WITB Presented by Golf Galaxy: Rory Mcilroy and Shane Lowry Buddy up to Win the Zurich

Rory McIlroy is TaylorMade’s 2^nd biggest star. Number 1 is the GOAT. Reports say that McIlroy’s contract with TaylorMade is worth $10M per year. That’s crazy cash. But he’s Rory. And his clubs and bag are always on display during broadcasts.

Shane Lowry’s arguably Srixon/Cleveland Golf’s 3^rd biggest star behind Hideki and Brooks. His estimated annual endorsement deal is worth $2M per year.   

What’s interesting is that both chaps don’t play a full bag of clubs from their primary equipment sponsor. Rory slips in a Vokey wedge in his set-up; and Shane plays with two TaylorMade clubs (a fairway metal and his putter). After their victory this past weekend and all the airtime their respective big cheese gear partners received, we’re guessing today that neither TM nor Srixon care a whole lot.

Key takeaways:

1. Lowry plays with a Srixon ZX utility. That utility is a favorite of many players on tour, whether they get paid to play it or not.
2. Interestingly, Lowry doesn’t carry a 3-wood. Only his Srixon 3-utility and a TaylorMade M5 4-wood. Watch this video to see just how much trajectory control he has with his utility club. We’re guessing he can mirror that level of control with his 4-wood as well.
3. Lowry puts into play a TaylorMade Spider Tour Z putter — a pretty popular model on tour that racks up Big-A Trophies.
4. Rory used to play with a set of TaylorMade P7TW irons (TW = Tiger grind). Now he’s playing with a set of RORS proto irons that aren’t on the market. We wonder just how different these two sets of finely tuned tools really are. Both sets are only intended for the lowest of handicaps (the ones with a plus in front of the number) or pros.
5. I have a 70-year-old tree in my backyard that has more flex than Rory’s Project X 7.0 iron shafts. He may be diminutive in stature, but he’s a strong-ass man.
6. Rory is a top-5 player in the world and has a Vokey wedge in his bag. But of course he does.

McIlroy’s Golf Gear:

DRIVER: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft, (18 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 9X shaft

IRONS: TaylorMade P Series Proto (4) TaylorMade RORS proto (5-9), with Project X 7.0 shafts

WEDGES: TaylorMade MG4 (46, 50, 54 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58 degrees bent to 59), with Project X 6.5 shafts

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

BALL: TaylorMade TP5x

Lowry’s Golf Gear:

DRIVER: Srixon ZX5 MkII (8.5 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana White D+ 70 TYX shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade M5 (19 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8 X shaft

IRONS: Srixon ZX Utility (3), ZX5 Mk II (4) with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 120 X shafts, ZX5 MkII (5), ZX7 Mk II (6-PW), with KBS Tour X shafts

WEDGES: Cleveland RTX6 (50, 54 degrees), RTX ZipCore Full Face (58 degrees), with KNS Tour Custom X shafts

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider Tour Z

BALL: Srixon Z-Star XV

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