Rory McIlroy reveals he paid $995 to fix his Arnold Palmer Invitational final round problems

Rory McIlroy seemingly paid $995 to Uber his Qi10 driver to Bay Hill last weekend so he could use the club in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He had been using the Qi35 model, which is TaylorMade's newest driver.

Ahead of the final round, he replaced all of his Qi35 woods with the Qi10 woods. McIlroy had used his Qi10 set-up for essentially all of the 2024 season and in his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year.

The cost of getting the clubs Ubered to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, per his manager (via Golfweek), was $665 plus a $330 tip.

McIlroy also explained his decision and said:

"Sort of going back to what I’m comfortable with. 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."

"Some years you vibe with a new piece of equipment a little easier. Like that Qi10 that I'm using that they brought out last year, it was like love at first sight. I was like, this thing is amazing. I think when you feel like that about a golf club, it's very hard to change into something else. It ebbs and flows. Some years it's easier than others."

This week at The Players Championship, McIlroy is using the Qi10 driver and wood setup. He's clearly found success with the clubs this week, putting himself into contention heading into the weekend.

McIlroy ultimately finished tied for 15th place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, though he did have a chance to win on Sunday.

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Rory McIlroy is in contention at The Players Championship as he tries to win it for second time

Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship 2025 (via Getty)

Rory McIlroy has had an eventful week at TPC Sawgrass and remains in contention on moving day. His week started with him declaring he will never player on the Champions Tour after he turns 50.

McIlroy also made headlines after he took the phone of the heckling fan who likened one of his tee shots during a practice round to his collapse at the 2011 Masters Tournament.

Despite the headlines, the Northern Irishman is in contention to win his second Players Championship this weekend.

McIlroy is in the middle of his penultimate round and is currently in the mix at the top of the leaderboard. He was at nine-under par for the tournament heading into the third round after shooting a five-under-par 67 in the first round and a four-under-par 68 in the second round.

Rory McIlroy after winning the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (via Getty)

McIlroy is off to a hot start in 2025, making the cut at every event he's played in. He captured his first win of the year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in at the beginning of February. It was his first PGA Tour event of the year, but his second tournament of the year.

In January, he finished tied for fourth place at the DP World Tour's Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He aims to capture his second win of the season this weekend.

Rory McIlroy is still vying for his elusive fifth major title after a series of close calls over the last few years. The four-time major winner will have an opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam in April at The Masters.