Sports
The 7 most important clubs from the last 7 Masters champions
Rory McIlroy walked out of Augusta National with the Masters trophy, Green Jacket and 13 of his golf clubs.
The 14th will be kept at the Augusta National clubhouse forever.
The fabled Masters host club has a tradition of asking the champions to donate one signifcant club from their victory for display. You’ll have to go inside the clubhouse to see the actual clubs kept from each winner, but McIlroy revealed earlier this year that the club asked for his 7-iron, unbeknownest to him.
“I didn’t realize this, but I flew back the day after on the Monday and I basically didn’t see my golf clubs since like post the playoff and I saw that my 7-iron was missing,” McIlroy revealed at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this season. “I was like, that’s a pretty important club.”
McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty has already given Augusta the 7-iron McIlroy used in his dramatic victory, but he just forgot to tell his boss.
“Sean had already given it to the club, he just didn’t tell me,” McIlroy said. “That’s fine, I’ll get a new 7-iron. If there was one I was going to give the club, it was probably going to be that one.”
The 7-iron, and his TaylorMade RORS Proto iron set, played a huge role for McIlroy the whole week as he averaged 2.31 SG:Approach for the week, the best in the field.
Keep reading below for each of the seven most important clubs from the last seven Masters champions.
Editor’s note: The clubs from 2019 to 2024 ran in the 2025 version of this article.
2025: Rory McIlroy’s TaylorMade RORS PROTO 7-iron
Perhaps no single club and no single shot defined a Masters victory since 2010 more than McIlroy’s heroic approach from the left edge of the 15th fairway, where he hooked his 7-iron around the trees and chased his ball to 5-feet for eagle.
It reminded me of Phil Mickelson’s 6-iron from the pine straw on No. 13 15 years earlier. Coincidentally, both McIlroy and Mickelson missed the ensuing eagle putts, but ended up wearing the green jacket at the end of the day.
That wasn’t the only miraculous iron shot he hit all day, either. There were the escapes from the trees on Nos. 5 and 7 and the clutch approach on 17 with an 8-iron to just two feet.
But it was the aspirational high draw around No. 15’s towering pines that will go down in Masters lore forever as the shot that helped McIlroy finally slip on that elusive green jacket.
There’s a reason the club took it out of his bag before he even noticed.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
McIlroy’s RORS Proto 7-iron specs
Shaft: Project X 7.0
Length: 37.25″ (+2.5)
Lie: 61.5˚(1˚ flat)
Loft: 34˚
Swingweight: D3
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
2024: Scottie Scheffler’s TaylorMade Spider putter
Scottie Scheffler’s putting woes were well documented in late 2023 and early 2024. He tried a multitude of different blades and mallets, some Tour-only prototypes, others from a then-little-known bespoke maker. But Scheffler finally settled on an off-the-rack TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-neck at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational and went on a tear.
It was a good story because just before Scheffler made the switch, Rory McIlroy commented that Scheffler should try a mallet, and that’s exactly what he did, even using a very similar model to McIlroy’s.
That switch paid dividends immediately for Scheffler as he won at Bay Hill, then defended his title the very next week at the Players Championship. The following month, he won his second green jacket and kept on winning, racking up seven PGA Tour titles in 2024, plus the Olympic gold medal.
At Augusta, Scheffler took just 109 putts for the week, 18 fewer than in 2023 and made two putts during the third round from over 30 feet, including a 31-foot make for eagle on the 13th hole that helped him take command of the tournament.
TaylorMade 2025 Spider Tour X Black L-Neck Custom Putter
SPIDER TOUR X L-NECK
For nearly two decades Spider putters have been delivering championship-winning stability and performance to professionals and amateurs alike. Scottie Scheffler recently joined this group by stepping into the winner’s circle for the third time in four starts with a Spider Tour X L-Neck in the bag.
TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT
Navigate the greens with clarity with the optically-engineered True Path™ Alignment system. This legacy tech from TaylorMade helps you better visualize the line to the hole while also making it easier to aim the putter towards your target.
WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT
Experience a softer feel with our White TPU Pure Roll™ insert. Crafted from a blend of Surlyn and aluminum, it features grooves angled at 45° for optimal forward roll and better overall roll characteristics.
PRECISION WEIGHTING AND DESIGN
A thin wall undercut and steel wireframe allow for precision CG placement, creating a superstructure with enhanced stability and forgiveness.
