Tommy Fleetwood makes a huge driver change ahead of the Abu Dhabi Championship
The Englishman is no stranger to pushing the limits of performance, switching into TaylorMade's much talked-about Qi4D driver ahead of this week’s DP World Tour event.
TaylorMade's Qi4D driver line, its presumptive release for the 2026 season, caused quite a stir when it hit the USGA conforming list earlier this week.
The brand new range of drivers from the biggest brand in the game has a lot to live up to, following on from two successful driver models in the Qi10 and Qi35 – models that between them are played by three of the world's five best golfers.
And while both prior TaylorMade drivers have received rave reviews, perhaps a more important marker of success is the impact they've had on the tour game – with club reputations often living or dying on their uptake at a pro level.
It's for this reason that many are wondering if the Qi4D might finally be the club to wrest the world's best two players, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, away from their Qi10s.
Thankfully, a positive sign for the brand has already come this week in Tommy Fleetwood's choice to put the Qi4D LS straight in the bag for this week’s HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship – as revealed this afternoon by inside the ropes equipment insider SMS On Tour.
With the Qi4D hitting the USGA conforming list this week, many expected the new line to see testing time out on the range at Yas Links this week, with much speculation as to whether Rory or Tommy, two of TaylorMade's biggest stars, would switch straight into the club.
That Fleetwood has done so can only be seen as a huge vote of confidence that TaylorMade have once again got things right with this release.
SMS's instagram post also gave us our clearest look yet at the aesthetic qualities of the Qi4D range, with TaylorMade working in some golden yellow and metallic blue accents that didn't appear on the USGA's images earlier this week.
Fleetwood is a player typically more malleable to equipment changes, having switched straight out of the Qi10 into the Qi35 range last year and doing so once again for the 2025/26 period. As ever, he'll be gaming the Qi4D LS variant: a lower launching, lower-spinning driver designed for better players.
Check out Tommy Fleetwood's full WITB here
We'll be sure to keep an eye out to see if any of TaylorMade's other staffers put the Qi4D in the bag for this weekend, including Rory himself. Stay tuned.
Brad Nash is Reviews Editor at GolfMagic, having joined the team in June 2025 to look after all things reviews, soft goods testing and equipment alongside Equipment Editor Tom. Primarily a writer, you may see him pop up in videos or on the GolfMagic socials from time to time.
