The serious equipment enthusiasts among you may have spotted a mysterious prototype iron in the bags of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa over the past few weeks.
While both of these players were only seen with a 4-iron stamped ‘Proto’, Michael Block was seen with a full set in his bag at the PGA Championship. This set off a lot of speculation that TaylorMade might be close to revealing an updated line of its popular P-Series irons which are undoubtedly some of the best irons in the game.
That speculation is now set to increase with the latest set of leaked photographs showing a very similar shaped iron as the proto, this time with the stamping ‘P7CB’. The obvious assumption here is that TaylorMade has concluded its prototyping period and has settled on a final design to release to the consumer market.
Looking at the head type and style, it would seem that this P7CB would be directly replacing the P7MC in the range, with a forged head and slight muscle pad situated in a not-too-severe cavity, it is likely that these will look to establish themselves as some of the best irons for low handicappers. The top line is minimal as is the offset and it seems to be finished in a subtle brushed chrome. Personally, as an equipment tester, I think these look fantastic and cannot wait to get my hands on a set to see what is on offer performance-wise.
Rory McIlroy cited a softer feel and a slightly higher ball flight in the 4-iron as the reason for his switch, however, he was coming from the P760 model so it remains to be seen whether those refinements hold true from the P7MC.
Nelly Korda is another player who has been spotted testing the P7CB irons, so a switch could also be imminent for the world number one in the women’s game.
History tells us that along with the player’s cavity iron, TaylorMade usually releases a new forged blade so we will be keeping our eyes peeled for any developments in that regard. The equipment giant will be hoping for more traction from the blade this time around with most of their staff blade players preferring to design their own individual models such as the ‘Rors Proto’, Dustin Johnson’s ‘DJ Proto’, and Tommy Fleetwoods ‘TF Proto’ irons rather than playing the retail P7MB model.
As someone who has gamed several models of TaylorMade blades over the years, including the Tour Preferred MB and P730 models, I have my fingers crossed for a strong offering this time around that can sit amongst the best blade irons on the market. That said, with the impressive looks of these P7CB irons, I might have to delve into the combo set world to accommodate!
We will be keeping our ear to the ground for any further developments and bring it to you at the first opportunity.