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Scheffler’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X specs
Hosel: L-Neck
Length: 35.5’’
Sight Line: True Path with Full Line
Loft: 3°
Lie: 72°
Insert: Surlyn Pure Roll
Grip: Golf Pride Pistol
2023: Jon Rahm’s Callaway TCB Irons
At the 2023 Masters, Rahm put on a ball-striking clinic, hitting 52 out of 72 greens for the week (72 percent) using a set of irons that had been largely unchanged since he joined Callaway’s Tour staff two years prior.
Rahm’s weapons of choice then were the Callaway Apex ’21 TCB (he’s since upgraded to the ’24 models), which feature Project X 6.5 shafts that are soft-stepped one club.
Soft-stepping (the opposite of hard-stepping or tipping when you’re talking about wood shafts) is when you build a set of irons with a 3-iron shaft in the 4-iron, 4-iron shaft in the 5-iron, 5-iron shaft in the 6-iron and so on, which makes them play a touch softer than stock.
For Rahm, because he hits down on the ball so well, he needs slightly softer shafts in order to get his spin numbers right in the sweet spot (about 6,000 rpms for a 6-iron).
Callaway Apex TCB 24 Custom Irons
Since Xander Schauffele put a TCB iron in play,his strokes gained in approach have significantlyincreased year over year. Now in 2024, he is top 5 inthe world in strokes gained on the field, and has wontwo major championships with the new ’24 TCB Iron.
MAJOR SUCCESS
Trusting the ‘24 Apex TCB iron, Xander Schauffelewent on to secure two major championships in the2024 season.
TOUR FEEL
Combining our best in technology, the ’24 TCB usesa 1025 tour cavity back body with a 17-4 tour tunedface for consistent spin and control up and down thebag. The feel is second to none. Just ask Xander.
PRO LOOKS
The beautiful raw aesthetic and overall footprint isexactly what Xander was looking for. With a compact controllable shape, and shorter blade length, TCB ’24 are players irons for discerning golfers.
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Rahm’s Callaway Apex ’21 TCB iron specs
Set comp: 4-PW
Shaft: Project X 6.5 (Soft stepped)
Length: 37″ 7-iron (Std)
Lie: 62˚ 7-iron (Std)
Loft Progression: 23.5/27/30.5/34.5/38.5/42.5/47
Swingweight: D3
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Midsize + 1 wrap
2022: Scottie Scheffler’s Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks lob wedge
Perhaps the most iconic shot of Scottie Scheffler’s first Masters win followed one of his worst with the exact same club.
After his approach from the pine straw at the 3rd hole during the final round came up short and rolled back down a slope and into a hole, Scheffler grabbed his lob wedge again and bumped it into the hill and scooted up onto the green and into the hole for an unlikely birdie-3.
The legend of Scottie Scheffler’s short game really began that week at Augusta with the chip-in and the fact that Scheffler tied for second in the field in scrambling that week.
The Vokey low bounce K grind Scheffler used during that win, is a lower bounce version of Vokey’s popular wide-soled K grind, which is dubbed the “ultimate bunker club.” The grind was developed out on Tour and then offered as a WedgeWorks exclusive, but just starting in 2025, Titleist added the 06K grind to the regular retail lineup.
Titleist Vokey SM11 Tour Chrome Wedge
Titleist Vokey Design’s new SM11 wedges feature a new precise CG position across each grind in a loft, meaning every wedge will now perform the same way with the same strike.
Scheffler’s Titleist Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks lob wedge specs
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Loft: 60˚
Bounce: 6˚
Grind: Low Bounce K
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
2021: Hideki Matsuyama’s Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Circle T GSS
Perhaps no one has a larger Scotty Cameron putter collection (or cooler in Scotty Cameron’s words) than Hideki Matsuyama.
He’s often known to travel with several putters at a time, but around the time of his Masters win, Matsuyama repeatedly went back to what he called his “ace” putter, which was a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS with three large black dots in the cavity.
The head shape and material was popularized by Tiger Woods, who won 14 of his 15 majors with a similar model. Matsuyama also followed Tiger that week at Augusta by adding a new Lamkin Deep-Etched Full Cord grip to his wand, something Woods had done a few months prior.
Matsuyama took command of the tournament thanks to a back-nine 30 on Saturday that gave him enough cushion to stave off Sunday charges by Will Zalatoris and Xander Schauffele, despite a Sunday 73.
STUDIO CARBON STEEL (SCS) FACE INSERTScotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Putter
Designed to deliver the unmistakably soft sound and feel of carbon, the new precision milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert is treated with an electroless nickel plating for enhanced durability in a re-engineered concept that includes the line’s new chain-link face milling technology and aerospace-inspired vibration damping for tuned sound, feel and performance.
