Could Justin Rose finally win his second major title with McLaren golf clubs?

Recently groundbreaking news hit the golf world regarding Justin Rose and his latest equipment change, and it is certainly news that may have made you scratch your eyes once or twice. 

When Justin Rose arrived at the Cadillac Championship, just weeks after the Masters, he had made a major decision to switch to McLaren golf clubs. That is the McLaren you are thinking of, yes, the company that makes cars and competes in Formula 1! 

It was major news that had everyone questioning if what they were reading was real. Justin Rose, who has been playing some of the best golf of his career lately, made a massive decision on the golf clubs he is using.  

What is Justin Rose Doing With McLaren Golf Clubs?

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Speaking to sports PR agency Press Box PR ahead of the PGA Championship, Mark Fulcher (Rose's caddie) revealed that the switch to McLaren had been coming for quite some time: "It's been very, very exciting because we've known about it for a while. McLaren have looked to branch out. Their product speaks for itself. They build Formula 1 motor racing cars, for which the technology is simply incredible, and they're obviously winners. The irons and the production have taken a long time to get where they wanted to get, and it's only going to get better."

Whenever an adjacent sporting company looks to enter the golf market, I always refer back to Nike’s journey. Nike made some great golf clubs back in the day, used by the very best, such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. But eventually they had to exit the golf club market, as they simply couldn’t compete with the top brands in the golfing world.  

The golf market is predominantly dominated by a select number of brands, and it is nearly impossible to break into this market and compete with these top names. However, McLaren are the latest big name to take on the challenge.

"This has been greatly thought out, not only by Justin, but by a lot of other investors, including Ian Poulter and Michelle Wie," Fulcher added. "I do know a huge amount of research has gone into this thing. The technology behind these McLaren clubs is second to none. So, I just see the excitement in Rosey using them." 

Despite the amount of training rounds, testing hours and practice sessions Rose has used these clubs for, it will always be difficult making such a major change in the middle of the season.  

In Justin Rose's first weekend using the McLaren clubs on the PGA Tour, he made a rather disappointing, yet rather expected T65 finish. The Truist Championship the following week wasn’t much better, with a T45 finish. The PGA Championship was the weekend where many eyes would be on Rose and his new clubs, and this would be the week where many would make their ultimate conclusion on Rose's decision. He finished the second major of the season with a steady T10 finish - a much more regular and "back to normal" finish for the Englishman - that was followed by a tie for 12th at the Memorial.

Fulcher commented on the mid-season equipment change, saying: "There's nothing worse than an equipment change, especially in the middle of a season facing the prospect of three majors. But I am very happy and confident with them. 

"Rosey is very keen on the tiniest element so it might take him a little bit longer to get used to them. Whereas when I worked in my earlier days with Laura Davies, she would get a new set of clubs delivered by Maruman at the time, a Japanese manufacturer. She'd put them in the bag and say, 'Oh, they're fantastic' and didn’t even test them! Laura would then go out and win a tournament the next week and they were fantastic. Each player varies. Rosey is not going to stop until they're absolutely perfect and I think we're getting very close to that." 

Could Justin Rose Finally Win a Second Major Title?

Will this equipment change play a part in if he wins another major championship? 

Rose is 45 now and not getting any younger. But he is still very comfortably competitive as one of the best golfers in the world. But I think we are all questioning how long he has left to win another major trophy.  

The 2025 Masters heartbreak in the playoff was a real gut-wrenching loss. The 2026 Masters was another bitterly close call with victory, but the clock is unfortunately ticking on Rose. I personally think there is every possibility that he wins another major, his game has been extremely solid for the best part of a year now and he isn't showing signs of slowing down just yet. But the competition for these major trophies is getting more and more fierce each year.  

Way back in 1998, a young teenage Justin Rose emerged at the Open Championship as an amateur. Here he shocked golf fans across the world, finishing T4. As July approaches us, the very same golf course where he emerged in 1998 prepares to host the very same tournament.  

The Open Championship is back at Royal Birkdale, where it would be a really sweet reunion for Justin Rose, should he return and leave as champion after all those years. 

Since his US Open victory in 2013, Rose has managed to claim five runner-up finishes at major competitions, something quite bizarre in the fact he hasn't managed to claim a single major in those 13 years. If Rose wants to win another major, he needs to move quick and sharp, and I’m sure he knows this himself.  

Rose's switch to McLaren was a shock, but could it work out for him in the long run, potentially seeing him claim one more major, or maybe even more, before he retires from the PGA Tour?