Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda have won 11 times around the world this season and there has been one common denominator: the TaylorMade TP5x ball.
The ball was first introduced in 2017 and TaylorMade have released updated versions, the latest of which came at the start of this season.
TaylorMade claim that the TP5x is their fastest and longest Tour ball, with a five-layer design incorporating four increasingly stiff layers and a softer cast urethane cover for increased groove interaction on greenside shots for more spin and better feel.
Korda has won seven times with it around the globe in 2024, including a second Major at the Chevron Championship and she is now the first American since 1990 to win seven-plus times in a season. There was also a winning Solheim Cup and she was unsurprisingly named the Player of the Year.
Korda switched from the TP5 to the TP5x ball thanks to being able to get her spin down in the long game. She began testing the new ball last September and it has paid dividends with her best season on Tour.
Earlier in 2024 she won a ridiculous five tournaments on the trot.
“Nelly was looking to bring the spin down, especially on her driver, so we did some testing in September,” said TaylorMade Senior Tour Manager Ryan Ressa.
“We saw the benefits of TP5x in her driver and irons bringing the spin down a couple hundred RPMs. Then, around the greens, her launch on chips was a little bit lower and she generated more spin around the greens with TP5x than TP5. She produced a lot more check in a preferred trajectory coming off of the TP5x versus the TP5. She’s been happy with the ball ever since.”
