Rory McIlroy has a brand new driver in the bag this week at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The four-time Major champion has already wrapped up his fifth Race to Dubai title and will be looking for his second tournament victory in Dubai this year with a new big stick in play.
“It’s just a new driver that I have been playing around with," he told the DP World Tour.
“I still want to go out and try to win the golf tournament, but it could be a good time to test it out in competition.
“You’ll probably see a new driver in the bag this week.”
It appears to be the newly-spotted TaylorMade Qi10 LS, which appeared on the USGA's Conforming Driver Heads list on Monday - making it legal for tournament use. McIlroy has it fitted with his usual Fujikura Ventus shaft, according to the images seen from his practice round at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver seen on the USGA Conforming Driver Heads list
According to the USGA, the Qi10 LS comes in lofts of 8, 9 and 10.5 degrees and features a back weight, a Speed Pocket and fade/draw weight ports. The USGA website also states that the face is made of carbon, just like the previous models, but interestingly, it appears TaylorMade is moving away from the red coloring on the clubface. There does appear to be a white strip on the top of the face where it meets the crown to assist with alignment.
The driver looks likely to be the one that will replace the Stealth 2 series, which ranked among the best golf drivers of the year, and we can expect to learn more in January when golf's biggest brands usually release the majority of their new products to the masses.
McIlroy makes his first start since the Ryder Cup this week, where he played a key role in Team Europe's success in Rome. The Northern Irishman enjoyed his best ever week in a European shirt, winning four points from his five matches as Luke Donald's side's top scorer.
The 33-year-old is considered as one of the very best drivers of the ball in the game, and he ranked 2nd in the PGA Tour's Strokes Gained: Off the tee statistics for the 2022/23 season. He also topped the driving distance charts with an average of 326.3 yards.
McIlroy is the star name in a super strong field this week, which also includes the likes of Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry and Tom Kim.
For all the latest on this new TaylorMade driver over the coming months, check back on the Golf Monthly website.
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