If there was ever a week on the PGA TOUR where course conditions and the elements affected equipment setups, The Genesis Invitational would be a case in point. With the tournament moving from the traditional host course at The Riviera Country Club to Torrey Pines’ South Course came a completely different task for players.

The trip down the California coastline to the cliffs of La Jolla and the South Course at Torrey Pines brought a brute of a setup, with damp conditions early in the week adding distance and difficulty to the already lengthy track.

Through the bag, players made a plethora of changes to set themselves up to cope best with the tough conditions. It didn’t stop there. Even champion Ludvig Åberg switched drivers before the final round.

So, let’s see what happened on-site at another busy Signature Event.

7-wood heaven … but not just for Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler made his first major club switch at Torrey Pines since the one that reignited his career. Scheffler’s last big bag swap was to the TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter, which turned things around on the greens for the world No. 1 and sparked his nine wins worldwide last year season. But, at The Genesis Invitational, Scheffler added another string to his bow by deploying a new TaylorMade Qi35 7-wood instead of his trusty Srixon ZU85 3-iron. The extra length and forgiveness of the lofted fairway wood was key to Scheffler’s performance.

“This course just screams out a club that can advance you forward out of the rough,” said Adrian Rietveld, senior TOUR manager for TaylorMade, in a release. “The way the TOUR is setting up these courses for Signature Events demands being adaptable to the golf course. Scottie’s 7-wood is not only more versatile than a 3-iron out of the rough, but can be used on the long par 3s.”

Scheffler wasn’t the only one needing help with the conditions. To no surprise, Scheffler’s good friend Sam Burns, who he frequently plays practice rounds with, opted for the same strategy, using a Callaway Apex UW 7-wood. To counter the rough, the unique profile of the Apex UW lineup helps promote the launch and distance benefits of a high-lofted fairway wood but with the shape and versatility of a hybrid. Fellow Callaway staffer Si Woo Kim added the new Elyte Triple Diamond 7-wood to his bag for Torrey Pines, while Spieth used a lofted Titleist GT2 and Byeong Hun An went for the almost absurd 1-iron, 3-iron, 7-wood selection. It was a week where looking for forgiveness from off the fairways, and even on them, would be vital.

Fleetwood finds forgiveness

Adding to the theme of game-improvement golf clubs needed at the tough Torrey Pines, Tommy Fleetwood made the drastic jump in his long irons, transitioning from TaylorMade’s P7TW bladed irons to P770 modern player’s distance irons.

“On the range, Tommy hit every shot perfect, so it was obvious that we needed to consider the P770’s as an option,” said Rietveld. “However, on-course testing means everything in these situations. When we went out of the course, the forgiveness on mishits and spin and launch characteristics were perfect for what this golf course demands.”

Although one of the best ball-strikers on TOUR, Fleetwood saw a dip in form with his iron play last season, falling to ranking 92nd in Strokes Gained: Approach after ranking 27th the year before. Fleetwood switched his 4- and 5-iron blades to the thicker, more forgiving P770s to not only add distance but also launch angle at Torrey Pines, where he finished the week an improved fifthin approach play.

The swap added to Fleetwood’s already eclectic bag, with the Englishman playing TaylorMade’s Qi35 driver, BRNR Mini, Qi35 5-wood, Qi10 9-wood and P7TWs from 6-iron to pitching wedge. Head over to TaylorMade's Clubhouse to read all about their athletes at Torrey Pines.

Clark continues putter collection

Wyndham Clark and the Odyssey Jailbird go hand-in-hand. It’s a relationship that has seen the Coloradan win a U.S. Open and two Signature Events on TOUR. Yet, Clark continues to tinker to find the right fit each week.

“I kind of go through two or three putters,” Clark said at the WM Phoenix Open. “The U.S. Open putter is the thicker grip, three dots, and then the one that doesn't have any dots on it has a thinner grip and it's just because they made it that way, and I putted great at Pebble and I haven't changed it.”

But the putter collection hasn’t stopped there. At The Genesis, Clark was spotted using the Odyssey Ai One Milled Cruiser Jailbird Double Bend Versa 90, featuring the navy-blue-and-silver color scheme flipped 90 degrees compared to Clark’s usually white-and-black Jailbird.

“The Milled Versa 90 has an alignment flip … basically a silver framing strip that runs in line with the target,” Cody Hale, Odyssey TOUR putter rep, told PGATOUR.COM.

“The Ai Milled insert will have a little different feedback, a little firmer feel than the Microhinge and Ai White Hot. It comes off firmer and slightly faster than his original Microhinge Jailbird.”

The firmer insert helped Clark on the slightly slower-than-usual Poa annua greens at Torrey Pines due to the conditions, where he ranked sixth in SG: Putting and gained 4.712 shots on the greens. It’s the first time this season that Clark has ranked inside the top 20 on the greens, after finishing 2024 19thon TOUR in SG: Putting.

Good TaylorMade ‘M’emories

When asked after his second round at Torrey Pines about his favorite club of all time, Rory McIlroy surprised some with his answer: “Probably the (TaylorMade) M2 driver.”

During an illustrious career, the 27-time PGA TOUR winner has been one of the best drivers in the game, but the club he picked was one he never won with. McIlroy made the switch from Nike to TaylorMade clubs in late 2016, with the first-generation M2 finding a place in his bag instantly. The transition helped McIlroy jump from ninth in the PGA TOUR Driving Distance rankings, averaging 306.8 yards, to first at 317.2 yards during the 2016-17 season.

“I just like, I still stare at it in my garage sometimes, like, I wish I could still use you sometimes, but it’s probably illegal at this point,” McIlroy joked.

McIlroy’s love affair with the M series driver wasn’t the only one on show at Torrey Pines. Jake Knapp, who in recent weeks has been testing different driver setups, brought out a TaylorMade M5 driver from 2019 to help with his struggles off the tee this season.

“(I) just went back and dug through the archives to some old drivers I had driven the ball well with,” Knapp told GolfWRX at The Genesis.

In 2019, Knapp earned his PGA TOUR Canada card by winning Q-School before two more victories during the season helped him achieve Korn Ferry Tour status. It’s that form that Knapp hopes to garner for this season. The now 6-year-old M5 driver that he used offers increased adjustability with TaylorMade’s “inverted T-Track” weight system to help with not only draw or fade bias but also ball flight height.

During 2025, Knapp has trialed the PXG Black Ops 0311 Tour driver, TaylorMade Qi35 driver and Ping G425 LST driver he used to win the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, which he returns to defend. Knapp finished his week in San Diego ranked fifth in SG: Off-the-tee at one of the toughest driving tests on TOUR. He’ll have good feelings knowing that he’s traveling to both a course and with a driver with which he’s comfortable.

Align available for all

As the unofficial defending champion after winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in mid-January, Harris English battled back from an opening-round 3-over 75 to finish T25. English’s win earlier in the season came off the back of a grip change to the new Golf Pride Align Max grips. The new Align Max technology sees a 25-percent higher and extended ridge on the grip to promote consistent hand placement and awareness of the clubface position throughout the swing. Golf Pride’s new grips have now been released to all golfers looking to utilize the winning technology.