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After Collin Morikawa’s Subtle Protest, Rory McIlroy Sends a Strong Warning to TaylorMade: ‘Just Wouldn’t Pass the Test’

Published 03/10/2023, 1:04 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Golf is a sport where precision is a must! Even a shot just a few inches off could cause you to lose a game. Since accuracy plays such a huge role in the sport, so does the equipment that golfers use. Golf clubs are specially designed to help pros achieve their best results, but their reliability can be a significant concern for golfers, considering the different options available and which one works best for an individual. Recently, these unreliability issues have haunted two PGA Tour pros in particular; Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa.

Collin Morikawa subtly trashed TaylorMade’s upgrade

Just last week, Morikawa missed making the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. This forced the 26-year-old to re-evaluate his equipment situation. In doing so, he found one major problem: his driver, i.e., the TaylorMade Stealth Plus 2, and the two-time major winner wasted no time in rectifying that issue.

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USA Today via Reuters

As per Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall’s recent tweet, coming into the Players Championship this week, the 5-time PGA Tour victor has switched out his driver to an older version, a tried and tested one. “Sticking with Collin Morikawa gear news, he returned to TaylorMade’s SIM driver after MC’ing last week at Bay Hill,” he wrote. “Same driver he used to win the ‘21 Open and ‘20 PGA.”

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While Morikawa tries to find some past magic with his old TaylorMade driver, Rory McIlroy too faces the same issue that the American did last week. After all, he is now using the TaylorMade Stealth Plus 2 as well. It is safe to say that he is not thrilled about it at all, especially after his poor finish in the first round at the Players Championship.

In fact, like Morikawa, he hoped to switch back to his old driver as well. “I wish I could use my driver from last year… It just wouldn’t pass the test,” he stated.

Rory McIlroy boldly expressed his driver’s disappointment

Last month at the Genesis Invitational, after the first round, the Irishman swapped out his first-generation TaylorMade driver, the Stealth Plus, for the Stealth 2 Plus. But playing with the new driver was quite frustrating and came with its own set of problems. “These driver heads are so finicky, it’s hard to get one exactly the same,” he stated.

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McIlroy wanted nothing more than the old driver that had served him so well. “I’m obviously trying my best, trying to get something that’s as close to what I had last year,” he stated. “I have just struggled a little bit off the tee the last couple weeks.”

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How much longer do you think McIlroy will take to get used to his new driver? And if he can’t, do you think he’ll change it yet again? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Sheldon Pereira

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Sheldon is a golf writer at EssentiallySports. He is a business graduate from Christ University with a degree in Finance and Accounting. He also has experience as a Senior Audit Associate at an MNC, but his love for writing drove him towards his dream, and he switched careers.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

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