Rory McIlroy tees it up with Callaway driver at SA Open

Rory McIlroy and his Callaway driver. That might take some getting used to.

We already had a good idea of what gear Rory McIlroy was going to use in his first event of 2017 but now we have the pictures to prove it.

Here's @McIlroyRory ripping his new @CallawayGolfEU Epic Sub Zero driver. Full WITB details on the website soon. pic.twitter.com/qa9oiPm4mH

— James Savage (@JamesSavageNCG) January 10, 2017

For the first time since he signed with Nike in 2013, McIlroy has been out on the course without any Nike hardware during a practice round at the BMW South African Open.

He was pictured using his new Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero driver, Callaway Custom Apex MB irons, Titleist Vokey SM6 wedges and what looks like an Odyssey putter.

The driver features a Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage shaft.

We are waiting for confirmation on what fairway woods he is using.

The four-time major champion had previously stated he’d be using a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball as it works best with the Callaway driver.

McIlroy has previously used the Titleist ball and Titleist Vokey Wedges following his switch from Titleist to Nike in 2013.

But whether or not Rory will stick with this current club set-up remains to be seen.

Earlier last year he seemed to relish the prospect of testing out new equipment on a regular basis.

But he does have his initials stamped on the Callaway Custom Apex MB irons so they could be a permanent feature in 2017.

The putter change is intriguing as he made huge improvements after switching from his Nike method to a Scotty Cameron ahead of his Tour Championship and FedEx victory.

New year. New gear. pic.twitter.com/GkFxhNvcUH

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 10, 2017

Despite the new gear McIlroy insists he is well prepared to challenge this week.

“I have been practising in the Middle East for the past week or so although I have spent the last few days here on safari so hadn’t hit a ball for four days,” he said.

“The first couple of holes weren’t great in the pro-am today but once I got into my rhythm it was okay.

“I spent a week in Dubai before Christmas testing a lot of equipment and hitting a lot of balls and training.

“I had a week off from the 20th-27th of December and then went back to Dubai and worked solid for ten days until I came down here.

“I am in competitive mode but we also wanted to go into the bush for a few days which might have made me a little rusty but I can shake that off before Thursday. I am here to play well and get my confidence up.”

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