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Just like that, the men’s Major season is over for another year and, throughout the four month period, we’ve been treated to some incredible golf.
Rory McIlroy became just the fourth player in history to defend The Masters, while Aaron Rai’s incredible back nine at Aronimink Golf Club blew away the field as he claimed a maiden Major at the PGA Championship.
Wyndham Clark can call himself a two-time US Open winner with his victory at Shinnecock Hills, and Ryan Fox birdied the final hole at Royal Birkdale to lift the Claret Jug at The Open Championship.
It’s been an epic year for men’s Major golf and, with four different winners earning victories at their respective championships, there were notable gear stories and trends throughout from the victors.
Whether it was changing clubs pre-event, or certain clubs being used more than others, we have looked through each player’s what’s in the bag to find out more.
Check out the notable trends and changes below…
Ryan Fox Stops TaylorMade Fairway Wood Domination
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For the first time since Xander Schauffele’s victory at The Open Championship in 2024, a TaylorMade fairway wood hasn’t been present in the winner’s set-up at a men’s Majors.
A Srixon staffer, Fox had the brand-new ZXi RKT 3-wood in play, as the New Zealander became the first Major champion in two years not to put either a Qi10, Qi35 or a Qi4D in the bag.
McIlroy, Rai and Clark all had at least one TaylorMade fairway wood in their set-ups when they won, while Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun used TaylorMade Qi10s for their wins in 2025.
Clark’s Changes At Both Ends Of The Bag
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At the start of 2026, Clark made multiple driver changes before eventually settling on the TaylorMade Qi4D Core head.
Using the Ping G430 LST and Ping G440 K, as well as a Titleist TSR model, the TaylorMade Qi4D made its way into his bag prior to the US Open, with the American also introducing a new shaft – Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX.
The most influential change, though, came in the form of the putter, where Clark introduced a Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset, which occurred at The Masters.
Using it to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Clark signed a single-club endorsement deal with Ping just 48 hours prior to his US Open victory, the first in the company’s history.
Aaron Rai’s Driver… And Set-Up In General
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A driver from 2019, iron headcovers, pink castle tees and two gloves… Certainly, at the PGA Championship, Rai showed the world it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you win.
We believe Rai is the only professional using a TaylorMade M6 driver on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, with the reason down to consistency.
What’s more, he uses iron headcovers to protect his clubs, something that stems all the way back to his junior golf days, as are the two gloves he uses when out on the course.
In Pennsylvania, the Englishman was on fire as he claimed a three shot win and his biggest title to date.
True Temper Makes It 9 In A Row
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There are many options when it comes to the best golf shafts but, on the professional circuits, it’s clear that one particular brand stands out when it comes to the irons and wedges.
Since Schauffele’s victory at The Open Championship, every single men’s Major winner has used True Temper shafts within their irons and wedges, as Fox most recently made it nine in a row for the brand.
From Tour Issue S300 in Rai’s bag, all the way to the Project X 7.0 McIlroy used at The Masters, True Temper is cementing itself as one of the dominant shaft brands in the Major winning circle.
Familiar Clubs Return To Winner’s Circle
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Certain clubs may be coming rarer on the professional circuits, but 2026 showed there is still room for them to succeed in the hands of the very best.
Blade putters and hybrids hadn’t won a Major since 2024, but that all changed this year, as Rai used a Titleist GT2 hybrid to win the PGA Championship, while Fox wielded a Ping Anser 2.0 to claim The Open.
Previously, Bryson DeChambeau was the last player to win a men’s Major using a blade, specifically a SIK Pro C-Series Armlock.
Schauffele, meanwhile, had a Callaway Apex UW in the bag for his PGA Championship victory in 2024. Before that, a hybrid hadn’t won a Major since 2020, when Collin Morikawa used a TaylorMade Sim Max to claim the PGA Championship.
An 8-Iron Shaft In A Putter?
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A new driver, fairway wood and utility iron weren’t the only aspects in Fox’s bag that caught the eye, as the New Zealander also used a unique set-up in his putter.
Shaft-wise, Fox’s flatstick actually featured a KBS C-Taper 130 Black PVD 8-iron shaft, which measures at 40 inches.
Because Fox has an armlock-style putting action, the extra length helps the grip sit on his forearm, with the method helping him to make some crucial putts going down the stretch in Southport.
A General Breakdown
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Many will wonder what are the most popular manufacturers within the winning WITBs, so we have included the breakdown below.
At the top end of the bag, TaylorMade drivers were used by three of the four winners, with only Fox using a Srixon model.
As we’ve alluded to, TaylorMade fairway woods have dominated again in 2026, with McIlroy and Rai using a full set of them. Clark had the Qi4D Tour 3-wood in-play, but also a Ping G440 Max 7-wood, while Fox used the Srixon ZXi RKT 3-wood.
Rai was the only player to have a hybrid in-play for his Major victory, while Fox put a utility iron in-play at The Open, specifically a Srixon ZXi5+.
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Moving to the irons, where McIlroy and Rai used TaylorMade models – McIlroy the Rors Protos and Rai the P7TW.
Being a former Titleist staffer, Clark remains in the Titleist T200 4-and-5-iron and the T100 in a 6-iron to 9-iron configuration.
Like Clark, Fox has the more forgiving Srixon ZXi5 in a 4-iron and the ZXi7 in 5-iron to pitching wedge.
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In the scoring section of the bag, Titleist Vokey SM11 wedges are present in Rai and Clark’s set-ups, while McIlroy has TaylorMade MG5s.
A third different manufacturer can be found in Fox’s bag, as he uses the Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack.
Interestingly, all four men use different golf balls. McIlroy has the TaylorMade TP5, Rai the Titleist Pro V1, Clark the Pro V1x and Fox the Srixon Z-Star XV.