Why Rory McIlroy Switched to TP5 Golf Ball
Every year on the PGA TOUR there seems to be one major equipment switch storyline that plays a big factor into a particular player’s season. Just one year ago, Scottie Scheffler switched to Spider Tour X putter and went on to win a total of nine times worldwide. Going into 2025, we were itching to find out what that story could be this season.
Little did we know, the story came to life in the first month of the season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with Rory McIlroy and his switch to TP5 golf ball. Rory arrived to the famed grounds of Pebble, took it out for an 18-hole spin during his practice round and the rest is history.
Since the switch, Rory won at Pebble and then just this last week at The Players. So, why did Rory switch to TP5? Let’s break it down.
Prior to his win at Pebble Beach, Rory played a practice round at Michael Jordan's course, Grove XXIII. At the short game area, he hit a few shots with TP5 and was intrigued by the feel and control around the greens.
He subsequently progressed from testing short wedge shots to full iron shots and found that his launch angle was a degree lower with spin rates the same as his TP5x. He also maintained ball speed with his driver.
"I sort of stumbled upon (TP5)," McIlroy said. "I just started to hit some chip shots with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how it felt. I hadn't really tested the 2024 TP5 and I loved how it was reacting around the green. Then I started hitting some 60, 70-yard shots with and it was coming off much lower launch but spinnier."
Over the course of the four starts Rory has played with TP5, he has spoken about how TP5 ball has made him more comfortable in various parts of his wedge game. When hitting shots into the wind, Rory credits TP5 in aiding his improvement in that category especially on Sunday at The Players.
“Going back to the ball change earlier in the year, it's sort of forced me to play more shots like that,” McIlroy said. “The first time I worked on it a lot was at Pebble Beach, and we had to contend with some really windy conditions there at the weekend and played well in that. When the conditions come like that, I just feel like I'm a lot better prepared to handle them. It's flighting the sort of wedges and short irons, which have been the issue, and I feel like I've been able to rectify that.”
To an even deeper extent, Rory has focused more on what the ball is doing rather than his mechanics, which is a big philosophical change in his approach.
“I would say that for that period of time at the end of last year that was the most important thing and not actually what the ball was doing. Where now what the ball is doing is the most important thing and then that's sort of secondary. I think to execute a hundred percent, I think there's very little thought for technique in there, it's just a matter of visualizing and sort of letting your body do it. I think all of that combined, you know, with the fact that I feel like I'm controlling my ball much better in the wind these days, I think that's a big part of it, as well.”Rory McIlroy
Rory added that he feels like overall he is better around the greens, playing half- and three-quarter shots and has become better with shaping wedge and iron shots in both directions.
Overall, there’s a huge lesson to be learned for any golfer here. If you trust your process and trust your equipment, you can improve any part of your game. Rory spoke about how that helped him on Sunday at The Players.
“I'm feeling really comfortable, as I said, with how I'm flighting my ball in the wind. I feel like I'm always trying to refine what I have. I'm certainly a proponent of if it's not broken don't try to fix it. Everything feels like it's in good working order at the minute. I just keep practicing and doing the right things and practicing the right habits, and day after day, week after week, they all add up to days like today.”Rory McIlroy
This week at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy finished fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach with his TP5 golf ball, which is a fitting statistic now that you understand the backstory of why he switched to TP5 in the first place. Rory finished inside the Top 5 in SG: Approach in the fourth and first rounds. He also was 2-for-2 in sand saves in the third round and 6-for-8 in scrambling.
At Pebble Beach, in the third round McIlroy finished second in the field in SG: Around the Green at 2.429 with the benefits of the soft feel he saw at MJ’s place. As he said during his assessment of the switch that Thursday, McIlroy’s driving continued to thrive at Pebble Beach leading the field in SG: Off the Tee (6.173) and Driving Distance (336.70).
Below is some notable content from the last few weeks we spent with Rory out on TOUR.
SHORT GAME MAGIC AT BAY HILL
DELIVERING RORY HIS TP5 GOLF BALLS
THROWING DARTS AT TORREY PINES
AN EASY BIRDIE AT THE FAMOUS 7TH HOLE AT PEBBLE
RORY CALLS HIS SHOT
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