Equipment
Rory McIlroy reveals the specific shot that was one of key reasons behind his switch to new golf ball
At the start of 2026, Rory McIlroy changed to TaylorMade’s new TP5 golf ball, and this week the Irishman revealed that a specific shot played by Scottie Scheffler was one of the key reasons behind the switch.
The shot in question was recently explained by fellow PGA Tour pro, Ryan Gerard, who told Golf Channel:
“A lot of guys, when they take speed off a golf club, the ball flight comes down. Scottie hits this shot with this smooth knockdown swing, but he launches it higher, spins it more, and it bridges the gap between two full numbers. I’ve kind of been obsessed with this shot since I played with him the final round of Houston last year, and I’ve gone about learning how to hit it.
“The ball is a little more forward in my stance, I choke down on it and feel like I’m slowing down through the ball and speeding up after. That launches it higher with less speed. I don’t have the extra spin like Scottie, but it’s coming out higher and softer. I think it’s going to serve me well at Players, Augusta, PGA, U.S. Open.“
Clearly, Gerard isn’t the only tour pro enamored with the shot mastered by the World Number One, because ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rory McIlroy revealed to reporters that one of the reasons for his ball switch was so that he could also play the same shot used so effectively by Scheffler.
“I definitely think it was one of the reasons I went to a softer, spinnier ball was to be able to hit shots like that. Really important weeks like this where the greens are really firm, greens at Augusta can get firm, greens at a U.S. Open for example. So to be able to, yeah, to hit a ball that comes down soft, but not have to hit it flat out, that’s a skill in and of itself.”
McIlroy added:
“You can see when Scottie does it he has this sort of high, sort of languid finish when he does it. A little bit like if you look at Tiger back in the day, same sort of thing. So, certainly when the greens get firm, the pins get tucked away it’s definitely a great shot to have.”
The 36-year-old tees it up at 1.30 p.m ET for his opening round on Thursday at Bay Hill.
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
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Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
