Rory McIlroy has opted to return to his traditional blade irons as he gears up to defend his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am crown this week.
The Masters champion abandoned his trial with cavity-back irons following inconsistent performances during his recent Dubai swing.
McIlroy secured a third-place finish at the Dubai Invitational with the new clubs but subsequently slipped to a disappointing tied 33rd at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
The Northern Irishman confirmed he would not be continuing with the experimental equipment for his opening PGA Tour appearance of 2026.
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McIlroy described his blade irons as his "trusty" equipment, expressing confidence that returning to familiar clubs will support his ambitions for the season ahead.
The 2025 Masters winner is making his first PGA Tour start of the calendar year at the signature event in California.
Speaking on the change at a press conference, McIlroy said: "I had a strong finish to the season last year, played well in the Middle East, went on to Australia, which was a great experience, sort of messed around with some different iron set-ups and sort of messed around with like a different ball and a few equipment changes.
"That experiment is over, back to the trusty irons that I have played basically my whole career."
Rory McIlroy has opted to return to his traditional blade irons as he gears up to defend his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am crown this week
|GETTY
The Northern Irishman described his game in "good shape".
He added: "I had two weeks in Dubai to sort of shake the rust off, played OK, wasn’t anything spectacular, but I have had two nice weeks at home and done some practice. I feel pretty good coming in here."
After winning at Pebble Beach, McIlroy went on to claim a second Players Championship before completing the career Grand Slam with a memorable play-off win over Justin Rose at Augusta.
The 36-year-old Northern Irishman hopes another positive showing this weekend can give him a sense of momentum for the challenges ahead.
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Rory McIlroy hopes another positive showing this weekend can give him a sense of momentum for the challenges ahead
| GETTYHe said: "It was a perfect way to start the year here last year, (so I am) hoping for something similar this week."
The Pebble Beach Pro-Am features a limited field of 80 and is the PGA Tour’s first ‘Signature Event’ of the season.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is set to head the field, while early FedExCup leader Chris Gotterup will be looking to build on his play-off win at the Phoenix Open and Rose heads to Pebble Beach having won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in a record 23 under par.
McIlroy was, meanwhile, asked for his views on whether there was a case for the Players Championship to become a fifth major.
Rory McIlroy confirmed he would not be continuing with the experimental equipment for his opening PGA Tour appearance of 2026
| ReutersHe said: "I think the Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world, I don’t think anyone disputes that or argues that.
"Player perspective, it’s amazing. I think from an on-site fan experience, it’s amazing. It’s an amazing golf course, location, venue.
"But I’m a traditionalist, I’m a historian of the game. We have four major championships.
"If you want to see what five major championships looks like, look at the women’s game. I don’t know how well that’s went for them."