It wasn’t as easy as it appeared it would be after 36 holes, but Rory McIlroy gathered his game enough over the final 18 holes to become the fourth person to win back-to-back Masters titles. In repeating as the champion, McIlroy joins Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods, grabbing his sixth major title in the process.
After a shaky start to Sunday’s final round, McIlroy rebounded, knocking his approach shot tight at No. 7 and following it up with a sweeping 6-iron into the par-5 eighth that led to a pair of much-needed birdies to steady things after losing the lead he shared at the start of the round.
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Perhaps more important was a gutsy 9-iron tee shot at the 155-yard, par-3 12th that finished seven feet from the hole, leading to another birdie on a hole where many are just trying to stay dry. That was followed by a 350-yard bomb off the tee on the par-5 13th that fueled another birdie.
“The tee shot on 12 and the one on 13 were the key shots,” McIlroy said in his interview in Butler Cabin.
falseTaylorMadeQi4D$650|Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCOREGD HOT LIST SCOREHot List Gold$650The core model of the Qi4D family emphasizes stability on off-center hits and aerodynamic efficiency, a difficult combination made possible by the extensive use of lightweight carbon composite in the crown, sole and face.Four adjustable sole weights provide 26 grams of movable weight that can reduce spin, increase stability, change trajectory or mitigate left or right misses.An updated design of the slot in the sole (thinner in the middle and wider at the heel and toe) improves the way the lower portion of the face flexes compared to the Qi35. A new shaft-fitting algorithm, based on 11 million shots captured during the past two decades, analyzes the rate a golfer closes the face coming into impact and then matches that tendency to one of three shaft profiles to improve center-face contact.The composite face maximizes deflection thanks to a new variable-thickness pattern arranged through 60 layers of carbon composite.Part of that new face design includes added face curvature from the crown to the sole to produce more consistent speed, spin and launch on mis-hits.Thanks to softening the edge between the top of the face and the start of the crown, and the way the rear weight port is more tucked under the sole, the head moves through the air more efficiently to maximize swing speed.Top 5 in Sound/Feel, middle-handicapsMOI rating: High8, 9, 10.5, 12 degrees (with a 12-way adjustable hosel)BUY NOW DETAILS
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The two-time Masters champion uses a split set of TaylorMade irons, utilizing a P760 4-iron and Rors prototype muscleback-blade irons along with the company’s Milled Grind 5 wedges. The irons have Project X 7.0 steel shafts while the wedges are Project X 6.5.
Although he was sketchy with his TaylorMade Qi4D driver with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft, McIlroy used the club as an effective weapon in birdieing Nos. 7, 8 and 13. He also led the field in driving distance at 334 yards per measured drive—five yards longer than the next nearest competitor.
On the greens, McIlroy wielded a TaylorMade Spider Tour X X3 mallet. The putter is 34.5 inches in length with 3 degrees of loft and a short slant hosel. It also features TaylorMade’s “True Roll” insert and a SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip.
The clubs Rory McIlroy used to win the 2026 Masters
Ball: TaylorMade TP5
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Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (Fujikura Ventus Black 6X), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D, 15 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10, 18 degrees
Irons (4): TaylorMade P760; (5-9): TaylorMade Rors prototype
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 (46, 50, 54, 60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X X3
