Jeff Romance-Imagn Images
McLaren is best known for its luxury cars, but the company recently decided to turn its attention to golf and roll out the set of clubs that Justin Rose debuted at the Cadillac Championship. However, it may have some trouble convincing people to shell out for those pricey sticks based on how he ended up faring.
The clubs that golfers play with are the most important piece of equipment they have in their bag, and guys on the PGA Tour tend to be very particular when it comes to the ones they rely on while competing when you consider a single stroke can be the difference between hundreds of thousands (and even millions) of dollars.
Virtually every pro who has earned the right to compete on that circuit is sponsored by a brand that goes to great lengths to ensure the clubs they provide them with meet their specifications.
They tend to be paid pretty handsomely for those de facto endorsements, but some of them also have to weigh the fiscal positives with the potential downsides of not going with a competitor they may be more comfortable with (some golf fans assert Tiger Woods put himself at a disadvantage by gaming Nike equipment in his prime).
It is safe to assume Justin Rose received a sizeable check from McLaren to become their first ambassador on the PGA Tour after the car manufacturer opted to harness its engineering expertise on the golf front, but the partnership has not gotten off to a great start.
Justin Rose finished in a tie for 65th after switching to McLaren irons that cost $375 apiece
“Affordability” is not the first word most people would associate with McLaren, the British carmaker whose “cheapest” models start at over $200,000.
It’s also no stranger to the world of sports as the owner of an F1 team, but the company recently decided to branch out into golf with the Series 1 and Series 3 irons. The seven-club set, which ranges from a 4-iron to a pitching wedge, retails for a grand total of $2,625, which comes out to $375 per club (for the sake of comparison, top-tier options from major brands including Titleist and TaylorMade tend to be at least $100 cheaper).
The brand ushered in the launch by teaming up with Justin Rose, who was primarily gaming Miura irons before he switched to the McLarens ahead of the Cadillac Championship in Miami last week. However, it’s safe to say their debut left a lot to be desired.
Rose struggled out of the gate with a 74 on Thursday, and he cracked an F1 joke after coming across some advanced stats that highlighted his struggles on the Blue Monster at Doral.
Cheers Rick for the stats… will use DRS tomorrow after that info… 🤝 https://t.co/8TOHda3p1M
— Justin ROSE (@JustinRose99) April 30, 2026
He followed that up with a 73 and a 75 that put him in dead last heading into the final round of the signature tournament (one that didn’t feature a cut). He was able to get under par with a 68 on Sunday, but there were only two other golfers who played worse than the 45-year-old Englishman, who ultimately finished in a tie for 65th.
Correlation may not imply causation, but it’s a bit hard to ignore the fact that he had one of his worst outings of the year after switching to new irons. Rose will have the chance to bounce back at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow this week, and he’ll need to get things sorted out ahead of the PGA Championship, which kicks off at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania on May 14th.