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Rory switches to Nike Vapor irons at Dunhill Links Championship

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A week after putting Nike’s new Vapor Pro driver in play at the Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy looks to be going all in with the new Nike line he helped launch in New York City during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

That’s right, the world No. 1 was spotted with a bag full of Nike Vapor Pro irons during the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

See our full breakdown of the Nike 2015 equipment line here.

It’s no surprise Rory decided to go with the Vapor Pro driver in competition, given statements like these:

“The first thing I noticed when I hit this driver was how hot it was. Then, I found that I could really control the flight and work it both ways on the golf course. I saw added ball speed on the monitor and am getting 10-15 yards more distance on the golf course this week.”

And perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that McIlroy has gone so quickly to the Vapor Pro irons. After all, he won’t really have an off-season to speak of given his international schedule over the next few months, as he’s reported to have been practicing with clubs for months.

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

34 Comments

34 Comments

  1. Teaj

    Oct 13, 2014 at 9:48 am

    the black on the back is that an insert or black paint?

  2. christian

    Oct 4, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    So I fully expect that Rory’s driving statistics for this season will show a 15 yards increase then..Or?

    • JOEL GOODMAN

      Oct 8, 2014 at 8:10 pm

      does anyone really care? he could play with my wilson Staff irons from 1960 and still be world # 1/ Nike makes crap and always will, that’s why they have to pay these guys millions to play their junk.

  3. moses

    Oct 4, 2014 at 10:30 am

    Looks like it too 1 round to get used to them. 😀
    He is lighting it up. Sat round -8 after 13 holes.

  4. Mike

    Oct 4, 2014 at 9:48 am

    This isn’t rocket science folks. Rory switched because he and Tiger came out and publicly endorsed the new sticks…he’s kind of obligated to play it…my question to this board is how soon will TW switch? Never mind, it just hit me that his new bag matches the color scheme of the new Vapors. When he tees it up at his World Challenge in Dec the new sticks will be in the bag.

  5. max

    Oct 2, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    No better marketing machine than paying the #1 player big dough to toot the horns of your product.

    • bradford

      Oct 3, 2014 at 7:31 am

      Money is in fact the bottom line, but do you think the #1 would take the deal if the equipment weren’t worth it? Is the #1 SOOO much better than the rest that he could beat them with a piece of junk?

      Taylormade floods the market, Titleist sells to the Holier than thou crowd, Nike pays athletes.

      • JH

        Oct 3, 2014 at 2:10 pm

        Titleist does what? You sound really dumb saying that.

        TaylorMade pays more guys to play their stuff than any other company.

        • Baka

          Oct 4, 2014 at 12:35 pm

          No, JH, he’s exactly right. All of the Titleist people are like apple customers. Entitleist typically a year late on tech and often borrow ideas from companies that are will to put themselves out there. (TMag, Nike, and Callaway)

        • mgm

          Oct 6, 2014 at 3:16 pm

          Titleist pays the most players to use their stuff: don’t forget they are primarily a ball manufacturer, the clubs are an afterthought. Easiest contract to sign is the titleist/footjoy deal. Why do you think its the “number one ball one tour.”

      • MHendon

        Oct 3, 2014 at 3:11 pm

        20 million, yeah I think he would have taken the deal even if the equipment was crap. That is if know one else was offering him anything close. However of course the equipment is good, every manufactures equipment is.

  6. littledreamer

    Oct 2, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    Am I the only one that finds these UGLY?
    Used to play 690.MB’s.
    Tried all year to like Pro Combos.
    Back to 690.mb’s.

    Nike has lost me. UGLY!

  7. Ethan

    Oct 2, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    I also noticed that rory switched shafts in his driver. He is playing the new Diamana.

  8. JR

    Oct 2, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    • MHendon

      Oct 3, 2014 at 3:02 pm

      Wow been playing for 20 years never heard of or seen those but there is definitely some similarity. What’s old is new again!

      • Finchley

        Oct 4, 2014 at 11:12 am

        Not some, but definite rip off.

      • Wedgie

        Oct 4, 2014 at 8:58 pm

        MHendon,
        Wait till you see the new Nike wedges. They look identical to the Rileys.

  9. Chace

    Oct 2, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    Does anyone feel the same way, all the Victory Red clubs represent Tiger, and his old dominant era in Nike. Now Rory seems took over that THRONE last year, and Vapor came in just in time. No wonder why he switch so fast to this line, and we may see a lot of fluorescence yellow in his apparels next year too.

    • Nick

      Oct 2, 2014 at 10:30 pm

      The “Volt” will be used as a universal colour story across all Nike’s brands. First time ever. You will be seeing that yellow a lot.

      • Martin de Porres

        Oct 5, 2014 at 2:35 am

        My old Sasquatch Tour was yellow, as was most Nike’s line.

    • Zak

      Oct 3, 2014 at 12:05 am

      Tiger designed the new Vapor Pro irons (they were designed for him from his input and tweeks). They are keeping the cavity back technology in the drivers, but added the compression channel, for Tiger (he loved his old VR Tour driver).

      The changes are all for Tiger, not Rory. Tiger is Nike golf. Rory is great right now, but Tiger is still “IT”. Either way, Nike a Golf is in a great situation. I’m loving the Vapor Pro driver. It will be tested ASAP. Same with the Pro irons.

  10. Scooter McGavin

    Oct 2, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    I don’t see why this would be surprising or unexpected. I hit the Vapor Pro Combo irons and they feel great, so I can only imagine these are great too. That, and if I was getting paid $20 million a year, I’d play with whatever I was told.

  11. moses

    Oct 2, 2014 at 10:46 am

    2015 another year of adjustments due to new equipment.
    2016 another breakout year after getting used to new equipment.

    One thing about Tiger is that he rarely switched equipment.

    • Joel

      Oct 2, 2014 at 12:22 pm

      So by this logic you don’t think Rory will change what’s in his bag for the 2016 season?

    • MHendon

      Oct 2, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      I suspect getting use to the ball was the bigger adjustment for Rory not the equipment and I think he’s sticking with the same ball.

    • cody

      Oct 3, 2014 at 10:12 am

      I dont know where this idea that tiger “RARELY” changes equipment comes from. He has switch equipment as much as anyone else out there. I would go through and list all the changes but a simple google interweb search will show you everything you need.

      • Chris

        Oct 3, 2014 at 12:29 pm

        I’m going to respectfully disagree. While yes, he may change the actual equipment, the style/shape/design seems to remain the same so the change isn’t that drastic. Hell he was still hitting a 975D with a TT x100 shaft even in 2006

  12. Josh

    Oct 2, 2014 at 10:35 am

    I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a huge year for Nike Golf.

    • TW

      Oct 2, 2014 at 10:55 am

      agreed, ive been a callaway guy for a while but im done with them. On deck…….Titleist/Nike

      • adolfo

        Oct 2, 2014 at 1:03 pm

        I agree too. It wouldn’t surprise me in Nike picks up a few more players going into the new year. It wont shock me if TW plays the new irons next yr.

        Personally, Im looking forward to trying out that Vapor Driver. Im definitely curious to see what it can do

        • MHendon

          Oct 3, 2014 at 3:07 pm

          They’ll pick up a few more players if they pay a few more players. Same as every other manufacturer.

      • adolfo

        Oct 2, 2014 at 1:21 pm

        Josh – may want to try out some Mizunos too.

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BK’s Breakdowns: Cameron Young’s winning WITB, 2025 Wyndham Championship

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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

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Whats in the Bag

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

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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

Check out more in-hand photos Malnati’s clubs here.

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GolfWRX Members Choice presented by 2nd Swing: Best driver of 2025

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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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