Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood headline a star-studded field at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and, as both search for the victory, they may well be doing so with new equipment in the bag.
The Ryder Cup duo are TaylorMade staffers and, on Tuesday, McIlroy and Fleetwood were spotted using new drivers from the brand, models that hit the USGA’s conforming list on Sunday evening.
Rory McIlroy tracers in Abu Dhabi 🚀#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/o1g33wCZRANovember 4, 2025
Tommy Fleetwood’s numbers in Abu Dhabi 🚀#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/4SaQURQZktNovember 3, 2025
Seen practicing at Yas Links ahead of the $9 million tournament, it appears McIlroy was using the standard version of the TaylorMade Qi4D, while Fleetwood was using the LS version.
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Little is known about the the Qi4D range that hit the conforming list, but what we do know is that there are three heads available. Like the current Qi35 range, they are the Standard, LS and Max heads.
In a statement from TaylorMade to Golf Monthly, it read: “Following ongoing testing, our athletes have expressed a strong desire to play these products. In order for them to use these in tournament play, we have added them to the USGA conforming list.”
Being the first of the DP World Tour’s Play-Off events, it’s currently unclear as to whether the additions of the new drivers are a permanent one.
What we do know is that McIlroy previously had the TaylorMade Qi10 in the bag, while Fleetwood was using the TaylorMade Qi35 Dot, the more recent model of the two.
Previously, McIlroy had toyed with putting the Qi35 in the bag for 2025, using it at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the first three rounds before swapping back to the Qi10 for the final round.
McIlroy during his second round (left) and fourth round (right) at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
(Image credit: Getty Images)
He then tried the Qi35 again at the RBC Canadian Open, but moved back to the Qi10, a driver that helped him complete the Career Grand Slam in April and a club that has been in play since its release in 2024.
Fleetwood, meanwhile, put the Qi35 LS in play at the DP World Tour’s Team Cup in January of this year, before changing to the Dot version of the driver.
The move helped him to a first PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship, as well as a victory at the DP World India Championship.
