Rory McIlroy switches back to blade irons for PGA Tour return: “That experiment’s over....”

Rory McIlroy has confirmed he has returned to his long-standing TaylorMade Rors Proto irons ahead of his title defence at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, bringing an end to a short-lived but headline-grabbing equipment experiment.

The grand slam champion had switched into TaylorMade P7CB cavity-back irons during the Dubai Invitational and Dubai Desert Classic at the start of the year, seeking extra forgiveness — particularly with the longer irons — in what was widely regarded as the most significant equipment change of his professional career. 

While the move showed flashes of promise, including a T3 finish in Dubai, a follow-up T33 result ultimately convinced McIlroy that the switch wasn’t quite right as he prepares for his first PGA Tour start of the 2026 season.

McIlroy has used the Rors Proto irons since signing with TaylorMade in 2017, relying on their compact, blade-like profile throughout the most successful stretch of his career. 

And speaking ahead of his return to Pebble Beach, the 36-year-old admitted the cavity-back design introduced a shot shape that didn’t fully suit his natural tendencies — particularly under tournament pressure.

Here's what Rory had to say: 

McIlroy said of going back to his trusted TaylorMade Rors Proto irons this week:

"Yeah, I felt like the cavity backs just had a little bit of a right bias in them. So whatever way the weight of the head was or whether it was the blade length, I would hit shots -- I'd make swings that I feel like I'd make with my blades that would be a very neutral ball flight and then with the cavity backs they would just like start to tail off to the right. I felt like in a way it's not a bad thing because I don't like seeing the ball go left. So it made me feel like I could fully release like my iron shots, which is great in theory and great in practice, but then once you get on the course with a card in your hand, for so many years I'm used to feeling that like held-off position through impact and then to go from that to trying to release it, it just was a different feel, especially under pressure or in the heat of competition. So just wasn't -- just didn't feel as familiar as I wanted it to."

While the iron experiment has been shelved, the five-time major champion confirmed he will continue to use the new TaylorMade TP5 2026 golf ball, which he put into play at the start of the DP World Tour season. 

Early feedback on his new ball has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly with driver and long-iron performance.

McIlroy said of his new ball: "It's great. I mean, the ball, it launches pretty consistently a degree lower with every club through the bag. Very, very similar spin rate. I maybe picked up a touch of speed with the longer clubs, with the driver.

"It's a slightly -- I think it's a slightly higher compression than previous TP5s so I'm getting a little bit more speed off the sort of driver and the woods."

Watch GolfMagic Equipment Editor Georgina Black's bombshell video on the new TaylorMade golf balls: 

McIlroy admitted the iron experiment is now firmly in the rear-view mirror, but despite an indifferent start to his 2026 campaign in Dubai, the Northern Irishman believes his game is trending in the right direction following a productive spell of practice at home.

He has spent the past fortnight working closely with long-time coach Michael Bannon, fine-tuning his swing and sharpening his competitive edge ahead of a venue that places a premium on precision, trajectory control and imagination—particularly with irons into small, sloping greens.

McIlroy added of his latest form: "So the experiment's over, back to the trusty irons that I've played basically my whole career. But yeah, the game feels in good shape. 

"I had two weeks in Dubai to sort of shake the rust off. Played okay, wasn't anything spectacular. 

"But I've had two nice weeks at home and done some practice. Michael Bannon was there the last few days. I feel pretty good coming in here."

McIlroy returns to Pebble Beach as the defending champion and is priced at 12/1 to successfully retain his title.

Standing in his way is runaway World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who arrives as a red-hot 3/1 favourite - and GolfMagic's outright pick for the title - as he looks to secure his first victory at the iconic Californian venue.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am marks the first Signature Event of the 2026 PGA Tour season, featuring a $20 million purse with $3.6 million going to the winner. 

The tournament will be played over 72 holes of stroke play with no cut, with all 80 professionals paired alongside amateurs for the opening two rounds before the field competes on its own over the weekend.