PGA Tour
TaylorMade Golf – Thorbjornsen breaks through at Rocket Classic with Qi4D LS driver and TP5 golf ball
August 3, 2026 – Michael Thorbjornsen started the final round of the Rocket Classic 2026 three shots back of the lead. But a sizzling comeback in the final round included just 63 shots and proved enough to come out on top and claim his first victory on the PGA TOUR.
For the week, the former Stanford star, Drive, Chip, and Putt champion, and 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion carded rounds of 69-64-66-63. His bogey-free final round included seven birdies, and a back nine of 30.
For the week, Thor led the field in Strokes Gained: Total (+14.803), and was fourth in SG: Off the Tee (+5.255).
Suffice it to say, no one is surprised by this win. It was only going to be a matter of time…
“He turned up on the scene as an extremely powerful golfer who didn’t need to be more than one-dimensional because of how talented he is,” said Adrian Rietveld, Senior Tour Manager of TaylorMade golf.
FINDING FAST WITH QI4D LS
Amongst his peers, Thor is known as an elite ball striker, and that starts from the tee. For the week in Detroit he ranked 4th in SG: Off the Tee (+5.206) and averaged 318.30 yards. That’s saying a lot considering Detroit Golf Club’s narrow, tree-lined fairways. For the season, he ranks 14th in total driving and 28th in distance (313.0 yards). Thor chooses Qi4D LS for it’s low-spin penetrating ball flight.
“He hits a draw, and I think that tautness of the spin tolerance that we’re getting out of the face now gives him the confidence to turn it over where the ball’s not going to drop. When you get into that 2,000 and less (RPM), that can cause what I think is a big miss,” sayd Adrian Rietveld on Thor’s Qi4D LS driver.
THOR’S DRIVER SPEC
- HEAD: Qi4D LS
- LOFT: 9.0° one click higher
- WEIGHTS: 3g forward, 8g back
- LIE: 58.5°
- SHAFT: Ventus Black + 7X
- LENGTH: 45.25″
- TIPPING: 1″
- GRIP: Golf Pride MCC Black 58 R
THE SWITCH TO TP5
For as long as he’s been on staff with TaylorMade, Thor has played a TP5x golf ball. However, following in Rory McIlroy’s footsteps, Thor made the switch to TP5 to prioritize control. While the explosive distance of TP5x certainly was an asset, what he gained in control with TP5, without sacrificing distance was a game changer. He’s now able to better control trajectory, shape and distance with short irons and wedges which was on full display this week in Detroit as he led the field in Greens in Regulation (63/72, 87.50%).
“The main reason for that (the ball) is to start to learn how to hit these off-speed shots. I thought that’s actually a better golf ball for him through the bag. And he should be able to incorporate more of these off-speed shots and should be able to incorporate a wedge game that’s required for a top-10 player in the world. . . The wind didn’t move it as much, and even five yards of difference there is huge”, said Adrian Rietveld on Thor’s switch to TP5.
R7 QUAD MINI PROVES RETRO WORKS ON TOUR
“I have a R7 Quad Mini 13.5° in the bag, and so does Thor. At least we have that in common. Except Thor hits his 300 yards.”
For him, it’s been a game changer when it comes to accuracy off the tee. For the year, he’s hit north of 60% of his fairways, which might not sound like a lot, but is well above average when you’re playing courses with tight fairways and both distance and accuracy are rewarded off the tee.
“Being a 180-plus ball speed guy, the mini driver is kind of a safety for that. When he doesn’t feel comfortable with driver, it becomes almost like a 300-yard club to get him in play,” said Adrian Rietveld on Thor’s R7 Quad Mini.
THOR’S R7 QUAD MINI SPEC
- HEAD: R7 Quad Mini Driver
- LOFT: 13.0°
- WEIGHTS: 5g front toe, 7g front heel, 10g in both back weights
- LIE: 57°
- SHAFT: Ventus TR Blue 8X
- TIPPING: 2″
- GRIP: Golf Pride MCC Black 58 R
SPIDER CAN’T STOP WINNING
Drive for show. Thor does that better than anyone and everyone I’ve ever seen. He employs a Spider Tour X double-bend. And his setup is both intentional and purposeful as Adrian insights yet again.
“You can see how structured his practice is now, the drills, the process. He’s gone from a talented putter to someone that’s an ardent student of that part of the game”, said Adrian Rietveld on Thor’s Spider Tpur X and putting evolution.
THOR’S SPIDER TOUR SPEC
- HEAD: Spider Tour Black
- SIGHT LINE: True Path Mid Line
- LOFT: 2.0°
- LIE: 71°
- LENGTH: 35.5″
- HEAD WEIGHT: 534g
- SWINGWEIGHT: E5
- GRIP: TaylorMade with white cap under grip
BALL STRIKING THOR
At the top of this article, we talked about Thor’s superior ball striking and how it starts from the tee. And it most certainly does. But his iron play is second to none as well. For the week, he gained +3.668 Approach to Green with his P·Series irons. He ranked first in Greens in Regulation for the week (63/72, 87.50%).
Like a lot of players, Thor employs a combination of P·Series irons that are all tailored for what he wants from specific parts of his bag.
THOR’S WINNING WITB:
- Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (9.0)
- Mini driver: TaylorMade R7 Quad Mini (13.5°)
- Irons: TaylorMade P·770 (3); TaylorMade P·7MC (4); TaylorMade P·7MC (5-PW)
- Wedges: TaylorMade MG5 (52°, 56°, 60°)
- Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
- Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5
