Bryson DeChambeau confirmed on June 19 that he has switched to a prototype TaylorMade driver at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, ending a long stretch with niche equipment brands and returning to one of golf’s biggest manufacturers.

The club is a TaylorMade Qi4D Proto 200+ Version 2, set at 7 degrees of loft and fitted with a Project X Titan Black 70TX shaft. Two versions of the prototype appeared on the USGA Conforming list on Tuesday, June 16, two days before the opening round.

DeChambeau put it to use immediately. He hit a 427-yard drive on the par-4 12th hole in Thursday’s first round, calling it his longest drive ever on tour.

From Cobra to Krank to TaylorMade

DeChambeau was last contracted with Cobra in a full-bag equipment deal, but has spent recent seasons assembling his setup from smaller brands. He used a 6-degree Krank Formula Fire driver with an LA Golf shaft, won the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 with custom Avoda irons, and told reporters at the 2026 Masters that he was building his own clubs.

That approach has drawn scrutiny as his major results dropped. DeChambeau arrived at Shinnecock Hills having missed the cut in both majors earlier this year.

Built for 200 mph Ball Speed

The prototype shares a carbon face and carbon sole plate with the retail Qi4D, but TaylorMade reshaped the head for DeChambeau’s extreme swing speeds. The sole is nearly smooth to improve aerodynamics, the centre of gravity has been pushed aggressively forward to control spin, and the brand’s Twist Face bulge-and-roll profile was exaggerated to manage mishits.

The collaboration had been years in the making. TaylorMade tour rep Adrian Rietveld said the company had been in contact with DeChambeau for years.

“We’ve been speaking to Bryson for years about stuff, ideas,” Rietveld told Golf.com.

Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s vice president of product creation, said the project grew out of parallel tracks. “Independent of the conversations we were having with Bryson, we were going down this path of prototyping drivers to, you know, as we always try to stay ahead of things for players of that immense speed that we’re seeing emerge in golf,” Bazzel said. “The stars aligned a bit as we were going down this path of exploration on sort of a concept car prototype, and then he started inquiring, getting a little bit more serious.”

On the range at Shinnecock, DeChambeau was spotted intentionally hitting heel and toe shots and still keeping the ball on target. Reports from Thursday’s round put his launch conditions at around 13 degrees with roughly 2,100 rpm of spin.

Rietveld said the carbon face construction was central to durability at DeChambeau’s speeds. “Bryson hits a lot of drivers. Bryson hits a lot of balls at high speed. That driver will hold its shape and hold everything for thousands of shots,” he said.

The switch also marks DeChambeau’s departure from the LA Golf shafts he had used since his partnership with the brand, which ended in February 2026. Whether the TaylorMade relationship extends beyond the driver remains unclear, but for now, DeChambeau is back with a major OEM.

Hero image: 2026 PGA of America