As the oldest golf major returns to Royal Birkdale, Jordan Spieth will be hoping history repeats itself. We’re approaching the 10-year anniversary of the American’s first and only Open Championship victory.
In 2017, Spieth produced one of the most remarkable recoveries in major championship history on the 13th hole during his final-round masterclass. The 32-year-old played the final five holes in five under par as he picked up a three-shot victory over compatriot Matt Kuchar.
So how does Spieth’s Open-winning setup compare to the one he is expected to use when he tees it up in Southport once again?
While the venue remains the same, almost every club in his golf bag has changed. Nine years ago the three-time major winner had a bag that reflected that era of golf. Traditional long irons and compact woods, as well as a Scotty Cameron blade putter.
Now, modern technology and preferences has re-shaped what Spieth games week-to-week.
All change at the top of his bag
Change is to be expected. After all, nine years of using the same clubs is considered a lot for club golfers never mind tour professionals who have access to all models across a range.
Perhaps the most obvious switch comes in the form of the driver. Some brands produce a driver every year like Callaway and TaylorMade, but Titleist, who Spieth is a staffer of, opts to bring out a new range more sporadically.
There have been a lot of new Titleist driver models that have hit the shelves since 2017. Titleist’s release for 2026 is their GTS line-up and Spieth has opted to use one from it.
They have been a big hit on tour with the majority of Titleist players having switched to them. The GTS2 is the most balanced option with strong consistency.
Speith relied on the Titleist 915D2 driver all those years ago. At the time it was known as one of the more forgiving drivers on tour and was actually released way back in 2014. It was a consistent in his bag during what would most people would describe as his Spieth’s prime era of his career to date.
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Another big change at the top of his bag is the replacement of long irons. They have largely fallen out of favour with tour players, with many instead choosing to game higher lofted fairway woods.
Back in 2017, he carried a Titleist 718 T-MB driving iron. Fast forward to 2026 and Speith has moved with the times. He now has a Titleist TSi2 hybrid and the new Titleist GTS2 three-wood in the bag.
Considering the challenges links golf posses, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a revert to type.
A move to a full-set of players’ irons
Spieth’s 2017 iron setup featured a blended set consisting of a Titleist 716 T-MB 4-iron and 716 AP2 irons from a five-iron down to a nine-iron.
This isn’t an uncommon sight in the bags of players of this ilk even in today’s game. Often players will look to utilise the more forgiving models in the longer irons and opt for greater control when it comes to higher often ones.
His current setup is far simpler. He now plays a full Titleist T100 irons set. A popular choice.
Our resident PGA Professional, Jack Backhouse, credited the T100 irons for being more like precision instruments. He believes they enable golfers to achieve better height and control and so providing confidence in how the ball is going to behave off the club and look in the air.
Some similarities in his short game
One area where Spieth hasn’t changed a whole lot is around the greens.
In 2017 he relied on four Titleist Vokey SM6 wedges. At this year’s Open he is set to continue his Vokey love affair, although he has upgraded to the latest SM11 models.
Along with the number of wedges he uses, the loft structure also remains remarkably similar, demonstrating just how comfortable Spieth is, and has been throughout his career, with his scoring clubs.
Elsewhere, he has continued to play a blade style putter. Where many golfers have gone down the mallet route over recent years, the American has continued with his conventional approach.
Speith was known to be a clutch putter during his major winning spree, and, in large, that has continued to be a strong part of his game.
During his Open triumph he used a Scotty Cameron 009 Prototype putter. Now he has switched to a TP Mills Trad II putter. Visually they have a similar style, with the 13-time PGA Tour winner sticking to what he knows best.
It’s not uncommon for golfers to change the model of their golf ball. Rory McIlroy noticeably caused quite a bit of chat when he switched to the TaylorMade TP5 from the TP5x model.
Spieth has done something similar in the time since his Birkdale triumph. In 2017, he used a Titleist Pro V1x. In 2026, he has been using a Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash.
For reference, the Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash is the lowest-spinning, firmest model in the Pro V1 line up. Our chief equipment reviewer and professional golfer Nicola Slater noted that she considered it to be a step up from the Pro V1x in terms of feel around the greens.
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