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Collin Morikawa heads to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in excellent form, but the American may travel to the second men’s Major of the season with some equipment changes.
At the Truist Championship, Morikawa has opted to put a 9-wood in the bag, which was reportedly inspired by his new caddie Joe Greiner.
Speaking on Thursday after a seven-under 63, Morikawa stated: “I never even thought about a 9-wood.
“When we were flying here, Joe and I were just talking about 4-irons. It’s kind of a club, not that I struggle with, but I want to find the perfect distance and launch, especially in certain conditions.”
Reportedly, Greiner suggested a 9-wood after his former player, Max Homa, tested one last year. From there, Morikawa asked TaylorMade to build him one and, at the Truist Championship, he put it in play after significant testing.
The reason for the move to the 9-wood is down to Morikawa searching for a club that goes around 220-225 yards, with the two-time Major winner regularly switching between the TaylorMade P7CB and P770 4-iron.
It’s not the only equipment swap that Morikawa made at Philadelphia Cricket Club, as the 28-year-old was spotted using a TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver after previously using the newer TaylorMade Qi35 LS throughout the season.
Morikawa during the third round of the Truist Championship
Although unclear as to why Morikawa has changed to the older Qi10, he has ranked inside the top 7 in terms of driving accuracy for the first three rounds of the Truist Championship, finishing T2nd on Saturday after hitting 11 of 14 fairways.
In January, the six-time PGA Tour winner debuted the TaylorMade Qi35 LS to much success, claiming: “For me, it’s a lot just finding one head that looks really, really good, (but) also you hit it in the center of the face… It’s been good. I found a head that I like, but it’s taken a little bit of trial and error.”
Morikawa using the TaylorMade Qi35 LS at the RBC Heritage in April
Morikawa had used the Qi10 LS throughout 2024 and, although it’s not clear as to whether the recent move to the driver is permanent, he wouldn’t be the first player to go back to the older model.
In March, Rory McIlroy used the TaylorMade Qi35 woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational before switching back to the Qi10 for the final round. Following the move, he then announced they would remain in the bag for The Masters, which he famously went on to win to complete the Career Grand Slam.
