Why Rory McIlroy's lowkey reaction to his new driver actually speaks volumes

Rory McIlroy is not a player afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve out on the course, just as often reacting to a shot with anguish and triumph as he does icy resolve.

This emotion stretches into the passion he has for his equipment. McIlroy has gone on record to express his admiration and fondness of clubs he's used both past and present, waxing lyrical about wishing he could still play his old TaylorMade M2 driver and keeping many of his most trusted clubs in the bag for years on end.

While not afraid to test out new clubs if they think he'll further his game, Rory is generally not a player inclined to make major changes to his bag unless he's seriously impressed by a new model on offer. And while this is a glowing testament to TaylorMade's enduring ability to make clubs that don't age out of relevance, it can also be a headache for the California-based manufacturer, which naturally wants its best players playing its latest models in an age where a club's reputation can often live and die on its uptake at a pro level. 

This has famously been the case with Rory and his choice of driver over the past couple of years, with the Northern Irishman briefly experimenting with this year's TaylorMade Qi35 model but ultimately opting to stick with the Qi10 model the brand unveiled back in 2023. 

To compound the situation, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler also elected to keep the Qi10 in the bag rather than switch into the new model, leaving room for speculation as to when, or if, either of the world's two best players would ever adopt TaylorMade's flagship product.

As such, it came as a shock last week when it was revealed that Rory, along with fellow TaylorMade staffer Tommy Fleetwood, had switched immediately into TaylorMade's new Qi4D driver – a model yet to be officially released but was a few days before added to the USGA's conforming list – to test it in the lead-up to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. 

The latter, of course, used his new Qi4D LS to great effect, placing second in a play-off, while Rory had a couple of his own viral moments with the Qi4D in hand.

McIlroy has yet to be fully drawn on his reaction to the new driver so far, while TaylorMade likely won't confirm Rory's switch into the driver until it's officially unveiled some time next year. One fan did, however, question Rory on his new big stick during yesterday's DP World Tour Championship practice round. His answer? 'Really good.'

Typical Rory understatedness, there, but given his driver turmoil over the past couple of years, McIlroy's decision to put it straight in the bag, and keep it there, says more than words ever could.