Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “European Tour looking into an incident involving Matt Wallace and his caddie from the BMW International Open”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day surrounds an incident involving Matt Wallace and his caddie, Dave McNeilly, which occurred on Sunday at the European Tour’s BMW International Open. After hitting a shot in the water on 18, Wallace appeared irate with his caddie, which incensed many of our members, as well as plenty of social media users.
According to bunkered.co.uk, the European Tour stated in an email to the publication that they are looking into the incident over allegations of abuse.
A limited number of clips of the incident have surfaced online.
Billy Foster doesn't look concerned. pic.twitter.com/TVbRjaADYz
— Ricky Bush (@thebushnews) June 25, 2019
I watched him play the 18th and this is the only dialogue with the caddie on my DVR pic.twitter.com/tbPXZReTmS
— Matt Sylla (@mattsylla) June 24, 2019
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- buckeyefl: “Sky Sports analyst Rich Beem: ‘I’m sorry, but I just don’t enjoy watching that. I know you’re intense but get over yourself.’”
- Steele47: “Just looked at Wallace’s twitter. He congratulates the winner Andrea Pavan and also noteworthy, makes a point to compliment Pavan’s caddie. LOL.”
- OldTomMorris: “It’s a pattern with Wallace that he goes after his caddy so often like this and golf commentators, analysts even fans have picked up on this. There has to be a base level of respect and decency; it appears that Wallace often falls short of that.”
- golfgirlrobin: “He’s getting roasted on his own Twitter account. People don’t seem that amused.”
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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HDTVMAN
Jun 26, 2019 at 4:37 pm
If you wear the Ping hat, you’re expected to act with respect to the game and others.
ski_co
Jun 26, 2019 at 2:56 pm
If the caddie told him it was 180 to cover the water and it was 200 I would understand. Otherwise the final decision on the shot is the players.
Unemployed Caddy
Jun 26, 2019 at 8:10 am
Looked like an A and B conversation. Why doesn’t everyone C their way out of it. It’s basically a husband and wife type of relationship, one of them can file for divorce or maybe they can go to couples counseling?? Why are we acting like caddies are so mistreated and incapable of making mistakes?? Can we stop protecting caddies as if they are children with abusive parents…
Sahil
Jun 26, 2019 at 6:56 am
I’ve noticed the caddy issue is becoming a noticeable issue.
Jordon Spieth was another example.
I’m sure there are tons of others which just gets swept under the carpet.
There are few questions I have, if @Golfwrx has some history on this.
My questions are:
When did the caddy become such a big part of the professional’s game plan?
To my knowledge, its the pro golfer pitting his skills against the course and other players.
It should not matter who caddies for the pro golfer. His own skills and decision making will shine through.
Now I see Jason Day hiring Steve Williams, and making Steve out to be this caddy / coach / mentor / father figure person when in reality, from what I see Jason’s been distracted by other issues off the course.
“when he says something, I do it” that was Jason’s statement.
Pro golfers have this huge team, a coach for putting, a coach for iron play, a coach for driving , a mental coach, a personal trainer, a golf specific personal trainer rather.
When they hit the ball straight in the bush then they blame the caddy.
As far as I’m concerned, the pro golfers are becoming a bunch of whiney, privileged babies.
The caddies are there to carry your clubs and take care of your clubs, the golfing is up to the pro golfer. Amateurs use of a good caddy can be useful, a skilled local caddy will have course knowledge, can help speed up play. Help the amateur golfer make better decisions and learn the game.
Golf is an individual sport. One pro going against other pro’s.
Sahil
Jun 26, 2019 at 6:48 am
http://www.golfwrx.com/563240/forum-thread-of-the-day-european-tour-looking-into-an-incident-involving-matt-wallace-and-his-caddie-from-the-bmw-international-open/?fbclid=IwAR1h_JQF8YyX6uOjdI_axhuh5EYtWLcAEv42qZRRVbnW_pI7ef4M1SKx5d0
Sahil
Jun 26, 2019 at 6:46 am
I’ve noticed the caddy issue is becoming a noticeable issue.
Jordon Spieth was another example.
I’m sure there are tons of others which just gets swept under the carpet.
There are few questions I have, if @Golfwrx has some history on this.
Wiki quote
“While the modern game of golf originated in 15th-century Scotland, the game’s ancient origins are unclear and much debated. Some historians trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball.”
My questions are:
When did the caddy become such a big part of the professional’s game plan?
To my knowledge, its the pro golfer pitting his skills against the course and other players.
It should not matter who caddies for the pro golfer. His own skills and decision making will shine through.
Now I see Jason Day hiring Steve Williams, and making Steve out to be this caddy / coach / mentor / father figure person when in reality, from what I see Jason’s been distracted by other issues off the course.
“when he says something, I do it” that was Jason’s statement.
Pro golfers have this huge team, a coach for putting, a coach for iron play, a coach for driving , a mental coach, a personal trainer, a golf specific personal trainer rather.
When they hit the ball straight in the bush then they blame the caddy.
As far as I’m concerned, the pro golfers are becoming a bunch of whiney, privileged babies.
The caddies are there to carry your clubs and take care of your clubs, the golfing is up to the pro golfer. Amateurs use of a good caddy can be useful, a skilled local caddy will have course knowledge, can help speed up play. Help the amateur golfer make better decisions and learn the game.
Golf is an individual sport. One pro going against other pro’s.
JThunder
Jun 25, 2019 at 10:45 pm
“If the caddie doesn’t like it, he can quit”
Ahh… the conservative answer to sweatshops, child labor and 80 hour work weeks!
ht
Jun 27, 2019 at 9:48 am
*looks for way to upvote this comment*
cg
Jun 25, 2019 at 8:44 pm
Mind our own business? He’s just emotional?. NO WAY! Quit excusing poor behavior! Wallace was a jerk. What possible thing could his caddy have done to cause him to duck hook his tee shot into the water? A caddy gives numbers and often makes suggestions but in the end, the player is responsible for every golf shot. These guys are playing for big money so the fan’s opinion absolutely do matter. Golf has always been a gentleman’s game. I saw the reaction myself Sunday and I was disgusted.
Johnny Penso
Jun 25, 2019 at 8:23 pm
“There has to be a base level of respect and decency; it appears that Wallace often falls short of that.” Get stuffed. That’s between the player and his caddie. If the caddie doesn’t like it he can quit. If the player doesn’t like it he can fire him. MYOB.
Dan
Jun 25, 2019 at 3:27 pm
The guys emotional and in the moment. It’s hard to win a tournament. If his caddy can’t handle it he can quit. People complain about players being robots but once they show negative emotions people crucify them.