Matt Fitzpatrick discusses his 10-year-old irons and putter grip on his driver

Matt Fitzpatrick won the RBC Heritage on Sunday by casually hitting a 9-iron to a foot on the third hole of a playoff with 13-time TOUR winner Jordan Spieth.

Shortly thereafter, Fitzpatrick was slipping on the traditional tartan jacket, which is given annually to the winner at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

The pressure is always high in a sudden-death playoff, especially against a player of Spieth’s caliber, but Fitzpatrick could draw some comfort from the fact he’d been hitting similar shots with that same model of club for almost a decade. It was just another 9-iron shot with his Ping S55’s, which were first released to the public all the way back in 2013.

It’s not that he’s stubborn and doesn’t test other options. Fitzpatrick is famously meticulous and always seeking the slightest advantage, but he sees no reason to change what’s working. He conducted iron testing as recently as this offseason, but nothing beat out his trusty 10-year-old irons.

“I feel I’ve had success with them, so why change when you’re in winning form? That’s the big thing for me,” Fitzpatrick told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he’s teaming with younger brother Alex. “I tested other irons a couple years ago in the summer, but these are just the best for me and they fit well. I don’t want to change and try to do anything too different. Just stay with the same.”

It’s not just the irons, though. Fitzpatrick still has a nearly identical equipment setup to the one he used to win last year’s U.S. Open. Swapping out his Ping G425 Max 3-wood for a G425 Max 5-wood is the only change. He also changed the shaft from a Mitsubishi Tensei Orange AV Series into a new Tensei Orange 1K Series. Fitzpatrick is the rare TOUR player without a 3-wood in the bag.

By limiting the variables in his bag, Fitzpatrick can maintain consistency from week-to-week, which gives him the confidence to perform under pressure.

During practice rounds and range sessions, Fitzpatrick also keeps a second driver in the bag: a Titleist TSi3 head equipped with his gamer shaft and an oversized Flat Cat putter grip. It’s not a club that will ever actually go into the bag for competition, though. It’s simply something he uses as a training aid. “It helps me keep the right hand on top through impact rather than flipping and it keeps the face stable through impact,” Fitzpatrick said. “I really like that drill.”

There’s one more special addition to his bag this week: a putter cover made to celebrate the sibling tandem at TPC Louisiana.

See the clubs that Team Fitz will have in their bags this week in New Orleans.

Matt Fitzpatrick

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei Orange AV 65 TX

5-wood: Ping G425 Max (17.5 degrees, big minus setting)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei Orange 1K 70 TX

7-wood: Ping G410 (20.5 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei Orange CK 80 TX

Irons: Ping i210 (4 iron), Ping S55 (5-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (52, 56, 60 degrees)

Putter: Bettinardi Tour Proto

Alex Fitzpatrick

Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 70TX

Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 95 Hybrid X-Flex

Irons: Titleist T100 (4-9 iron)

Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 120 X

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (46.5, 56, 60 degrees)

Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 120 X

Putter: Bettinardi BB-8W