Connect with us

Equipment

Irons used by PGA Tour’s Top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach

Published

on

The term “ball striker” has long existed in golf to describe those golfers that hit a lot of greens, but with the advancement of statistics and strokes gained, we can go deeper and find out who the players are that truly excel against their peers not just hitting greens but hitting it close.

These are the irons used by the top 10 players in the “strokes gained: approach” category.

Number 1: Collin Morikawa

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (2), TaylorMade P760 (4, 5), TaylorMade P730 (6-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White Hybrid 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Number 2: Justin Thomas

Irons: Titleist T100 4 iron, Titleist 620 MB 5-9, Vokey SM7 Raw 46-10F
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Number 3: Tyrrell Hatton 

Irons: Ping i210 (4-PW)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X

Number 4: Marc Leishman

4b1e16f48790d05d514d26245c562ace.jpg

Irons: Callaway X-Forged UT (3), Callaway Apex Pro 19 (4-6), Callaway Apex MB (7-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 130 X (hard-stepped)

Number 5: Webb Simpson

Irons: Titleist 620MB (5-PW)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Number 6: Hideki Matsuyama

Irons: Srixon Prototype Blades (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Number 7: Viktor Hovland

FullSizeRender-1

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (21 degrees), Ping i210 (4-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 X Hybrid (21), KBS Tour 120 X (4-PW)

* Be sure to check out John Wunders on the newest changes Viktor has made to his irons: GolfWRX Insider: Viktor Hovland dials in his Ping i210 irons

Number 8: Patrick Cantlay

Irons: Titleist AP2 718 (4-p)
Shafts: True Temper XP 115 S300

Number 9: Paul Casey

IMG_0911.jpg

Irons: Mizuno HM Pro (3,4), Mizuno MP4 (5-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus 120 TX

Number 10: Russell Henley

IMG_6111.jpg

Irons: Titleist T100 (4-9), Vokey SM7 48°
Shafts: True Temper Tour Issue AMT X100

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. John Izdrunk Daly

    Aug 4, 2020 at 12:10 pm

    Interesting there isn’t a single Project X shaft player in there…

  2. tinmac

    Jul 27, 2020 at 11:58 pm

    Clearly CM is using P750 4 5 iron not P760

  3. joro

    Jul 22, 2020 at 11:30 am

    7 to3 Cbs win.

    • Ty Web

      Jul 22, 2020 at 4:11 pm

      I count 5 to 5 if you consider cm a blade guy which i would considering he has 5 blades and 3 CBs in the bag.

  4. Paul Pool

    Jul 22, 2020 at 11:06 am

    So what you are telling me is, it is the Indian and not the arrow.

  5. TD

    Jul 22, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Casey plays MP-5’s (as pictured), not 4’s

  6. JM

    Jul 22, 2020 at 9:33 am

    XP 115 S300…what a p*ssy

    • Jeremy Ireland

      Jul 22, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      Ranked #6 in the world I believe…

      but yeah, that caught me eye also. …

    • mv

      Jul 22, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      Idiotic comment here. I play the same iron shafts with a driver ss of 122. Why? Because they keep my tempo in check.
      I highly doubt you have the skill or the game to talk down to anyone on tour.

      • DS

        Jul 24, 2020 at 9:18 am

        ????????. Some jerks just don’t feel good unless they’re being jerks. Social media’s downside.

      • Paulo

        Jul 25, 2020 at 11:40 pm

        I can guarantee that we need to take at least 10% off your stated speed to get the actual measured value

    • Bob Pegram

      Jul 23, 2020 at 5:25 am

      Maybe he likes more kick at the bottom of the shaft. You should use what works not what other people think is good. It is good you aren’t a caddy for a good player like Cantlay. You would be counter-productive.

    • Josh

      Jul 25, 2020 at 12:00 pm

      Cantlay’s shaft spec was the most interesting part of this article, IMO. I’m sure he plays them for a reason. Wonder if he switched to lighter shafts after his back injury. Would love to see a deep dive into his WITB.

    • Josh

      Jul 29, 2020 at 3:16 pm

      That tidbit about Cantlay’s shafts was the coolest part of this article. He must play them for a reason…just goes to show it’s not always the flex that matters but the weight. Wonder if he switched to lighter shafts after his back injury. Would love to get the full deep dive on his WITB.

  7. Nathan

    Jul 21, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    NO.7 KBS TOUR 120=S 130=X. there is no 120X

    • Golf guy

      Jul 21, 2020 at 11:05 pm

      Unless they’re Tour V 120 X

    • Josh

      Jul 25, 2020 at 11:58 am

      There is a Modus 120 X and TX flex. 120 S flex is 114g, X is 120 and TX is 126g. Check Nippons website. Modus 130 is an entirely different shaft/weight profile.

      • Josh

        Jul 25, 2020 at 12:41 pm

        Sorry, thought you were talking about Hatton’s Modus 120 X’s.

  8. Ryan

    Jul 21, 2020 at 6:05 pm

    Some of the pictures don’t match the iron description you list..

  9. Acemandrake

    Jul 21, 2020 at 11:52 am

    Hit it straight with some distance control. Repeat.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

on

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

Continue Reading

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Announcement

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have been updated as of January 29th, 2026. Please review the updated policies here Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. By continuing to use our site after January 29th, 2026, you agree to the changes.

WITB

Facebook

Trending