Scottie Scheffler signed a multi-year deal with TaylorMade back in 2022. His driver, irons, and putter are all from TaylorMade.
His golf ball? Still Titleist Pro V1, the popular tour ball and the same one recreational golfers and aspirational amateurs have been buying for decades.
As the FedEx Cup Playoffs kick off this week at TPC Southwind, we looked at what ball each of the top 12 players in the FedExCup points standings actually plays. Then we checked our own test data from our 43-ball test, performed on SkyTrak ST MAX, to see how those choices hold up.
Here's the breakdown, ranked by points standing.
We tested 43 balls for 2026 using the SkyTrak ST MAX launch monitor. Learn more about How We Test Golf Balls and see the complete data from Every Ball We Teseted.
Scheffler is the clearest example of a player choosing performance over paycheck. Despite his TaylorMade deal, he stayed with Titleist Pro V1 as his ball. In our testing, Pro V1 dominated into greens with excellent Stopping Power. That could help explain why Scheffler is 2nd on the PGA Tour in GIR percentage (72.73%).
Matt Fitzpatrick is a magician around the green, and his ball choice matches. Pro V1x showed fantastic Wedge Control and Stopping Power results in our test, and Fitzpatrick taps into that on tour. He ranks 1st on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach and 2nd in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
3. Cameron Young: Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot
We haven't tested this "Double Dot" version of Pro V1x, but it’s designed for lower long-game spin, which tracks with Young's numbers. Lower spin, when coupled with elite tour-level swing speeds, is a recipe for more distance, and Young is 4th on the PGA Tour in Total Driving and 10th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee.
Another Pro V1x player, another strong short-game player. Our testing showed Pro V1x is strong in Wedge Control and Stopping Power, and Clark's tour stats align with that narrative: he’s 13th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
Gotterup is the lone name in the top 12 not playing a Titleist, TaylorMade, or Callaway ball, and it's not a compromise pick. Bridgestone Tour B X was one of the strongest all-around performers in our full 43-ball test, scoring well across Distance, Wedge Control, and Accuracy. Gotterup's tour numbers prove the hype: 8th in Strokes Gained: Total, 8th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, and 7th in Driving Distance (322.2 yards).
Morikawa is one of the most accurate iron players on tour, and TP5x performed well in our testing for Accuracy and Distance, a fitting combination. He's currently 7th on Tour in Driving Accuracy.
Chrome Tour scored strongest in our Wedge Control test, but Kim's standout stat is actually with his irons, where he’s 3rd on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach.
He’s not necessarily relying on his ball's tested strength. Kim's swing and Chrome Tour are working harmoniously to get the most out of his approach game.
The "X" version of Chrome Tour tested well for Stopping Power and Wedge Control in our lab — and Burns' scrambling numbers reflect a short game built to take advantage of it: he's 18th on Tour in Scrambling from 10-20 yards, getting it up and down 72.52% of the time from those spots.
Tommy Fleetwood uses the same ball as Morikawa, and has the same strengths in his game: Accuracy and Distance. Fleetwood's 12th on the PGA Tour in Driving Accuracy.
Åberg games Titleist Pro V1x, known for Wedge Control and Stopping Power, which our test confirmed. Åberg's approach game proves that’s one of his priorities: he's 19th on Tour in Approach Proximity and 18th in Strokes Gained: Approach.
11. Xander Schauffele: Callaway Chrome Tour Dot
Like Young's Double Dot Pro V1x, the "Dot" is a tour-only stamp on the standard Chrome Tour construction. It's built to help a player dial in a preferred trajectory — and for Schauffele, that seems to be paying off: he's 13th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, a strong sign his trajectory control is working exactly as intended.
Unlike fellow TaylorMade staffer Scheffler, Rory McIlroy is fully committed to his sponsor's ball, and it's working.
TP5x is long and accurate, a combination that syncs with Rory’s game. En route to winning this year's Masters, Rory’s driving numbers were absurd: he led the field in driving distance at 334 yards on average, with two rounds averaging over 340 yards.
The Breakdown
Add it all up, and Titleist's Pro V1 family is the clear favorite among the FedEx Cup's top 12, with 5 of the 12 playing Pro V1 or Pro V1x. TaylorMade TP5x and Callaway Chrome Tour tied at three apiece, with Bridgestone's Tour B X standing alone as the field's only non-"big three" ball.
The most interesting story is who's not playing his own sponsor's ball. Scheffler has a major club deal with TaylorMade but uses one piece of Titleist equipment on every shot. That choice delivers the message loud and clear: performance on the course isn't for sale.
