"It's the fastest ball that I've ever hit" - Rory McIlroy talks about TP5x’s fastest-ever 5-layer golf ball
Rory McIlroy started tinkering with the ball he uses, and he was trying out the TaylorMade TP5x, which is designed to be the fastest five-layer golf ball ever put to use. That might not be too far-fetched given how McIlroy reacted to his hit with the new ball.
After taking a swing that quickly deposited the ball about a foot or so away from the hole, McIlroy was thoroughly impressed with the ball, saying (via TaylorMade Golf on X):
"There we go. Like there's no way without a [sic] ball I was sniffing 183. No chance! Yardage wise, [I've picked up] probably half a club. I would say like seven, eight yards. So if my old eight iron was probably around 175... Slightly lower launch, slightly less spin and more ball speed. I think that those three factors, it's the fastest ball I've ever hit. It's unbelievably fast... It's amazing."
Speed is one thing, and it's something that McIlroy greatly appreciated with the ball he tried out. It's far from the only thing in golf, but rest assured, this TP5x seems to have a lot of other advantages, too.
He added some distance to his drive as well. The Ryder Cup star mentioned getting seven or eight extra yards, which can be a massive difference maker. That can be the difference between making a putt and missing and requiring another stroke.
It also had extremely soft tough on the green, which makes McIlroy's accuracy with a swing even more powerful since it'll land softly and won't have large bounces or roll away from where he intended it to go.
Justin Thomas disagrees with Rory McIlroy's LIV takes
For a long time, Rory McIlroy was the champion of the PGA Tour. He went to war for his tour, answering any and all questions and fighting on the front lines for the honor and valor of it.
LIV Golf players and the tour itself were the subject of his ire on more than one occasion, but he has since changed his tune. He's now softened, but others around him have not.
McIlroy said via Irish Times:
"I don't think there should be a punishment for obviously I've changed my tune on that because I see where golf is and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV Tour or anything else is bad for both parties."
Justin Thomas disagrees with the Northern Irishman. He was quoted as saying (via Irish Star):
"I would say that there's a handful of players on LIV that would make the tour a better place, but I'm definitely not in the agreement that they should just be able to come back that easily."
McIlroy envisions a world where the two tours aren't at odds, and he believes they can and should coexist without punishment for those who left. That's not what he used to say, but he's changed his mind.
Thomas, however, has not. He admits that some stars coming back would be good, but he doesn't believe they should get off scot-free after leaving the PGA Tour behind.