Rory McIlroy’s ‘garage club’ won the Scottish Open | Wall-to-Wall

Welcome to Wall-to-Wall Tools, the weekly gear wrap-up through which GOLF gear editor Jonathan Wall takes you thru the newest traits, rumors and breaking information.

Storage discover

Rory McIlroy known as it one of many “greatest pictures I’ll hit in my profession.” In every single place you looked on Sundaythere was McIlroy’s 2-iron missile taking part in on a loop — a 201-yard method into the final that hardly acquired off the bottom and someway settled inside 15 ft to arrange an inconceivable birdie-birdie end to win the Genesis Scottish Open.

It’s the sort of shot each golfer hopes to execute at the least as soon as of their profession.

What makes the shot much more fascinating — at the least for those who’re a gearhead — is it wouldn’t have been attainable had McIlroy not made a visit to the storage for an additional membership previous to departing for Scotland. The TaylorMade P760 2-iron he used to tug off “the shot” wasn’t even within the bag previous to the event.

Figuring a 2-iron could possibly be useful at Hoylake — website of his lone Open Championship triumph — McIlroy unearthed the membership from his storage and introduced it alongside for the journey throughout the pond. Outfitted with a Mission X HZRDUS Black 6.5 105-gram graphite shaft, the 17-degree lengthy iron (D4 swingweight) was constructed to be a weapon off the tee and into par-5s. However with McIlroy’s unimaginable size, he by no means noticed a must put it within the bag over a 5-wood or 3-iron, till final week.

The two-iron is definitely the third P760 lengthy iron McIlroy’s added to the bag this season after inserting a P760 3- and 4-iron, for elevated launch, earlier this 12 months on the Waste Administration Phoenix Open. (It’s additionally value noting TaylorMade didn’t even make a 2-iron for public consumption when P760 was initially launched, however once you’re probably the greatest golfers on the planet, you get the Tour therapy.)

“I really feel by going again to that [TaylorMade P760] lengthy iron within the 3- and the 4-iron, simply to present me a bit extra additional flight into the par-5s,” he mentioned. “I really feel like generally with the 3- and the 4-iron within the blades they will are available in a little bit flat at occasions, the place the par-5 and the second pictures into the par-5s particularly this week are very, essential, so I assumed having a little bit bit extra flight on these lengthy irons could possibly be useful.”

The final time McIlroy eliminated his 5-wood for a 2-iron at Hoylake, he departed on Sunday night with the Claret Jug. He’ll be hoping for a repeat this week with a well-known membership in tow.

Not going anyplace

Jon Rahm will stay the face of Callaway’s Tour workers after coming to phrases on a multi-year extension with the gear producer. The 2 sides introduced a “new long-term partnership extension” (monetary phrases weren’t disclosed) on Monday that may see the two-time main winner proceed to play Callaway and Odyssey gear, put on Callaway headwear, TravisMathew attire and footwear and promote Topgolf’s world golf leisure venue enterprise.

“I’m so comfortable to proceed this unimaginable relationship with Callaway and I actually have performed the perfect golf of my profession with their gear,” Rahm mentioned in an announcement. “From the motive force to the golf ball, they proceed to set the bar increased with each new product line, and I’m wanting ahead to many extra nice years with their group.”

What makes Rahm’s extension distinctive, when in comparison with his counterparts, is that it consists of an fairness place in Topgolf Callaway Manufacturers, “a place that each aligns pursuits and demonstrates Jon’s confidence within the firm’s strategic course of its portfolio of worldwide manufacturers.”

Covert membership

It’s been a minute since Ping launched an up to date Blueprint iron. 4-plus years, to be actual. On the Genesis Scottish Open, golfers obtained their first have a look at an iron known as “Blueprint S.” Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton had been the primary two professionals to place the iron in play in Scotland.

Scant particulars can be found, however based mostly on pictures captured in the course of the event, the iron sports activities a modest cavity-back design and toe weight. In comparison with the earlier Blueprint, it seems to have a barely bigger profile and extra heel-toe forgiveness.

Hatton paired six Blueprint S prototype irons (6-PW) with i230 lengthy irons (4-5). how his setup was constructed, it’s very attainable the prototype has a profile that enhances one in every of Ping’s hottest i-Collection irons — with a contact extra workability.

It’s been some time

Mission X’s new Denali shaft (the corporate’s first new graphite wooden shaft in six years) delivered on the hype in its first week on Tour. A complete of 30 shafts went into play throughout the three excursions in Week 1, a quantity that shattered Mission X’s early expectations.

The low torque shaft contains a secure butt part and straight taper midsection to ship a constant really feel with added power switch. The mid-stiff tip part helps to ship “perfect launch and spin circumstances for modern-day gear.”

In accordance with Mission X, the shaft was chosen 75 p.c of the time over two “of the preferred shafts on Tour” throughout double-blind testing. Based mostly on the early adoption price on Tour, it seems the pattern is constant with elite professionals as effectively.

Fast-hitters: Lydia Ko switched to a Scotty Cameron Phantom X6 STR putter … Persevering with the run of excellent kind for Ping’s G430 Max fairway woodsVincent Norrman gained the Barbasol Championship with a G430 Max 3- and 5-wood in his setup … Sam Burns added a Vokey WedgeWorks 56-10S wedge to the bag.

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Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Journal and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Tools. Previous to becoming a member of the workers on the finish of 2018, he spent 6 years overlaying gear for the PGA Tour.