Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy, who started dreaming in 2025, won three championships, including completing a professional grand slam in the Masters, said his elite performance was closely related to changes in pre-season golf.

Before McIlroy made his debut in February at Pebble Beach, he switched from Taylormade’s TP5X Golf Ball to TP5, which is slightly lower and spins more. McIlroy won the championship on Pebble.

McIlroy told Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner on Wednesday before this week’s PGA title that he changed the ball because he liked the TP5 around the TP5. In addition to spinning more, the TP5 is softer than the TP5X.

“Its byproduct is the wedge that is actually more important than the ball I use,” McIlroy said. “So all I have to do is hit more half and three quarters of the shot.”

McIlroy explained that if he was going to hit all the shots with a wedge, the TP5 would be off the green. So instead, he had to let go and hit more three quarters of wedge shots, and he quickly realized that he could do the same with his short and mid-terms.

On Monday’s 17th hole in the playoffs, the three-quarters of the No. 9 Iron ended up winning his second player title. He said the gun had become his weapon.

“That three-quarters of the shot I used can go down to six irons,” he said. “That’s what I just developed with this golf ball.”

This is a perfect example of how players often want to add a spin to a package rather than lighten it. Shooting by hitting three quarters is much easier than trying to add three quarters.

Spin is also helpful when you need to stop the power, McIlroy showed off some of his towering approach shots at the Masters.

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McIlroy hitched the 7-iron from behind a 15-year-old tree on Sunday, reaching one of the greatest shots of his career. His balls are left and right around the pine tree, then bent along the front of the green and released from the hole to 6 feet.

“I was able to bend it more,” McIlroy said. “So 15 Augusta on Sunday is a great example. I hit this tough painting 7 iron, but I wouldn’t feel it stayed away from me.

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