CHAIN-LINK FACE MILLING TECHNOLOGY
New chain-link face milling technology reduces the putter face insert’s touch points at impact with the ball using a texture that softens the sound and provides improved roll characteristics while preserving feel and feedback off the putter face.
FULL CONTACT SLIM GRIP
With a comfortable chain-link texture to match the new putter face milling pattern, the custom crafted Full Contact Slim paddle-style grip was designed to complement the stroke and performance of blade and mid-mallet putters. Its uniquely contoured profile and flat top provide superior comfort and contact between the hands and the putter, and enhanced body alignment.
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Matsuyama’s Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Circle T GSS specs
Length: 34.75″
Loft: 2.5°
Lie: 71°
Grip: Lamkin Deep-Etched Full Cord
2020: Dustin Johnson’s TaylorMade SIM driver
Like Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson loves to tinker and test out different clubs, even dipping into the mid-tournament switches every so often.
Johnson drove the ball beautifully at the 2020 November Masters, 306.5 yards off the tee and hitting 78.57 percent of his fairways on the softer course, on his way to setting the tournament scoring record of 20 under. But as TaylorMade’s Keith Sbarbaro revealed later on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, Johnson almost went with a 47-inch driver build that week.
It even got as far as going in the bag for a Tuesday practice round at Augusta National.
“The fact that he had a game [on Tuesday] where he was playing with other great players and had to play well, I think that was a huge benefit to get that club out of the bag,” Sbarbaro said in November 2020. “Sure enough, by the end of that practice round, the 47-incher was gone … He is intrigued by the 10 yards, but it just wasn’t the time to do it.”
Ultimately, Johnson went back to a 45.75-inch build and ended up with his second major title.
SHAPED FOR SPEED
The re-engineered head profile increases ball speed thanks to improved aerodynamics developed through advanced simulations.
FACE FOR DISTANCE 60x Carbon Twist Face™ is a technological cornerstone that provides weight savings, incredible ball speed and more consistency vs. a titanium face.
ADJUSTABLE PERFORMANCE
4° loft sleeve can be used to adjust loft, lie and face angle for optimized flight.
TOUR PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES New and improved cut-through Speed Pocket™ protects ball speed and reduces spin on low-face strikes.
TaylorMade Qi4D Custom Driver
Advanced CAD modeling creates a design with a clean and powerful sound, a foundation of TaylorMade driver performance.
Multi-Material Construction allows engineers to strategically place mass in areas of the head where it maximizes performance, speed, and stability.
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Dustin Johnson’s TaylorMade SIM specs
Loft: 10.5˚@ 10˚
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 X
Length: 45.75″
Lie: 59˚
Swingweight: D4
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R (1 wrap 2-way tape + 2 wraps left hand, 3 right hand)
2019: Tiger Woods’ TaylorMade P7TW irons
After joining TaylorMade’s staff in 2017, it was a long process to develop a set of irons that matched Tiger Woods’ exacting specifications.
For a while after Nike left the golf club business, Woods was using irons with the TGR Foundation logo on them, then in early 2018, the TaylorMade branded TW-Phase1 irons appeared in the bag.
Finally, at the start of the season in 2019, Woods’ P7TW irons were ready for their debut, complete with a milled sole and tungsten slugs so everything was exactly up to Tiger’s snuff.
Woods was dialed at the 2019 Masters and completed one of the great sports comebacks of all time, winning his 15th major 11 years after his last and 14 after his most recent Masters. For the week, Woods hit 80.6 percent of the greens in regulation, the most by a Masters winner since Woods himself in 2001. He led the field in strokes gained: approach per round (1.73).
No approach was better than the 8-iron Woods struck on 16 in the final round that caught the slop and rolled just past the hole, settling a few feet away for what was ultimately the crucial birdie.
MILLED GRIND SOLE DEBUT
Milled Grind eliminates variances in sole geometry from head to head and ensures precision in every iron set, while the CNC machined sole geometry and a precise leading edge promote consistent turf interaction.
TIGER’S FINGERPRINT Each iron has been meticulously shaped to meet Tiger’s discerning eye—longer blade length, thinner topline, progressive face height, and more.
TaylorMade P7TW Custom Irons
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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: TaylorMade
Tiger Woods’ TaylorMade P7TW iron specs
Set comp: 3-PW
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Length: 36.875″ 7-iron
Lie: 61.5˚ 7-iron (Std)
Loft Progression: 22.5/25.5/29/32.5/36/40.5/45/49
Swingweight: D4
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord 58R
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