Why Billy Horschel’s iron change is one you can learn from | Tour report

Wwelcome to GOLF’s weekly Tour Gear Report. Every Friday of the PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, as the news warrants), GOLF Gear Editor Jack Hirsh will walk you through the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, adjustments and launches.

Billy Horschel is back on the PGA Tour in Japan this week for the first time since April after undergoing hip surgery – and he’s returning with a very different kit.

In his first start at the BMW PGA Championship in England, Horschel switched up his irons for the first time in four years, ditching his split set of the ’23 Titleist T100 long irons and the 620 MB combo set for a complete set of the new 2025 T100s.

The reason for the change after dismissal? Horschel told the Titleist team in Japan this week that he simply wanted to limit the setbacks.

“Right now I’m playing the Titleist T100s. I literally put these in the bag. I played the 620 MBs,” Horschel said. “And I love my MBs, but like a lot of golfers, we look for them when we hit the ball a little bit wrong so that the ball can safely go the same distance.”

He hits the nail on the head. Golfers, even the best in the world, who rarely miss the center of the clubface, are always looking to improve on their misses. An eight-time PGA Tour winner like Horschel knows that changing irons won’t improve his good shots, but his misses will, and that could make all the difference.

Horschel, who plays the high-spin Pro V1x+ prototype golf ball, also said he saw additional height for the new irons, which has been a major goal of the Titleist iron design.

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“The other thing I’ve seen is that the height I’m reaching with these irons is much higher than my 620s,” he said. “Being able to launch it high and land it soft on the greens wasn’t something I was getting as much with my 620 MBs. And now with the T100 I feel very comfortable, especially with the long irons that I can land high and soft on firm, fast greens.”

Horschel’s change is something amateurs should take into account for both reasons: getting help from accidents and moving up the ranks.

We see it more and more every year with PGA Tour pros throwing brutal blade irons to the ground for more playable cavity backs and even the distance options for players in the long irons. Who knows, maybe in a few years the pure blade will even cease to exist, even on the PGA Tour.

That may be a ways off, but it’s still worth noting how many players are choosing miss-limiting irons over blades.

With extra height, we see goals of higher green speeds and more robustness across the country. Titleist believes that the higher you can hit your golf ball, the better equipped you are to score in those conditions, and Horschel seems to be capitalizing on that with the iron change and his continued use of the Pro V1x+.

The move also highlights a unique quirk of Horschel’s setup that he has used for years. Over the past decade, Horschel has skipped a 4-iron in his set, from 3-iron, then 5-iron through 9-iron. In his previous set, Horschel had a T100 3-iron and 5-iron before moving to the 620 MBs.

According to Titleist Tour Rep Nick Geyer, the 3- and 5-iron setup is for gap purposes. Going from a 5-iron to a 3-iron allows him to get the ball speeds he needs without having to upgrade to a larger chassis. He plays weaker lofts through the bag, and a little less offset in a smaller iron chassis (than, say, a Titleist T150 or T250) suits his eye.

Horschel opened with a 77 at Yokohama Country Club but rebounded Friday with a bogey-free 66, hitting more than 1.5 shots on the approach.

Another 2025 UW conversion

Perhaps Min Woo Lee’s most recognizable club comes out of the closet this week at the Baycurrent Classic.

Lee added Callaway’s new Apex 2025 Utility Wood to the bag this week in Japan, replacing his trusty X Forged Utility iron.

Callaway 2025 Apex Custom Utility Wood

The Apex UW is designed for serious, avid golfers looking for the perfect blend of the power of a fairway wood and the versatility of a hybrid. Designed with Tour feedback and packed with performance technologies, it delivers a higher, more neutral ball flight with the control all players demand. TUNGSTEN SPEED WAVE A dynamic tungsten wave structure weighing over 41g positions the mass low and forward, improving ball speed and launch, especially on low-face shots where players tend to lose distance. STEP SOLE DESIGN A redesigned sole with a stepped geometry reduces turf interaction, maintaining swing speed at impact and promoting more consistent contact across different lies. TRIAXIAL CARBON CROWN Lightweight carbon construction strategically redistributes weight, creating a more forgiving clubhead and refining launch and spin for greater shot control. TOUR-INSPIRED SHAPE Designed with input from the world’s best, the compact, refined shape and neutral face angle inspire confidence at address and ensure workability from tee to turf.

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour SuperstoreCallaway

While his previous 2-iron had a 19-degree head, bent to 18 degrees, Lee’s new UW is a 21-degree stroke aiming to give him a consistent carry of 235-240 and a steep descent angle.

Lee even tested the club with the Fujikura Ventus Red 9-X shaft in an attempt to find more height to land the ball softly in long par-3 and par-5 greens, but since Lee plays both the Ventus Blue in his driver and 3-wood, he decided to stick with that in his new UW.

The new Callaway Apex UW is quickly gaining momentum after its release last month. Alex Noren already won with the unique hybrid of a hybrid and fairway wood and Max Greyserman currently leads the Baycurrent by four shots, he also goes into the weekend with the new model.

Lee is T19, eight behind Greyserman through 36 holes after a 65 on Friday.

Changes are coming, but not yet

All in all, this week’s Baycurrent Classic and other global events were fairly quiet on the equipment front.

That’s not really a surprise or coincidence.

For starters, while the Tour took place all the way in Japan, there were a limited number of Tour representatives who made the trip to the other side of the world.

But the bigger factor is that the 2026 equipment is coming and the OEMs are in the final stages of testing new clubs before giving them to their Tour representatives to begin placement on the PGA Tour. You already have PXG on tour with their new Lightning metalwoods, but for other companies that typically follow a January release schedule, their latest material is still to come.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to a cool photo we recently took during the Tour but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out Camilo Villegas’ wear mark on his 2018 TaylorMade M4 fairway wood. Villegas is T12 after two rounds this week.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Max Greyserman made a big change to his Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond driver this week. He turned the heavy weight forward in the head and compensated by setting the driver to the N/+1 setting, which added a degree of loft, closed the face and made the driver more upright. He’s T3 in distance so far this week… As noted in the text on Tour, Sergio Garcia is using a new Golfyr Maker Tour putter this week. Garcia has previously used a carbon putter model from the Swiss company and tried one in February 2024.

3 things you need to read/see

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Why Fully Equipped Podcast Co-Host Jake Morrow Can’t Use These Clubs Anymore | Bag spy – Take a look at the clubs GOLF’s full-featured co-host Jake Morrow used at the end of this season and how he’s ready to blow it all up again for next year.