Most-Picked Players: John Deere Classic

Rory McIlroy’s win at last week’s RBC Canadian Open included a rare mid-tournament equipment switch. It was the latest edition of a battle between two 3-woods for a spot in his bag. He started the RBC Canadian Open with TaylorMade’s SIM Ti 3-wood before switching to the new Stealth 3-wood over the weekend at St. George’s. The Stealth will remain in his bag at The Country Club, he told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. Since the Wells Fargo Championship in May, when McIlroy first switched into TaylorMade’s new Stealth fairway wood, he’s been switching back and forth between his old flame and his new one, carrying both options on a weekly basis. “I (used) the SIM (in Canada), I just didn’t hit it much last week,” McIlroy told GolfWRX on Wednesday. “There was honestly no real need for a 3-wood last week, just with the yardage. …I actually have the Stealth this week. SIM is almost like a 2-wood. It’s very low spinning. It’s pretty hot. It’s always been a hot head. … I can get high 170 ball speed out of it and carry it over 300 yards. …There wasn’t really much opportunity to hit it last week. It was either lay way back with a 5-wood or an iron, or hit driver. But some weeks, like Memorial, where 310 yards is a really good distance off the tee; it’s good for weeks like that. And this week is a little similar to last week. It’s either you lay back quite a lot with a 5-wood, or you get it up there with a driver. So, there’s just no need for it.” As a quick refresher, TaylorMade’s SIM Ti (Titanium) fairway woods hit retail in February 2020, and McIlroy has been using the 3-wood off and on ever since. The TaylorMade Stealth fairway woods, on the other hand, hit retail more recently in January 2022. This is far from the usual ‘old versus new’ dilemma, though. McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open Champion, switches between the options because he uses them for different purposes, and they fly different distances. Based on course setup and his plan of attack come competition time on Thursday each week, he must choose between the two options, since there’s only room for one in his 14-club setup. He travels with both clubs to keep his options open. “The Stealth, I carry 285 to 290. It’s a little weaker, a little spinnier, sort of more just to get it in play,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. “The SIM is a little hotter, a little lower spin, sort of get it out there a little more. … (The Stealth is) a little more workable. A little more spin. A little more in control. That SIM 3-wood I spin it at like 2,600-2,700 rpm. It’s like a mini driver.” According to a TaylorMade representative, although both of McIlroy’s 3-woods have “15 degrees” listed on their heads, McIlroy’s SIM Ti 3-wood measures out at 13 degrees of loft, whereas his Stealth has 13.75 degrees of actual loft. While most of the focus has been on McIlroy’s 3-woods, McIlroy said it’s his TaylorMade Stealth Plus 5-wood that will get the most use among his fairway woods. “There’s a few opportunities to hit drivers here, but I think it’s just so important to get it in the fairway,” McIlroy told GolfWRX. “I can carry the 5 wood 270-275 in the air off the tee. With how fast these fairways are, it rolls out to 290 or whatever. …I’ll hit 3-wood maybe a couple times, but the 5-wood is probably just a better club for quite a few holes here.” While McIlroy’s SIM Ti and Stealth 3-woods are busy battling it out for a place in the starting lineup, it seems the Stealth Plus 5-wood is really the one doing the hard work as he looks to win his second U.S. Open and fifth major.

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NOTE: For the three events determining who advances in the FedExCup Playoffs, Rob is focusing only on golfers outside the latest bubble. In this last installment, all five below enter the BMW Championship outside the top 30 in points. Lucas Glover (+25000 to win) … If this looks familiar with FedExCup points quadrupled in a three-event series and with him slotted 41st entering the BMW Championship, then you need to audition for a game show testing memory. Indeed, it was two years ago when this format was introduced and he was positioned 41st upon arrival at Medinah. A T7 vaulted him to 29th and into the TOUR Championship. He’d call on that again at Caves Valley without hesitation as he’s just 1-for-4 with a T57 at the no-cut WGC-St. Jude since emerging with victory at the John Deere Classic last month. The long, ball-striker’s track is perfect for his skill set, just like Medinah, which was set up to stretch 7,613 yards. Cam Davis (+15000 to win) … Held steady at 36th in the FedExCup with a T31 at Liberty National. He lost over 3.5 strokes for the week from tee to green, but the Aussie gained more than six with the putter and signed for a red number after every round. That’s Playoffs grit for ya. As one of the longest hitters every time he pegs it, among the most aggressive scorers because he can fill up the cup (see: last week) and as the PGA TOUR’s leader in eagles (19), the confluence of factors at Caves Valley favors a relative surprise with an edge. And he’s not even two months removed from his breakthrough victory in Detroit. Cameron Champ (+10000 to win) … The theme continues with recent winners – he connected at the 3M Open. It fulfilled an attitude adjustment that itself proved that his skill set is off the charts when he’s whole. His current position of 49th in the FedExCup represents a jump of 91 spots in the last month, the last three notches via a T27 at Liberty National where he led the field in par-5 scoring. Do that again at Caves Valley what with its full set of four par 5s and he might be appearing in the full-field Power Rankings for the TOUR Championship. Cameron Tringale (+8000 to win) … It’s hard to reach the TOUR Championship without a victory, but he’s done it before (2014). Still winless in 307 PGA TOUR starts as a professional, he’s on the precipice of doing it again at 34th in points. That reflects a rise of seven slots after a T21 at THE NORTHERN TRUST where he ranked T9 in greens hit and sixth in Strokes Gained: Putting. He’s recorded 11 top 25s this season, including in three of his last four starts. Aaron Wise (+20000 to win) … At 58th in the FedExCup, he’s furthest outside the target to advance than the foursome feature above, but the 25-year-old has been playing on house money essentially since he was the runner-up at Mayakoba in early December. The devil-may-care approach has freed him up for another five top 25s since, including a T21 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. He’ll need something significantly better than that to return to East Lake since he advanced during his Rookie of the Year season of 2017-18, but his above-average length off the tee leads exceptional ball-striking and he’s getting a stage on which those assets can shine. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 7 a.m. ET. For live odds, visit betmgm.

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In a wide-ranging interview, former world No. 1 Jason Day shares his thoughts about golf becoming a year-round sport, the health of his back, having his family on tour, skipping the Olympics and more.

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