Just weeks earlier, Rory McIlroy was on top of the golf world, having carded an incredible 21-under-par score to claim a thrilling victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, his fortunes took a drastic turn at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he struggled to adjust to new golf clubs, failing to break 70 in any of the four rounds. The four-time major champion’s stats plummeted, leaving many in the golf world wondering what led to this sudden change and what it might mean for his future performances.

“Rory McIlroy tied for 15th at the API, a little bit of a strange thing here.” It is strange, indeed. Hosts on the latest episode of the Golf Channel’s YouTube page also discussed McIlroy’s shocking decision to switch to new clubs mid-season. “It’s mind-blowing that you would do this at the start of the Florida swing and not in December or January when a lot of guys are doing club testing,” one host noted. Another host chimed in, “He was trying to be a good soldier on this front and put the new stuff into play, and simply wasn’t happy with it” – a sentiment that likely echoed McIlroy’s own frustrations or as another host noted, “Rory’s mood was not good… it was angry, to be quite clear.”

And well, it seems like McIlroy has learned from his mistakes as the golfer has vowed to revert back to his trusty old equipment in pursuit of a coveted Masters title. The four-time Major winner had experimented with new TaylorMade gear, including a Qi35 driver and fairway woods, ahead of the PGA Tour’s Signature Event, making vast changes to his bag by swapping his trusty TaylorMade Qi10 driver, three-wood, and five-wood for the new Qi35 clubs, and also altering his wedge set-up. However, McIlroy’s decision to switch to the new gear was short-lived, as he struggled to find his rhythm with the new clubs during a frustrating week at Bay Hill, ultimately leading him to switch back to his familiar Qi10 setup. “I tried new woods for the first three days, didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. So, yeah, I went back to my old stuff today,” he explained.

As McIlroy sets his sights on the Masters, he’s focusing on fine-tuning his game and getting familiar with the changes at Augusta National. “I’ll see how next week (The Players Championship) goes and then just sort of see what I feel like and what I think I need,” he said. Even after losing the tournament, McIlroy still had an impact on other golfers’ performances. 

Shane Lowry had a ‘good time’ with Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy may not have had the best outing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but his presence still made a significant difference for fellow golfer Shane Lowry. The two were paired together for the first two rounds, and Lowry admitted that playing with McIlroy brought out the best in him. “I’m kind of a talker on the course anyway… I felt like we had a good time doing our job at the same time,” Lowry said, highlighting the camaraderie they shared on the course. This lighthearted approach seemed to work wonders for Lowry, who went on to deliver impressive performances in the first two rounds.

He scored 3-under 69 in the first round, followed by a 5-under 67 in the second round, with six birdies against just one bogey. Lowry also acknowledged that McIlroy’s strong record at Bay Hill motivated him to raise his own game, saying, “Look, you’re out there with one of the best golfers in the world, with big crowds, great golf course, lovely weather, what’s not to like? It’s easy to get up for something like that. I feel like I thrive in those situations.” As the tournament progressed, Lowry continued to impress, eventually finishing tied for T7 place at -6, as seen in the final leaderboard. What are your thoughts on the Arnold Palmer Invitationals’ last round? Let us know in the comment section below!