{"id":812723,"date":"2026-07-20T18:13:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/812723\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T18:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:13:31","slug":"7-gear-trends-weve-spotted-throughout-golfs-major-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/812723\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Gear Trends We’ve Spotted Throughout Golf’s Major Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just like that, the men’s Major season is over for another year and, throughout the four month period, we’ve been treated to some incredible golf.<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy became just the fourth player in history to defend The Masters<\/a>, while Aaron Rai’s incredible back nine at Aronimink Golf Club blew away the field as he claimed a maiden Major at the PGA Championship.<\/p>\n

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Wyndham Clark can call himself a two-time US Open winner with his victory at Shinnecock Hills, and Ryan Fox birdied the final hole at Royal Birkdale to lift the Claret Jug at The Open Championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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It’s been an epic year for men’s Major golf and, with four different winners earning victories at their respective championships, there were notable gear stories and trends throughout from the victors.<\/p>\n

Whether it was changing clubs pre-event, or certain clubs being used more than others, we have looked through each player’s what’s in the bag to find out more.<\/p>\n

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Check out the notable trends and changes below…<\/p>\n

Ryan Fox Stops TaylorMade Fairway Wood Domination<\/p>\n

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For the first time since Xander Schauffele’s victory at The Open Championship in 2024, a TaylorMade fairway wood<\/a> hasn’t been present in the winner’s set-up at a men’s Majors.<\/p>\n

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A Srixon staffer, Fox had the brand-new ZXi RKT 3-wood in play<\/a>, as the New Zealander became the first Major champion in two years not to put either a Qi10, Qi35 or a Qi4D in the bag.<\/p>\n

McIlroy, Rai and Clark all had at least one TaylorMade fairway wood in their set-ups when they won, while Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun<\/a> used TaylorMade Qi10s for their wins in 2025.<\/p>\n

Clark’s Changes At Both Ends Of The Bag<\/p>\n

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At the start of 2026, Clark made multiple driver changes<\/a> before eventually settling on the TaylorMade Qi4D Core head.<\/p>\n

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Using the Ping G430 LST<\/a> and Ping G440 K<\/a>, as well as a Titleist TSR model, the TaylorMade Qi4D made its way into his bag prior to the US Open, with the American also introducing a new shaft – Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX.<\/p>\n

The most influential change, though, came in the form of the putter, where Clark introduced a Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset<\/a>, which occurred at The Masters.<\/p>\n

Using it to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Clark signed a single-club endorsement deal with Ping<\/a> just 48 hours prior to his US Open victory, the first in the company’s history.<\/p>\n

Aaron Rai’s Driver… And Set-Up In General<\/p>\n

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A driver from 2019, iron headcovers, pink castle tees and two gloves… Certainly, at the PGA Championship, Rai showed the world it doesn’t matter what you use<\/a> as long as you win.<\/p>\n

We believe Rai is the only professional using a TaylorMade M6 driver on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, with the reason down to consistency.<\/p>\n

What’s more, he uses iron headcovers to protect his clubs<\/a>, something that stems all the way back to his junior golf days, as are the two gloves he uses when out on the course.<\/p>\n

In Pennsylvania, the Englishman was on fire as he claimed a three shot win and his biggest title to date.<\/p>\n

True Temper Makes It 9 In A Row<\/p>\n

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There are many options when it comes to the best golf shafts<\/a> but, on the professional circuits, it’s clear that one particular brand stands out when it comes to the irons and wedges.<\/p>\n

Since Schauffele’s victory at The Open Championship, every single men’s Major winner has used True Temper shafts within their irons and wedges, as Fox most recently made it nine in a row for the brand.<\/p>\n

From Tour Issue S300 in Rai’s bag, all the way to the Project X 7.0 McIlroy used at The Masters, True Temper is cementing itself as one of the dominant shaft brands in the Major winning circle.<\/p>\n

Familiar Clubs Return To Winner’s Circle<\/p>\n

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Certain clubs may be coming rarer on the professional circuits<\/a>, but 2026 showed there is still room for them to succeed in the hands of the very best.<\/p>\n

Blade putters and hybrids hadn’t won a Major since 2024, but that all changed this year, as Rai used a Titleist GT2 hybrid<\/a> to win the PGA Championship, while Fox wielded a Ping Anser 2.0 to claim The Open.<\/p>\n

Previously, Bryson DeChambeau was the last player to win a men’s Major using a blade, specifically a SIK Pro C-Series Armlock.<\/p>\n

Schauffele, meanwhile, had a Callaway Apex UW<\/a> in the bag for his PGA Championship victory in 2024. Before that, a hybrid hadn’t won a Major since 2020, when Collin Morikawa used a TaylorMade Sim Max to claim the PGA Championship.<\/p>\n

An 8-Iron Shaft In A Putter?<\/p>\n

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A new driver, fairway wood and utility iron weren’t the only aspects in Fox’s bag that caught the eye, as the New Zealander also used a unique set-up in his putter.<\/p>\n

Shaft-wise, Fox’s flatstick actually featured a KBS C-Taper 130 Black PVD 8-iron shaft, which measures at 40 inches.<\/p>\n

Some nuggets about Ryan Fox\u2019s winning Open setup. – New Srixon RKT LS+ driver – New Proto Srixon ZXi5+ driving iron – His Ping Anser 2D putter uses a KBS C-TAPER 130 Black PVD 8-iron shaft at 40 inches!Great playing Foxy! pic.twitter.com\/ckMVakkV1JJuly 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Because Fox has an armlock-style putting action<\/a>, the extra length helps the grip sit on his forearm, with the method helping him to make some crucial putts going down the stretch in Southport.<\/p>\n

A General Breakdown<\/p>\n

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Many will wonder what are the most popular manufacturers within the winning WITBs, so we have included the breakdown below.<\/p>\n

At the top end of the bag, TaylorMade drivers<\/a> were used by three of the four winners, with only Fox using a Srixon model.<\/p>\n

As we’ve alluded to, TaylorMade fairway woods have dominated again in 2026, with McIlroy and Rai using a full set of them. Clark had the Qi4D Tour 3-wood in-play, but also a Ping G440 Max<\/a> 7-wood, while Fox used the Srixon ZXi RKT 3-wood.<\/p>\n

Rai was the only player to have a hybrid in-play for his Major victory, while Fox put a utility iron in-play at The Open, specifically a Srixon ZXi5+.<\/p>\n

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Moving to the irons, where McIlroy and Rai used TaylorMade models – McIlroy the Rors Protos and Rai the P7TW.<\/p>\n

Being a former Titleist staffer, Clark remains in the Titleist T200 4-and-5-iron and the T100 in a 6-iron to 9-iron configuration. <\/a><\/p>\n

Like Clark, Fox has the more forgiving Srixon ZXi5 in a 4-iron and the ZXi7 in 5-iron to pitching wedge.<\/p>\n

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In the scoring section of the bag, Titleist Vokey SM11 wedges<\/a> are present in Rai and Clark’s set-ups, while McIlroy has TaylorMade MG5s.<\/p>\n

A third different manufacturer can be found in Fox’s bag, as he uses the Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, all four men use different golf balls. McIlroy has the TaylorMade TP5<\/a>, Rai the Titleist Pro V1, Clark the Pro V1x<\/a> and Fox the Srixon Z-Star XV.<\/p>\n