Rory McIlroy makes big equipment change at US Open

Rory McIlroy makes a smart change to his bag before the opening round of the US Open.

Thu, 15 Jun 2023

World No.3 Rory McIlroy has made a significant change to his bag ahead of the US Open by adding an additional gap wedge, with his 3-iron being demoted to the subs bench.

McIlroy follows his fellow TaylorMade Tour staffer and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler in tinkering with his bag ahead of the third major of the season in California.

Rory’s bag set up for the #USOpen

peep the 4 wedge set up pic.twitter.com/J8jHkHVa0m
— Rory McIlroy Tracker (@RMTracker) June 14, 2023

Likely due to the intricate approaches demanded by LA Country Club, McIlroy will now have a larger selection of scoring clubs at his disposal and will be hoping that his new 50-degree TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 wedge will open up some more scoring opportunities for him around the greens.

McIlroy, 34, is currently ranked as one of the better wedge players on the PGA Tour sitting 19th for Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 15th for Strokes Gained: Around the Green.

Related: Best Tour Bags at US Open 2023

The rough at LA Country Club is no joke this week and additional wedges will likely be the smart play, with versatility being one of the best weapons available to conquer the thick Bermuda grass.

Speaking of thick rough, take a look at Phil Mickelson giving Jon Rahm a quick chipping lesson.

How good is this clip of Lefty giving Rahm a short game lesson. I could listen to Phil talk golf all day long. A master of his craft @PhilMickelson @JonRahmpga

pic.twitter.com/B7gY4E3CLn
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) June 15, 2023

It's unlikely we would have seen McIlroy giving Phil the same time, despite the fact they almost ended up playing a practice round together at the start of the week.

Related: Mickelson avoids McIlroy mix-up

Dropping his 3-iron from the bag will limit his options from distance, but currently ranked No. 1 for driving distance, it's likely McIlroy's wedges will prove a much better weapon for low scoring.

With the 15th hole at LACC set to become the shortest par-3 in modern US Open history when the pin is brought forward to 92 yards, an extra wedge could be the difference between leaving Hollywood with a deeply desired 6th major championship, or walking away empty handed.

McIlroy will certainly need to limber up at the par-3 7th and 11th, which are going to play as some of the longest par-3 holes in US Open history.

WATCH OUR TAYLORMADE MILLED GRIND 3 WEDGE REVIEW