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McIlroy to make equipment tweaks for U.S. Open

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This year’s U.S. Open could be one of the most intriguing of the USGA’s championships this decade, with Pinehurst’s redesigned No. 2 course playing nearly 7600 yards.

No. 2 will play very different than it did when it last held the U.S. Open nine years ago, however, with wider fairways and very little rough around its fairway and greens. That plays into the hands of U.S. Open favorite Rory McIlroy (8-to-1 at the time of publication), and will force many players including McIlroy to rethink their equipment makeups to best navigate one of famed course architect Donald Ross’ signature designs.

While McIlroy initially struggled with his transition to a Nike driver in 2013, he’s driving the ball as long and straight as he ever has since his change to the company’s Covert 2.0 Tour driver in late 2013, which GolfWRX selected as one of the best drivers of 2014 in its Gear Trials: Best Driver list. Throughout the year, he’s expressed how happy he is with the combination of that driver and Nike’s new RZN Black golf ball, calling it the best driver-ball combination that he’s ever used in his career, and his numbers back up those claims.

McIlroy is currently averaging 304.8 yards off the tee — 8th best on the PGA Tour — and is hitting more fairways than he did in his career-best season of 2012 in which he won four times on the PGA Tour including his second major championship title, the 2012 PGA Championship. With the Covert 2.0 Tour, his launch monitor statistics have also improved, as he’s launching the new driver almost a full degree higher and with more than 300 rpm less spin than he did in 2013, according to the PGA Tour’s statistics.

McIlroy told GolfWRX that he plans to play Pinehurst No. 2 more conservatively than he has majors in the past, however, to contend with the course’s firm and fast turtle-backed fairways and greens, which will funnel even the slightest mishits out of position and create awkward angles and touchy pitch shots that will test the field’s precision.

“I’m probably not going to go at a pin all week and hit it at the middle of the green every time,” McIlroy said. “Birdies will be at a premium, so you have to keep the big numbers off the card.”

To better combat the course’s length, McIlroy said he will change his iron and wedge composition. He’ll use his normal pitching wedge, a 47-degree Nike VR Forged, but remove his 52- and 56-degree wedges for a Nike VR Forged 54-degree. That gives him room in his bag to include a VR Pro Blade 3 iron in addition to the VR Pro Blade 4-through-9 irons that he’s used throughout the year.

McIlroy said he plans to use the 3 iron off the tee on a few of Pinehurst’s shorter par 4’s and might need to it reach the green on Pinehurst’s three longest par-3 holes, Nos. 6, 15 and 17, which will play between 202 and 219 yards, depending on how the USGA sets up the course.

When McIlroy won the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth two weeks ago, he made another significant change to his bag, swapping his 59-degree VR Forged Dual Sole wedge for Nike’s radical-looking X3X Toe Sweep wedge, a design that removes nearly the entire heel portion of the wedge’s sole to make open-faced shots with the club easier to play. The club’s biggest advantage, McIlroy said, is that the grind limits the amount of friction on shots from the deep rough, allowing him to make cleaner, more predictable contact.

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Above: Rory McIlroy’s Nike X3X Toe Sweep wedge, photographed at the 2014 Memorial Tournament. 

“I knew going into Wentworth that any time I missed the green I was probably going to be in that deep rough,” McIlroy said. “And two weeks ago at Memorial, although I didn’t play as well as I would have liked, the Toe Sweep wedge was really helpful. It’s going to be a great tool for me on courses with deep rough going forward.”

Since there’s very little rough at Pinehurst No. 2, McIlroy will revert to his 59-degree Nike VR Pro Dual Sole wedge, which he said gives him a little more versatility on straight-faced shots on tight pitching surfaces, but even that wedge is slightly different than the model he used to win major championships in 2011 and 2012.

McIlroy played low-bounce wedges early in his professional career, but the time he has spent working with Nike’s wedge experts at the company’s R&D facility, The Oven, convinced him that he could get more performance from a model with more bounce, especially from the sand.

“I always stayed away from bounce, because I thought I didn’t need it,” McIlroy said. “But the [Nike wedge] has been much better out of bunkers.”

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Click here to see photos of the clubs McIlroy has used throughout the 2014 PGA Tour season.

11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Ronald Montesano

    Jun 11, 2014 at 7:42 am

    Not all of the greens are turtle-backed. Some are, especially the one John Daly twelve-putts. Ross blended a number of green types into this labor of love. Hopefully the viewing public will pay attention over the next two weeks.

  2. Ben

    Jun 9, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    This article brought to you by Nike Golf Inc.

  3. Ken

    Jun 9, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    Nice article from the Nike marketing team!

  4. MHendon

    Jun 9, 2014 at 11:40 am

    I wouldn’t think a single one of those par 3 lengths would be a 3 iron for Rory unless they’re into a strong wind and if he’s looking for a club to hold those Pinehurst greens from well over 200yds then why not consider a hybrid.

    • steve

      Jun 9, 2014 at 11:57 am

      Rory hits his long irons very high. Also he is not going to put a hybrid in the bag that he hasn’t had serious time with

    • Rep

      Jun 9, 2014 at 1:15 pm

      He’ saying he’s going to be play conservative. So I’m assuming that he’s going to be swinging smoother and easier rather than pummeling his irons. So, may be on a normal course he would use his 5 or 4 iron to the Par 3 distances here, but obviously he wants to hit more controlled shots in there smoothly.

      • Bean

        Jun 9, 2014 at 2:33 pm

        Conservative on club and shot selection, not swing mechanics. Less drivers, centers of greens, etc…

        • Andrew

          Jun 9, 2014 at 10:56 pm

          this. he even said a few years ago that he swings 100% on everything but wedges.

          • EZ

            Jun 10, 2014 at 3:29 am

            Obviously, he’s been advised against swinging 100% on everything, on account of his left knee being almost broken! So, the obvious choice to go for long clubs and swinging easy.

  5. ND Hickman

    Jun 9, 2014 at 10:43 am

    Should be interesting to see how well these changes work for him.

  6. Matt

    Jun 9, 2014 at 10:37 am

    I’d guess most guys will be tweaking their bag for Pinehurst. It’s going to be an interesting test. Can’t wait to watch it.

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Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

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Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game. 

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag. 

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026. 

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Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly. 

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
  • MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
  • dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

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Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

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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, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo.  4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades.  5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft.   Standard Length, Lie and Lofts.  These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me.  Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

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

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