Is Rory McIlroy using new equipment at 2024 Valero Texas Open? All you need to know about the prototype TaylorMade iron

Rory McIlroy, the current world number two in golf, is gearing up for the 2024 Valero Texas Open. The tournament is scheduled for later this week from April 4 to 7. McIlroy is the outright favorite to win the title. He is also the highest-ranked OWGR player to play in the tournament.

Rory McIlroy will tee off at 2:08 pm local time on April 4, 2024. Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood will join him on his first tee.

McIlroy will be looking to make a statement at the tournament as his performance in the PGA Tour has been mixed so far. He started with T66 finish at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, T24 at the Genesis Open, and T21 at the Cognizant Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Mcllroy comes after finishing T19 at The Players Championship. Meanwhile, he was seen practising on the range with a new driver before the Valero Texas Open. The prototype was identified as TaylorMade 4-iron.

The Northern Irishman has upgraded to a newer driver every year since he signed a deal with TaylorMade, a leading name in golf equipment.

The four-time Major winner typically uses a prototype set of RORS Proto irons with Project X 7.0 shafts for most of his rounds. Depending on the course setup and conditions, he also incorporates a TaylorMade P·760 2-, 3-, or 4-iron into his set. Jon Rahm initially used these clubs when they were released in 2018.

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All you need to know about the prototype TaylorMade iron being used by Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy's new equipment is significant as he eyes a comeback in the 2024 PGA Tour. McIlroy talked about the club in his pre-tournament press conference. He said:

"So after I went to Vegas, I went out to The Kingdom (TaylorMade's testing facility located in Carlsbad, California) for two days. I needed to get into a fresh set of irons, my irons were like two years old maybe, so they were getting a little worn."

He said that TaylorMade had produced a couple of prototypes and he wondered if they could be a replacement for the MC. The 34-year-old further said that he was unaware of what they were called.

Talking about the performance of the 4-iron, Rory McIlroy 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."

Rory McIlroy further said that moving to 4-iron from 5-iron didn't make much of a difference. He said that it was a bit more responsive without any loss in performance. He affirmed that 4-iron would be among the clubs he'd use in the upcoming week.

The RORS Proto irons used by McIlroy are traditional muscleback blades, having additional mass low in the clubhead. Whereas the prototype 4-iron has features more commonly found in cavity back irons.

Rory McIlroy's prototype 4-iron and the existing TaylorMade P•7MC iron are similar in shape and milling design on the back of the head. The Project X 7.0 Rifle shaft and Golf Pride MCC grip found on McIlroy's other irons and wedges are also present on his prototype 4-iron.

It'll be interesting to see how the world number two golfer goes up against other big names in the $9,200,000 competition.