Equipment
McIlroy switches to prototype MRC driver shaft

Rory McIlroy is using a new driver shaft this week at the U.S. Open, a prototype by Mitsubishi Rayon that is similar to the company’s Kuro Kage Silver shaft.
McIlroy was previously playing another prototype Mitsubishi shaft, a Diamana Prototype 70X, which had a similar balanced profile to the company’s 4th-generation Blue Board shaft, which is called the B-Series.
While the new shaft McIlroy is using looks nearly identical to Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Silver shaft that golfers can buy off-the-rack, it is made with different materials, according to a tour representative from Mitsubishi.
The Kuro Kage Silver shafts are made of graphite material that Mitsubishi calls “High-Density Prepreg,” which has more carbon fiber and less resin than the company’s previous shafts to give it more strength and feel.
McIlroy’s prototype shaft has the same profile as the Kuro Kage Silver, a stiff tip and mid section with a softer butt section, but the graphite is reinforced with Mitsubishi’s Elastic Titanium Fiber, which is an alloy comprised of Titanium and Nickel.
The alloy, also called “TiNi,” is used to create the company’s Bassara W-Series shaft that has been used on the PGA Tour by Matt Kuchar. According to Mitsubishi’s website, the TiNi fiber allows a shaft to “deform and then recover immediately to its original shape.”
Check out the photos below of McIlroy with the new shaft in Wednesday’s practice round. He plays the shaft in a Nike Covert Tour driver that is set to 10.5 degrees with a neutral face angle.
On a side note, Nick Watney has changed from a prototype Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver driver shaft that he has been using all season to the Mitsubishi White Board 83X shaft he used in 2012.
According to the source, Watney was also playing a Kuro Kage that uses the company’s TiNi alloy. That source tells us that we will be hearing more about McIlroy’s newest shaft in the coming weeks.
Equipment
BK’s Breakdowns: Cameron Young’s winning WITB, 2025 Wyndham Championship

Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
Whats in the Bag
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
Equipment
GolfWRX Members Choice presented by 2nd Swing: Best driver of 2025

We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
---|---|
Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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owler
Oct 17, 2013 at 3:32 pm
Im sure I spotted Rory playing this week in the Korea Open with a TaylorMade R11.
Linn Sinquefield
Jun 19, 2013 at 4:18 am
I think both McIlroy and Watney are struggling with their new nike equipment. They performed much better last season than they did this season.
Curt
Jun 13, 2013 at 10:06 pm
Amazing how much love the WB still gets. I need to pull one out of the closet to give it another go, because I remember the butt section being way too soft!!