Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood try TaylorMade Qi4D

wattWelcome to the fully equipped golf courses Weekly travel gear report. Every Friday during PGA TOUR week (and other times, if there’s news to cover), golf equipment editor Jack Hirsh will be covering you with some of the biggest golf club news on tour, including changes, adjustments and releases.

We knew the timing made sense for TaylorMade to get its new Qi4D driver approved for competition. Just a few days later, we now know that two of the company’s biggest stars have put the driver in action during the first week of the global tour.

At this week’s HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi, Rory McIlroy immediately switched from the Qi10 model driver he had used for all but six rounds of the past two seasons to the new Qi4D Core model driver. Tommy Fleetwood also joined him, playing with the Qi4D LS model using his previous Qi35 core.

“I thought the driver was good,” McIlroy said after the first round. “Obviously, there’s a new server coming in this week. It feels like it’s working out well.”

It does “work well”.

Paired with long pitcher Marco Penge, who has been the best player on the DP World Tour this season besides McIlroy, the Masters champion has impressed off the tee, averaging 334 yards with the new driver and hitting 78 percent of his fairways. He also added a new Qi4D 3-wood and 5-wood to the package.

But the most impressive thing was his 355-yard shot on the 394-yard par-4 10th, where he chipped into the putting green and easily two-putted for birdie. Friday’s second-round matchup was much the same, with players averaging 344 yards and kickers expected to gain a further 68 yards.

His European Ryder Cup teammate Fleetwood also showed great driving ability in the first round, but his performance was more about accuracy than power. The reigning FedEx Cup champion used his new Qi4D LS just four times at Yas Links Golf Club on Thursday, but missed a fairway at the end of the day for an 8-under 64. He shot 66 on Friday to share the lead with Aaron Rai at 14 under, while McIlroy was six shots behind and tied for 20th.

Neither player has revealed much about the technology or specs of their new big clubs, but judging from Getty Images photos and in-hand photos shown in Tour text messages, both players are sticking with similar construction to previous models. McIlroy still has Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X shafts, while Fleetwood has Ventus TR Blue 6-X in its LS heads.

One thing worth noting about the Fleetwood driver is that it appears to have reflective markings that work with the Foresight GC four-shot launch monitor built into the clubface.

This is a technology TaylorMade introduced last year in the Qi35 Select Fit head, specifically designed to help riggers avoid placing reflectors (called fiducials). Now it seems Fleetwood wants his players to have access to this technology so he and fitness trainer Adrian Rietveld can always get ultra-accurate club data on the GC Quad.

Four other players also picked up the new Qi4D this week – Angel Ayora, Jayden Schaper, Ryggs Johnston and Keita Nakajima – marking the debut of new riders. The rider is not yet seeded on the U.S. Tour.

Ping launches S259 wedges and G440 K driver

Ping also had a big week for its new S259 wedges and G440 K driver.

The new K driver, used by three players on the DP World Tour including Joe Dean, Jon Perry and Kristopher Reitan, is the apparent successor to the popular G430 Max 10K driver. But the more important story from both tours was the S259 wedge.

At the World Technical Championships in Mexico, five players including Taylor Moore, Matthieu Pavon and defending champion Austin Eckroat played with the new 259 wedge. In Abu Dhabi, the number of early adopters was even greater, with nine of Ping’s 13 players adopting the new wedges.

Again, there isn’t much technical information about the S259. As is evident from the images of the new wedges, the shock pad at the rear of the wedge has undergone significant design changes compared to the S159.

Like TaylorMade, Ping has not yet begun seeding the new 440 K driver on the PGA Tour.

look at this

This section is dedicated to a cool photo we recently took on tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, we take a look at an early prototype of Scotty Cameron’s OC cannula, which was released this week and debuted on tour in April.

odds and ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Erik van Rooyen added a set of Callaway prototype CB irons to the bag. Not sure what all this is about, but we know he was the only staff member who played with them, quietly getting them into play during the week of the Sanderson Farms Championship. Gear director Johnny Wunder has intel on what they might be, but we’ll keep digging.

There’s nothing better than end-of-year gear news!

3 things you should read/watch

Featured golf content from the past week that may interest you.

Scotty Cameron enters the low-torque market with new OC neck option – Scotty Cameron has finally announced its entry into the low-torque putter market with the long-awaited Fastback OC (Onset Center) and Phantom 11R OC. Learn about the new putter options and why someone might find a spot in my bag.

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback OC Putter

An extension of the popular Studio Style Fastback design, the Studio Style Fastback OC is a low-torque model that features the same ring-weighted, high-alignment, multi-material design as other Fastback models, but with Scotty’s tour-proven OC technology package. The starting center axis of the straight shaft is located behind the edge of the putter face, its precise positioning is consistent with the center of gravity of the putter head, and it is tilted forward by 1°. This allows for low torque performance and face alignment perpendicular to the path. STUDIO Carbon Steel (SCS) Face Insert The Studio Style Fastback OC includes a link-milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert for soft sound and feel, is electroless nickel plated for enhanced durability and features aerospace-inspired vibration damping to tune sound, feel and performance. Custom Black Shafts Customized exclusively for the new OC putters, each model includes a special black KBS x Scotty Cameron shaft for optimal flex, unhindered alignment and precise feel. Customized Matador Grip Each new OC putter has a built-in convex link texture and features a custom 11-inch medium Matador grip in black with lively red and cool gray accents.

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Scotty Cameron 2025 Phantom 11R OC Putter

Inspired by prototype models made for tour players, the Phantom 11R OC (“R” stands for “round” and “OC” stands for “starting center”) is a new Phantom mallet with rounded corners and a revolutionary low-torque package. The Phantom 11R OC’s straight shaft is mounted directly in line with the model’s CG and features a heavier head design that provides high stability while maintaining very low torque during the stroke. Link Face Milling Technology Link Face Milling technology’s texture reduces the putter face’s contact points with the ball to soften sound and improve rolling characteristics while maintaining feel and optimizing feedback. Custom Black Shafts Customized exclusively for the new OC putters, each model includes a special black KBS x Scotty Cameron shaft for optimal flex, unhindered alignment and precise feel. Customized Matador Grip Each new OC putter has a built-in convex link texture and features a custom 11-inch medium Matador grip in black with lively red and cool gray accents.

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Full throttle without braking! – What’s in LPGA player Isabella Fierro’s bag? – Jack Morrow caught up with future LPGA Tour member Isabella Fierro at the Epson Tour Championship last month to talk about what’s in her bag and how those decisions helped put her on the path to success.

PING G440 Custom Hybrid

G440 hybrids suit a variety of skill levels, with each engineered to provide different ball flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-leaning 2 hybrid for driver performance, to the fade-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize clearance. They both feature a new, shallower, thinner face design that improves face contact, resulting in faster ball speeds and higher launches that hit and hold the green. Flying high soft optimized launch and spin ensure distance and stopping power. The freestyle hosel design reduces weight to lower the center of gravity, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness. The rounded sole ensures a pleasing face angle in all socket settings. CARBONFLY WRAP A lightweight carbon crown reduces weight, increases MOI and lowers the center of gravity.

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