The surprise number of shots Rory McIlroy hits with a new club before knowing whether he will use it on the PGA Tour

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Rory McIlroy has shared how many shots he needs to determine if he will add a new club to his bag for PGA Tour and DP World Tour events.

In 2025, the four-time major winner will be playing the new Taylormade QI35 driver, which will also be used by Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods and Collin Morikawa.

McIlroy finished fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic and is set to return to the PGA Tour for the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. Before heading to California, McIlroy’s first TGL match will happen on Monday evening.

As most of the world’s best players do, the Northern Irishman has been tinkering with his swing and clubs over the past few months. McIlroy will use a new wedge this season, and the 35-year-old has now revealed just how long it takes him to put a new club in his bag.

How long Rory McIlroy takes to test a new club

In a social media clip shared by Golf Digest, McIlroy revealed that he knows whether a club is good within five shots.

“So, for me, anytime I am testing something, I would like to think that it happens within the first five shots,” he said.

“If I noticed a real difference straight out of the bat, I will be inclined to put something in the bag. What the tour pros are so good at is reacting to the ball flight. So you see what you’re doing with a certain club, and if you are going over five shots, you’re going to react to make sure you make that club work, whether that’s consciously or subconsciously.

“For me, I like to tell within the first five shots whether something is going to go in the bag or not.”

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Major number five for Rory McIlroy in 2025?

After challenging consistently during the DP World Tour’s autumn stretch of the season and winning the season finale in Dubai, McIlroy’s game has been trending in the right direction for an extended period of time.

Even when he’s not winning, he’s still in the top ten, giving the leaders something to think about.

McIlroy knows that when he’s at his best, there are very few who can match his levels. Scheffler, of course, is a concern heading into the Masters Tournament. The world number one, however, has not played in 2025 and is recovering from a hand injury.

As is always the case with McIlroy, the first major of the year at Augusta National will always be where he is most scrutinised. He finished T22 in 2024 and missed the cut the year before.