Will Rory McIlroy use a Nike Vapor?

Report by Anand Datla

September 23, 2014: The Ryder Cup is hardly the stage for experimentation, but Rory McIlroy is causing plenty of steam by trying out a new driver during practice. The Northern Irishman was spotted with a splashy new Nike Vapor Pro, which was among five new drivers added to the USGA’s list of conforming driver heads this week. The last time anyone made such a bold experiment was Phil Mickelson in 2004, but he had a miserable week when he did.

McIlroy was seen on the driving range at Gleneagles, testing the new head in the presence of his caddie. The black and green sole means Nike is getting back to a more conventional colour after using red for the Covert and Covert 2.0 lines, in their recent products.

It is understood that Nike has brought out Vapor Speed and a left handed model besides the Vapor Pro into its long list of golfing products. From the first looks, it appears Nike has made some visible changes to the design besides just the colour from its Covert and Covert 2.0. The new line sees the red crown replaced by a black crown, last seen in VR product line.

While the Covert series had a cavity-back design, it appears Nike is bringing the compression channel back to the sole in a return to the days of the VR driver. “The compression channel extends the entire length of the sole and wraps around the back portion of the head,” wrote Jonathan Wall of the PGA Tour. “If the channel technology is similar to what was last seen on the VR driver, it would help increase balls speeds and forgiveness across the entire face.”

But McIlroy ought to be weary about trying a new stick this week, with the Ryder Cup very much on the line. Mickelson tried something similar a decade ago, infamously at that, with some disastrous results when he tried his new Callaway kit at the event. There has been no confirmation yet from either player or manufacturer, so the golfing world will wait with curiosity to see McIlroy does indeed take a bold step this weekend. Meanwhile, the new drivers are expected to hit retail spaces early next year.

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