Rory McIlroy started the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a share of 10th place with a score of 3-under. That’s a drop of five places on the leaderboard, which apparently didn’t sit well with him.
As revealed during the Golf Channel’s coverage of the event, the Northern Irishman made significant changes to his bag in an attempt to make up for what he lost during the round.
According to the report, the substitutions included a driver, 5-wood, 3-wood and 3-iron. He also added a gap wedge, although it was not revealed if this was a replacement for his pitching wedge.
The big clubs (driver and woods) added to McIlroy’s bag are from TaylorMade’s Qi10 series, the same ones he used to win at Pebble Beach a few weeks ago. At the start of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the four-time major champion used the new Qi35 Series, which was launched earlier this season.
After the final round, Rory McIlroy confirmed the change, explaining that he needed to get comfortable with his equipment.
“Yeah, sort of going back to what I’m comfortable with,” McIlroy said. “I tried new woods for the first three days, didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. So, yeah, I went back to my old stuff today… driver, fairway wood, everything.”
McIlroy added that the goal with the changes was to try and regain the accuracy with his driving that led to good results at Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines.
“I led strokes gained off the tee in both Pebble and Torrey, so it was a really good idea to change (laughing). Yeah, so — and then, like yesterday, I lost strokes off the tee, which is the first time I’ve done that in a long time. Yeah, just went back to what was familiar and what’s comfortable.”
Rory McIlroy run with TaylorMade Qi35 woods doesn’t make it the entire week. Back to Qi10 for the final round. pic.twitter.com/napLohgDBK
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) March 9, 2025
However, these changes did not have a decisive impact on McIlroy’s performance as he carded three birdies and three bogeys on Sunday for an even-par round and 3-under for 72 holes. The result dropped him further down the leaderboard, leaving him in a tie for 15th.
A day earlier, the Northern Irishman carded a 1-over 73 with four birdies and five bogeys. His opening two rounds were better, as he carded a 2-under 70 in each round.
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