Winner’s Bag: See clubs Rory McIlroy used to win Hero Dubai Desert Classic

Rory McIlroy successfully defended his title at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, and he did so with several new clubs in his bag.

McIlroy is using TaylorMade’s new Qi10 line, which debuted this year, in his driver and fairway woods. He also is using a new putter and ball in his promising start to 2024, which has seen him finish second and first in his opening two events.

After Sunday’s win, McIlroy has a record four victories at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. It’s also the event he has won the most in his career. McIlroy finished at 14-under 274 (71-70-63-70), one shot ahead of Adrian Meronk. McIlroy averaged 329.6 yards off the tee this week, leading the field in Driving Distance.

On Sunday, McIlroy hit a 355-yard drive onto the green of the par-4 second hole and two-putted for birdie from 30 feet. He holed a 32-foot putt for birdie on No. 8 and a 16-foot birdie putt on the ninth to lead by three strokes at the turn.

McIlroy first put a Qi10 driver in his bag at the end of 2023, opting for the line’s LS (i.e. low spin) model. TaylorMade said that after extensive testing McIlroy put the Qi10 in his bag for last week’s Dubai Invitational because he prefers the look and feel of the larger head.

The Qi10 head also launches higher than the LS model. McIlroy preferred the Qi10’s higher launch angle because the new TP5x ball that he is using has a lower peak height. McIlroy also saw tighter spin rates overall and more consistent results on mishits with the Qi10.

The Qi10’s bigger and more forgiving head also allowed him to switch back into Fujikura Ventus Black shafts, and he was able to add some length back into his driver shaft (which is now 45 inches long).

In offseason testing with the new TP5x ball, TaylorMade said McIlroy gained considerable distance with his irons and ball speed with his driver. Overall, the ball produced a flatter and lower peak trajectory with the driver and a softer feel with more spin around the greens.

McIlroy also debuted a Spider Tour X putter last week. TaylorMade released the latest edition of its popular Spider line last fall, and McIlroy first saw the club at the BMW Championship. After his final tournament of 2023, the DP World Tour Championship, he did in-depth testing with the club.

The putter is similar to his previous Spider gamer, but it is one piece with an aluminum sole plate and TSS weights in the sole instead of having weights in the wings like his previous model. He also liked the darker finish of the club, TaylorMade said.

Here's a look at the TaylorMade clubs McIlroy used to win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday:

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9-X

Irons: TaylorMade P760 (4-iron); TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9)
Shaft: True Temper Project X 7.0

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 46.09 SB; TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 50.09 SB; TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 54.11 SB; TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 60 degrees 60.0 LB
Shaft: True Temper Project X 6.5

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x (2024 edition)