What do the world’s top three golfers have in common?

Well apart from the obvious - that they're all professional golfers at the very top of the game - there’s a couple of things:

1. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy are all immensely powerful golfers and hit it an absolute mile
2. They all have the TaylorMade M2 driver and metals in their bag

We’re sure you’re aware that Nike Golf will stop producing hardware and balls from 2017, focusing on apparel and footwear instead. Well this has left all of their contracted players with a tough choice - ‘which clubs do I play next?’

Arguably this biggest Nike Staffer is the mega-talented Northern Irishman (McIlroy) so it was always going to be interesting to see which direction he went in. It hasn't taken him long to decide as in this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions event in China - his first since the Ryder Cup - Rory has put the TaylorMade M2 driver and 3-wood straight into play at the top end of his bag.

Why did McIlroy choose the M2?

Well it probably isn't to do with the dual coloured crown on the head, although it does help significantly with alignment and it's also vitally important that you are confident over the club at address.

The M2 is such an easy club to hit with boosted forgiveness meaning that no matter where you hit the ball on the club face, you know you won't be too far from your Sunday best. This is equally as important for the world’s elite as it is to the average club golfer as even these guys - believe it or not - have bad days where their ball striking isn't 100%.

But the most important factor for many is distance and this will be one of the key reasons why McIlroy opted for TaylorMade’s most trusted. The thin club face is just within legal limits and, together with the redesigned Speed Pocket, produces faster ball speeds and more powerful shots than all previous models. Take a look at McIlroy’s stats this week, we can guarantee you that he won't be sacrificing in distance off the tee.

So back to the first point we made in this blog post about what Day, Johnson and Rory all have in common: they hit it a mile with the TaylorMade M2 range.

Coincidence? Probably not.

Click on this link and learn more about the TaylorMade M2 range - you won't be disappointed.

Click below to watch our overview: 

When the stakes are at their biggest and tension is high, it takes a special type of character to stay calm and produce their best golf. So when there’s a cool $10 million bonus up for grabs, this is the exact situation that many of the world’s best encountered this week at the TOUR Championship.

Home favourite Dustin Johnson was in the lead after 54 holes, with both the tournament and the FedEx Cup in his control. Europe’s best hope was Rory McIlroy and the equation for him to secure the jackpot was quite simple – win the tournament with Johnson finishing in T2 or worse.

So onto the final round and no-one saw what happened coming. Big-hitting Johnson had been a model of consistency in recent weeks so many thought it was a mere formality that the American would waltz to victory. However, a worst-of-the-day 73 saw him plummet down the leaderboard, blowing the TOUR Championship and FedEx Cup wide open again.

McIlroy, starting the final round just two shots off the lead, carded a magnificent six-under-par 64 to join Moore and Chappell in a three-way play-off. Being three behind the leaders with three holes left to play, things weren’t looking great for the Northern Irishman. Rory found himself on the left-hand side of the 16th fairway off the tee. 137 yards was the number, an eagle two was the result. A truly magnificent feat when it was needed the most. He then went on to follow this up with a birdie at the 72nd hole to join the two Americans at the top of the leaderboard.

An eagle lip-out at the first extra hole for McIlroy secured an easy birdie, but it wasn’t until the fourth extra hole when McIlroy rolled in a 15-footer to take golf’s biggest (monetary) prize. Perfect timing to find some form ahead of this week’s Ryder Cup.

What equipment did Rory use?

• Driver – Nike Vapor Fly Pro (9.5 degrees)
• Fairway woods – Nike Vapor Speed (15 & 19 degrees)
• Irons – Nike VR Pro Blade (4-9)
• Wedges – Nike Engage (47, 52, 56 & 59)
• Putter – Scotty Cameron

Any avid golf fan knows that things really start to hot up stateside come September as the FedExCup nears its conclusion. It’s when the PGA Tour’s best and most consistent golfers from the past 12 months battle it out across a series of playoff events to win golf’s biggest (monetary) prize.

Let’s get right to business – McIlroy stormed through the field on Monday’s final day to win his first PGA Tour title in 16 months; something which seemed so unlikely four days ago. Rory had a nightmare start to the tournament as he found himself four-over-par through three holes, only to play the following 6 holes in an incredible 19-under-par.

The Northern Irishman started the final round six shots behind tournament leader Paul Casey, but a closing 65 saw him close out the Deutsche Bank Championship two shots clear of the Englishman. This victory comes just a week after reverting back to a Scotty Cameron putter – see below – instead of Nike’s short stick which seemed to be the cause of so many of McIlroy’s recent woes.

With Europe’s best now finding his form once again, bring on the Ryder Cup!

What equipment did McIlroy use?

Driver – Nike Vapor Fly Pro (10.5 degrees)

Fairway wood – Nike Vapor Speed (15 & 19 degrees)

Irons – Nike VR Pro Blade (4-9)

Wedges – Nike Engage (47, 52, 56 & 59)

Putter – Scotty Cameron Concept M1 Prototype