Justin Rose shocked the golfing world two weeks ago when he confirmed that he had switched to McLaren irons.
Rose has enjoyed a real resurgence in form on the PGA Tour over the past 18 months.
The Englishman finished runner-up at The Masters in 2025 after losing out in a playoff against Rory McIlroy and he won the Fedex St. Jude Championship in style.
This season, Justin Rose won the Farmers Insurance Open at an absolute canter and finished in a tie for third at The Masters.
The 45-year-old really has been playing some fabulous golf.
So when Justin Rose switched to McLaren irons last month, many of his fans were concerned about the detrimental impact his new clubs could have on his game.
However, Brandel Chamblee has shared a really hot take about Rose’s risky decision.
Brandel Chamblee’s theory about Justin Rose’s switch to McLaren irons
The 13-time PGA Tour winner has been ranked 65th and 45th respectively in strokes gained approach in the two tournaments he has played with his new McLaren irons.
At the Cadillac Championship, Rose recorded his second-worst ball-striking round and his worst tee-to-green round of the 2026 season.
Chamblee spoke to Golf WRX about Rose’s recent switch and offered up a really interesting theory.
“I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment,“ Chamblee.
“It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.
“Having said that, at best it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame.
“At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.“
That is quite the take from Chamblee but he’s surely wide of the mark. Rose’s McLaren irons look completely different from his old ones for a start!
Justin Rose took an unnecessary risk by switching to McLaren irons
Who knows, the McLaren irons may actually help Rose improve his approach play in time.
However, the point is that he didn’t need to take this risk.
He was obviously more than comfortable with his old irons.
He wouldn’t have won earlier this year at Torrey Pines by seven strokes if he wasn’t.
In my opinion, Justin Rose has taken an unnecessary risk during what is such an incredibly important period of his career.
The 45-year-old Englishman is desperate to win another major championship and his form over the past year or so has been building up to that.
However, Justin Rose may well have done himself irreparable damage by switching irons and if that ends up being the case, he will obviously really regret his decision.
