How Rory McIlroy's Last-Minute Gear Swap at Pebble Beach Could Help You, Too

This week on the Monterey Peninsula, Rory McIlroy battled a stacked field, along with the elements, to win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It was an event marked by memorable shots, including hole-in-ones by both McIlroy and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry who ended up finishing second for the week.

Side note - With his hole-in-one on the 7th hole at Pebble Beach, Shane Lowry now has three hole-in-ones during his professional career with the others coming at the 16th at Augusta National and the 17th at TPC Sawgrass - quite the impressive list.

Anyway, the real story of the week was McIlroy winning his first PGA Tour event of 2025 and making an unusual gear switch leading into the tournament - no it wasn’t his driver, putter, or fairway woods - it was his golf ball and he explained the reasoning behind it after his opening round at Spyglass Hill on Thursday.

“I sort of stumbled upon it - I was messing around at the Grove the other day. This has got to be like Thursday last week. I just started to hit some chips with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how I felt. And I hadn't really tested the 2024 TP5 and I loved how it was reacting around the greens. And then I started hitting some like 60, 70-yard shots with it and it was coming off much lower launch, but spinnier.

Then I just did some testing with it and compared it to the TP5x. I used a 2019 TP5 and the difference between a 2019 TP5 and a 2019 TP5x was a lot in terms of the spin rates and the launch angles. This seems to launch probably a degree lower for me, but the spin rate's very, very similar, which I really like.

Yeah, did some testing with it, really like it. Doesn't seem to lose any speed with the driver either, even though it's a lower-compression golf ball. I thought I've got four rounds this week, no cut, may as well give it a go and see how it goes. I played 18 at Pebble on Tuesday, played 18 at Cypress yesterday with it and obviously played here today and it's been really, really good.”

So there is a lot to unpack from that quote (including that Rory had the chance to test a new ball while playing Cypress Point) but beyond that, here are the top three things for golfers to take away from why evaluating your golf ball is so important.

Short game control is key

“I loved how it was reacting around the greens. And then I started hitting some like 60, 70-yard shots with it and it was coming off much lower launch, but spinnier.” -Rory McIlroy

With how many shots golfers hit around the greens, having a golf ball that can generate more spin and control is key to stopping the ball faster and reducing dispersion around the hole - leading to a better chance of making the next putt. This is especially important for amateurs because we miss more greens than the pros.

So the next time you’re looking to test golf balls - do what Rory does. Start at the green and work your way back to longer clubs.

Driver spin and speed still need to be considered

“This seems to launch probably a degree lower for me, but the spin rate's very, very similar, which I really like. Yeah, did some testing with it, really like it. Doesn't seem to lose any speed with the driver either, even though it's a lower compression golf ball.” -Rory McIlroy

One of the ways to think about this is - you fit your golf ball for your short game and iron play, then you fit your driver to your golf ball. With the ball showing great results in the short game Rory validated his driver results and found that the new ball was still delivery speed and spin in a window that worked for him.

With the ability to make small adjustments to modern drivers for loft and center of gravity location, make sure to use them to your advantage.

Take it to the course

Now we might not all have the chance to validate our golf ball choices while playing Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, but once you have narrowed down your golf ball of choice, always be sure to test on the course. This will allow you to hit shots in a variety of conditions, wind directions, and lies to help you feel confident in your ability to execute.

It worked for Rory and his switch to the newest version of the TaylorMade TP5 and if you follow the same process, you can find your ball of choice too. The only difference being as an amateur golfer you can test every brand under the sun to find your perfect fit.