Justin Rose is reportedly on the cusp of making his first equipment change as a professional, leaving his career-long endorsement of TaylorMade for Japanese equipment manufacturer Homna, according to The Irish Times.
Rose is coming off a win at the Turkish Airlines Open that allowed him to regain the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Ranking. He's in a great position to win the European Tour's Race to Dubai, but he's taking the remainder season off to sort things out.
"I don't really know how to answer that one," Rose said when asked about his decision to sit out the rest of 2018, according to Golf Channel. "It might become apparent next year, but there are things that I need to kind of get figured out."
Perhaps those "things" the 38-year-old needs to figure out are adjustments to new equipment. When Rose was asked about the possible switch, Morningread.com's Alex Miceli reports the golfer responded: "Where there's smoke, there's fire."
TaylorMade clubs have been in Rose's bag since he turned pro 20 years ago. He'll continue to use the company's balls and woods, according to the Irish Times, though he'll apparently start playing with Homna irons in 2019.
Longtime TaylorMade CEO Mark King was recently hired by Homna as a strategic advisor to expand its North American presence.
If the move does occur, Rose would join Sergio Garcia as another key departure from the TaylorMade team. However, the company still boasts a strong roster of endorsers, including Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, and Jason Day.
