Every April, the internet lights up with what’s-in-the-bag content from Augusta: driver specs, iron models, putter choices, etc. When I looked at six consecutive years of winning bags, some unexpected patterns emerged. We went through every WITB report since 2020. Here’s what we found.
1. TaylorMade owns both the driver and fairway spots
Four of the last six Masters champions had a TaylorMade driver in play. Johnson in 2020, Scheffler in 2022 and 2024, and McIlroy in 2025. The two exceptions are Matsuyama, a Srixon staff player, and Rahm, who was fully committed to Callaway in 2023.
But more interesting is the fairway wood stat. Five of the last six Masters winners carried TaylorMade fairway woods. As a side note, almost every golfer who’s won on the PGA Tour this year had a TaylorMade fairway wood in the bag as well.
The only exception, again, is Rahm. Even Matsuyama, who drove a Srixon and played Srixon irons, had a TaylorMade SIM2 Ti 3-wood in his bag. The one winner who didn’t use a TaylorMade driver still had a TaylorMade fairway wood in his hands when he needed to find a fairway.
Scheffler, McIlroy and Johnson are all TaylorMade staff players. So some of this is sponsorship, not selection. But the fairway wood number is harder to dismiss, even non-staff players have ended up with TMaG metal in that slot.
| Winner | Driver | Fairway Wood(s) |
|---|---|---|
| D Johnson 2020 |
TaylorMade SIM 10.5° | TaylorMade SIM Max 3W + 7W (15° + 21°) |
| Matsuyama 2021 |
Srixon ZX5 9.5° | TaylorMade SIM2 Ti 3W 15° |
| Scheffler 2022 |
TaylorMade Stealth Plus 8° | TaylorMade Stealth Plus 3W 16.5° |
| Rahm 2023 |
Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond 10.5° | Callaway Paradym TD 3W + 5W (16° + 18°) |
| Scheffler 2024 |
TaylorMade Qi10 8° | TaylorMade Qi10 3W 15° |
| McIlroy 2025 |
TaylorMade Qi10 “Dot” 9° | TaylorMade Qi10 3W + 5W (15° + 18°) |
2. Nobody talks about golf shafts—but here’s what the winners are playing
Four of the last six Masters winning iron setups featured True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts: Johnson, Matsuyama and both Scheffler wins. Rahm and McIlroy used Project X.
True Temper Dynamic Gold is the most widely used iron shaft in professional golf. Finding it in the Masters winning bags may feel a bit uneventful but it’s an important component of the club and one worth noting. If you’re going through an iron fitting this year, experiment with different shaft brands and weights to dial in your iron flight.
3. The blade versus mallet battle at Augusta
Split the six winning putters evenly and you’ll get three blades and three mallets. With more golfers moving to the mallet style putters, this is an interesting one.
The blade wins came consecutively—Matsuyama’s Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS in 2021, Scheffler’s Scotty Cameron Timeless Tourtype in 2022, Rahm’s Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S in 2023.
Spider Tour X winning back-to-back with two different players is the more current story. Scheffler switched from the Scotty Cameron he used to win in 2022 to the Spider Tour X for his 2024 title. McIlroy rolled the same model to end his major drought in 2025. Whether that reflects a performance advantage on Augusta’s surfaces or simply TaylorMade’s strong player roster will prove itself in time.
| Winner | Brand | Style | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Johnson 2020 |
TaylorMade | Mallet | Spider Limited Itsy Bitsy |
| Hideki Matsuyama 2021 |
Scotty Cameron | Blade | Newport 2 GSS |
| Scottie Scheffler 2022 |
Scotty Cameron | Blade | Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Prototype |
| Jon Rahm 2023 |
Odyssey | Blade | White Hot OG Rossie S |
| Scottie Scheffler 2024 |
TaylorMade | Mallet | Spider Tour X |
| Rory McIlroy 2025 |
TaylorMade | Mallet | Spider Tour X |
Final thoughts
Check back Sunday night for the full WITB breakdown of the 2026 Masters champion and we’ll see whether TaylorMade, True Temper and the Spider Tour X keep their hold on Augusta National.