson has always preferred blade irons throughout his career, but the T100’s are cavity-backs.
Well, the change wasn’t for the longterm apparently, since Simpson switched out the T100 irons for his old Titleist 680 Forged MB irons, which were first released to the public all the way back in 2003. He told GolfWRX he made the switch a few weeks after the 2022 PGA Championship because the T100’s were simply too hot.
Find out why Simpson uses a “5.5 iron,” or see more photos of Simpson’s irons in our GolfWRX Forums
Rickie Fowler goes back to his “Tiger Woods” putter

After sending his classic putter to “timeout,” and a year of steady experimentation, Fowler has returned to his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype putter.
He switched back to the putter at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, but we caught up with Fowler in Detroit this week to hear why.
“Just ran its course (with the previous putters) and ready to go back to the trusty,” Fowler told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. “I mean, I’ve kind of done it through my whole career where I’ll have something for a bit, then go back to something different, change it up.
“She might have needed a little timeout, but hopefully she’s gonna heat up.”

Fowler first used the putter in 2014, and what makes the putter so special is it actually came from a stash of German Stainless Steel (GSS) putters that were stashed away for Tiger Woods. Yes, that means Fowler’s Scotty Cameron putter was made for Tiger, but with the proper permissions, Fowler was able to borrow one. Eight years later, it’s still in play.
Also, a quick moment of appreciation for GolfWRX photographer Greg Moore. The fact that he shot in-hand photos of Fowler’s original putter in 2014, and again in 2022, is a testament to how long he’s been providing GolfWRX with the best WITB photos on the Internet.
See more photos of Rickie’s new-old putter here
SPOTTED: Henrik Norlander’s PXG 0317 ST Milled blade prototypes
We had some breaking news this week at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Check out our TikTok post below for everything we know about the unseen irons:
@golfwrx SPOTTED: PXG 0311 ST Milled blade prototype irons, and why Henrik Norlander is using them at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic #detroit #golf #irons #prototype #new #spotted #golftiktok ? original sound – golfwrx
For more photos of the irons, check out our GolfWRX Forum thread here.
Geoff Ogilvy, a putter update
When I saw Geoff Ogilvy’s name on the field list for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage, I couldn’t wait to see what putter he had in the bag. Ogilvy is “scratching the itch” by playing competitive golf two times in the recent three weeks after taking a four-year hiatus.
GolfWRX hasn’t caught up with Ogilvy in four years, though, and we’ve always known him to have an awesome putter. He didn’t disappoint.

OK, so maybe it’s not AS cool as his rusted out custom Scotty Cameron he used back in the day…

But it’s still great to see Ogilvy back out on the PGA Tour, and rolling the rock with some Scotty Cameron heat.
Check out Ogilvy’s full 2022 WITB here!
Sahith Theegala tests out a…mallet putter?

On Tuesday, Theegala, who’s typically a blade putter user, was out on the practice greens hitting putts with a custom Ping PLD mallet putter with five different alignment lines on it.
“Hmm, that’s weird,” I thought to myself.
As it turns out, it actually is pretty weird for him. Theegala told me on Tuesday that he’s only used a mallet putter for two rounds in his entire life, and both rounds came at last year’s Korn Ferry Tour finals.
While he wasn’t positive on switching, he called it a 1-to-2 week experiment if anything. We’ll have to keep an eye on Theegala over the next few weeks to see what he ends up deciding.
See more photos of Sahith’s Ping PLD mallet putter here
And with that, we say goodbye to the Motor City. We’ll see you next week in Greensboro, N.C. for the 2022 Wyndham Championship.
Want more equipment news? Check out the following links:
Whats in the Bag
Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400


Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.
Equipment
TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available
TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.
The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.
One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.
See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:
MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment
Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory
In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.
McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.
So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?
Driver
2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.
What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)
The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.
Fairway woods
2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.
Irons
2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.
With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.
Wedges
2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.
Putter
2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.
Ball
2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)
As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
Grips
2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC
Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.
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Brandon
Jul 30, 2022 at 8:47 am
And Rickie missed the cut, again.Im fully convinced those ridiculous signature blades he tried to play and couldn’t completely destroyed him. Saw him make a double for the middle of the fairway, 110 yards out yesterday. That’s what I do, not pro golfers.