Rory McIlroy Switches to TaylorMade TP5 Ball at Pebble Beach

Rory McIlroy’s switch to a new golf ball is already paying off in a big way at Pebble Beach.

The World No. 3 fired a bogey-free 66 in Thursday’s opening round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, highlighted by a spectacular hole-in-one. He’s just two shots off the lead.

But here’s the interesting part – McIlroy wasn’t even planning to change his equipment this season.

“I sort of stumbled upon it,” he says with a grin. “I was just messing around at the Grove last Thursday, hitting some chips with the TP5 instead of my usual TP5x.”

What started as casual practice turned into something bigger. McIlroy loved how the new ball felt around the greens, especially on those tricky short shots from 60-70 yards out.

The technical stuff? The new TP5 launches a bit lower but spins about the same as his old ball. For non-golf nerds, that means more control without sacrificing distance – pretty much exactly what every golfer dreams about.

It’s worth noting that McIlroy doesn’t make equipment changes lightly. He’s been with TaylorMade since 2017 and had stuck with the same ball model for years before switching to the TP5x early last season.

That previous change worked out pretty well – he won four tournaments in 2024 and came close to adding a fifth major championship to his trophy case.

“I thought I’ve got four rounds this week, no cut, may as well give it a go and see how it goes,” McIlroy explains. “I played 18 at Pebble on Tuesday, 18 at Cypress yesterday, and obviously played here today – it’s been really, really good.”

The timing couldn’t be better. This week’s tournament isn’t just any regular PGA Tour stop – it’s a Signature Event with a massive $20 million prize purse up for grabs.

And that hole-in-one from 119 yards? It was only his third ace ever as a pro. Not a bad way to break in a new ball.