“Carlsbad, Carlsbad, we’ve got a problem”. This is the phrase most heard in recent days at TaylorMade’s headquarters, located in this Californian city near San Diego and whose first inhabitants were known as the luiseños. The problem is called Scottie Scheffler. And more specifically, his latest driver. No laughing matter.
The world Number One has not quite adapted to the Qi4D 2026, the new model launched on the market by the American brand. As you’d expect, there is concern at the company. Scheffler, together with Rory McIlroy, is the best ambassador for their equipment and his doubts represent a major commercial worry. That is why right now they are working day and night to find the specifications that will allow Scottie to feel comfortable with that club again. It is the main and almost only task.
Today Scheffler has passed sentence finishing his third round at THE PLAYERS Championship. He carded 67 strokes (-4 total), his best score of the week. A five-under-par that allowed him to climb the leaderboard, although still far from where the victory is decided. He was asked afterwards about the driver, about his feelings.
– “How have I felt with the driver? Fine,” Scheffler replied.
– “Which one?” the journalist asked for clarification.
– “The one I’ve used since 2024, yes, that one (laughs),” Scottie added.
Scheffler hasn’t quite got used to TaylorMade’s new driver. In fact, before THE PLAYERS began he decided to bench it and return the old one to the starting spot. The first two days didn’t go well, although he himself explained it was a transition problem between the two clubs. Today he was much better from the tee, hitting 11 of the 14 fairways on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
The driver is the darling of club manufacturers, hence the obsession with releasing a new one every year. For this reason, Scheffler’s doubts are a real headache for TaylorMade.
On the other hand, Scheffler revealed a curious detail for the die-hards. On Thursday afternoon, after the first round, he spent two hours on the Sawgrass practice range working with his coach Randy Smith. What was he looking for? “If I told you I was looking for something it’s because I had lost it, and I don’t think that’s the case, but in any case, when looking for something in the sessions on the practice range, for me the most important thing is to feel the clubhead. If you see me hitting balls on the range, normally what I’m chasing is that: to feel the clubhead,” he explained.
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Scheffler is aware that, despite his very good five-under-par round today without bogeys, he no longer has a chance of victory at THE PLAYERS. “Well, if a 45 kilometres per hour wind were to blow in the afternoon, maybe, but I don’t think so,” he said. Ludvig Aberg, the leader before the third day, went out to play after Scheffler had finished and started with an eight-shot lead.
Be that as it may, the world Number One never goes away empty-handed any week. He insists there are positives. “I put a lot of value on the two rounds I got through on Thursday and Friday without having my best game with me. I think the attitude has been very good at all times and that is good for the future”. Regarding the future, he said he has not yet decided whether he will play any more tournaments before the Masters. Considering there are two weeks in his Texas (Houston and Valero), it’s likely we’ll see him in at least one of them.
