Masters 2024: Top Pros With an Equipment Change Before the ANGC Battle

There is a sense of excitement as the Masters is approaching. The best golfers are honing their skills and settling on their strategies for the highly coveted Green Jacket. Former World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is keen on completing his career grand slam by winning another Masters. Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is determined to overcome his putting difficulties and Tiger Woods wishes to grab his 6th Masters title. Every top pro has something on the line!

It’s no easy feat to take control of Augusta and navigate the greens, but season pros know what they are doing! To give their best and to gain an edge, some of the elite players have made major equipment changes.

One last change before the Masters

These players have all taken their last chance to make some revisions and have updated their arsenal to be at the top of their game at the Augusta National for the first Major of the year. Let’s see what they have in store!

Rory McIlroy: The most striking equipment modification comes from the Northern Irishman. He has quipped a new TaylorMade proto 4-iron that gives him a higher ball flight. He previously used the P760 4-iron for his game, which he had been using since last year.

The Irish golfer wants to end his decade-old major drought and is willing to do anything. While talking about his new iron, the 4x major champion said, “They performed really well. It’s just as fast as the 760 that I was using. Launch is a little higher actually, which was surprising, and it’s just sometimes I felt like when I hit my 5-iron in the blade and then the 4-iron in the 760 it was such a different feel. To go from a 5-iron now to that (new) 4-iron feels a little closer to what I feel in the 5-iron. So just a little bit more responsive. But didn’t lose any performance from it, which is great. Yeah, it will be in the bag this week.”

Brooks Koepka: Brooks Koepka is another prominent golfer who has switched up his equipment. He started using it after returning from Hong Kong and tried it on professional greens for the first time in Miami. He is now using the Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11.5 putter as opposed to his previous Teryllium Tour Newport 2. It is the most forgiving putter available on the market. Regarding the new putter, Koepka told reporter Chantel McCabe, “I like it. I’m pretty comfortable with it. Feels good, Just needed a little change.”

Changing equipment before a big tournament is not new to the reigning PGA Championship winner. He switched to a TaylorMade SIM2 driver before the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Sergio Garcia: The 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia has been seen carrying a new, or rather, an old putter in his bag. Garcia was seen using a brand-new putter at the beginning of the 2024 season, but he was sighted using the Scotty Cameron TN3 putter in Miami.

Speaking on the change, he added, “Obviously I have a lot of good memories from that, with that putter, and I wanted to bring it back, and it worked quite nicely today.” The move by Garcia to switch to a putter is an interesting one as he attempts to regain the form that won him the coveted green jacket seven years ago.

Read more: ‘We Are Not the Future’: Sergio Garcia Claims Golf Is in ‘Perfect Spot’ Despite LIV Golf-PGA Tour Fracture

Phil Mickelson: In addition, Phil Mickelson, the 3x Masters winner has been seen carrying brand-new Callaway wedges. The seasoned golfer may be trying to improve his short game, which is a key component of his success at ANGC, by switching up his gear. He has switched from Callaway Jaws Raw to the Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind.  One of Mickelson’s greatest assets has always been his short game, and changing gears to amp it up, is surely the way to go!

The Masters will be a test of players’ skills as well as their capacity to adjust to and excel with their new tools. How things turn out, it remains to be seen!

Read more: Masters: Top 5 Most Tragic Moments at Augusta National Ranked