Collin Morikawa isn’t known for making big equipment changes. He’s stuck around with equipment familiar to him over the years. But that’s exactly why a recent revelation during a casual match play round with the guys of the Fore Play podcast made quite an impact.

Playing at TPC Las Vegas in a foursomes scramble format with the hosts of the Fore Play podcast, Morikawa admitted that he added “two degrees of loft to every iron.” He explained the reason behind this move was to add more spin to his approach shots, to gain better control, and to understand how far the ball is really going to go. But there was another change beneath the surface, one that tied directly into his battle for more spin — the golf ball itself.

That change, made back in 2024, put Morikawa on a path that, coincidentally, mirrors something Rory McIlroy ended up doing earlier this year. The similarity came up when Dan Rapaport reminded Morikawa of how he helped Rapaport switch from the TaylorMade TP5x to the TP5 ball when they were partners in an alternate shot match.

And Morikawa immediately remembered it wasn’t just him, but even McIlroy making the switch. “Rory switched this and that just shows you that it’s not… It’s nice cuz like we could gain ball speed with a driver easily if you switch to the harder X ball TP5X, but it’s not about that… like it’s hitting shots like that,” he stated.

Just before Rory McIlroy won the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he switched to the TP5 golf ball. “I sort of stumbled upon (TP5),” McIlroy said. He stumbled upon the ball when he was practising at Michael Jordan’s course, Grove XXIII, before Pebble Beach. “I just started to hit some chip shots with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how it felt…” McIlroy told Taylormade.

And that’s a similar switch Morikawa had made earlier, in 2024. At the BMW Championship, Morikawa too decided to switch from the TP5x to the TP5, loving the feel, the launch, and the extra spin he was getting around the greens. But this wasn’t the first time he had tested the ball, as he had used the model for nearly four years, earlier in his career.

Since then, his best finish has only been a tied 8th finish at the 2025 Rocket Classic. He’s barely scraped it through within the top 20 in most events, and in fact missed 3 cuts, with back-to-back missed cuts at the Genesis Scottish Open and the 2025 Open. And as the year ends, Morikawa has remained winless this season, with his world ranking being pushed out of the top-10.

But surprisingly, Morikawa made the switch back to the TP5x during the Ryder Cup in September.

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Collin Morikawa’s switch back during the Ryder Cup

At Bethpage, Morikawa stuck with the TP5x, a lower-spinning golf ball that probably was a smart choice on a demanding setup like this. Bethpage Black is long, brutally tight off the tee, and rewards players who can flight the ball low and keep it from ballooning in the wind.

The TP5x naturally launches a bit higher but spins less than the TP5, which can help players like Morikawa maintain distance while preventing approach shots from over-spinning into thick rough or getting knocked offline by the swirling winds. Also, a lower-spin ball helps with trajectory control, which is crucial during important events like the Ryder Cup.

But technique only carries you so far when the environment is unforgiving, especially in foursomes. Morikawa was paired with Harris English on Days 1 & 2, taking on Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. And things were disastrous for the Americans.

They struggled from the opening holes and never found momentum, eventually losing 5 & 4, a result that immediately put pressure on the U.S. side. Yet despite the loss, captain Keegan Bradley doubled down on his plan, sending the same duo back out for Day 2. The result barely improved, and Morikawa and English lost again.

Critics called the pairing “far from inspiring” and questioned Bradley’s decision-making. For all the technical benefits the TP5x might offer on a course like Bethpage, the weekend showed that equipment alone can’t overcome many other factors that come into play.