Before Taylormade, before Nike, Rory McIlroy played Titleist.
At the 2012 PGA Championship, an event the Northern Irishman won by eight, McIlroy used a ProV1x, Titleist woods and irons, Vokey wedges and a Scotty Cameron Newport GSS prototype.
On Tuesday, 16 days away from the opening round of the Masters, McIlroy played a practice round at Austin Country Club in advance of this week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
On the greens, McIlroy’s hands were once again on a Scotty Cameron Newport.
Reports circulated Monday that McIlroy was making drastic equipment changes after a scouting trip to Augusta National. We now have a better idea of what those changes are.
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Country Club Collection says Rory’s equipment change is drastic and doesn’t involve the driver. Apparently “tore it up” at Augusta with the gear swap, and it will be revealed soon
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 20, 2023
This isn’t the first time McIlroy has played around with a Scotty Cameron putter since signing with TaylorMade. At the 2020 Olympics (played in 2021), the four-time major champion used a Scotty Cameron 009 GSS Chromatic Bronze prototype.
Rory McIlroy of Team Ireland lines up a putt on the 11th green, the third playoff hole for the bronze medal, during the final round of the Men’s Individual Stroke Play on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club on August 01, 2021 in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
So far this season, McIlroy has struggled on the greens. He ranks 173rd in SG: Putting (-.429) and 134th in Total Putting. Thank to an ice-cold flat stick, McIlroy missed the cut at the Players Championship and has just one top 25 in 2023 (T-2, Arnold Palmer Invitational).
Jonathan Wall of Golf.com was first to report the potential switch and tweeted McIlroy told him he’s trying to “rekindle an old flame.”
Confirmed: Rory McIlroy’s Scotty Cameron Newport GSS is a new putter — not one he’s used in the past. (The stamp is now on Rory, JT and Scottie’s putters, if you’re into that sort of minutiae.)
Told myself and @AndrewTursky that he’s trying to “rekindle an old flame.” pic.twitter.com/z6zXQwD2jh
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) March 21, 2023
Back in January, McIlroy put Vokey wedges into his bag at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, an event he would go on to win over Patrick Reed.
He ranks sixth so far this season from 50-125 yards.
McIlroy’s in Group 3 this week and plays Scott Stallings on Wednesday. The match tees off at 11:26 a.m. ET.
