--- title: "A record 49 mini drivers played the Dunhill Links. In the tour bags we track it is 11 of 80, and 8 of them carry no 3-wood" url: "https://ifrothgolf.com/read/mini-drivers-dunhill-links-koepka" type: "explainer" topic: "drivers" author: "Tom Whitaker" published: "2026-10-12T14:00" publisher: "ifrothgolf" --- # A record 49 mini drivers played the Dunhill Links. In the tour bags we track it is 11 of 80, and 8 of them carry no 3-wood > Brooks Koepka retired his 2017 3-wood for a mini driver in Scotland and the winner carried a Ping prototype. Across the 80 tour bags we maintain the share is half the Dunhill's 29 per cent, and the club it replaces is clear. ## In short - A record 49 mini drivers, 29.2 per cent of the field, were in play at the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links, according to Inside Tour Golf as reported by Golf Monthly. Brooks Koepka replaced his 2017 TaylorMade M2 3-wood with a TaylorMade R7 Quad mini driver and winner Adrian Meronk carried a Ping Prototype mini. Across the 80 tour bags we maintain, 11 carry a mini driver (8 of 42 PGA Tour, 3 of 26 LPGA, none of 12 LIV), and 8 of those 11 carry no 3-wood. TaylorMade is the most common brand with five. The share rises at links events because the mini is a controllable, lower-spinning tee club for wind and running fairways. Amateurs who use their 3-wood mostly off the tee should consider one and check the gap below it; those who need a 3-wood off the deck should keep one. This is our maintained set, not a census. Brooks Koepka does not change clubs. He is known for carrying two clubs that are around a decade old, a Nike utility iron and a TaylorMade M2 3-wood. Last week at the Alfred Dunhill Links, Golf Monthly reported, the M2 came out and a [TaylorMade R7 Quad mini driver](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/taylormade-r7-quad-mini-driver) went in, apparently at 13.5 degrees and on the same Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX shaft. He finished tied sixth at 16 under. He had plenty of company. Golf Monthly, citing Inside Tour Golf, reported 49 mini drivers in play that week, 29.2 per cent of the field, which it called a record for a tournament. The winner, Adrian Meronk, came from four back on Sunday with a 68 at the Old Course to win by two, and his bag, per Golf Monthly's WITB, carried a Ping Prototype mini driver at 13.5 degrees. So we counted ours. We have already explained [what a mini driver is](https://ifrothgolf.com/read/what-is-a-mini-driver) and compared [the R7 Quad and the Ai Smoke](https://ifrothgolf.com/read/mini-driver-r7-quad-vs-ai-smoke), so none of that is repeated here. This is how many of the tour bags we maintain carry one, and what they took out to make room. ## The number **11 of the 80 tour bags we track carry a mini driver: 8 of 42 on the PGA Tour, 3 of 26 on the LPGA and none of the 12 LIV bags.** That is 14 per cent across all three, 19 per cent on the PGA Tour alone, against 29.2 per cent of the Dunhill field. The method, so you can check it. We searched every bag row in our file for a mini driver, printed every match and counted one per player, because rows are not bags. Each of the 11 has exactly one mini-driver row. The creator and amateur bags are left out of the tour figures; one of those eight, Peter Finch's, also carries a mini, a Titleist GT280. These are the bags we maintain and re-verify against named sources, not a census of any tour, and most were last checked between July and September. That last point explains the most obvious gap. Koepka is not in our 11. His [WITB page](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/brooks-koepka) was last verified in July and still lists the M2, which was right at the time. Golf Monthly says it is unclear whether the switch is permanent, so we will change the page when the mini turns up somewhere other than a links week. ## The rows On the PGA Tour the eight are [Tommy Fleetwood](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/tommy-fleetwood) on the R7 Quad Mini, Justin Rose and Min Woo Lee on Callaway's mini (sources label it Quantum or Elyte), Cameron Young on a Titleist GT280+, Adam Scott, [Rickie Fowler](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/rickie-fowler) and Chris Gotterup on TaylorMade BRNR minis, and Si Woo Kim on an 11.5-degree mini that every source agrees on and none can name the same way, so we name no head. On the LPGA the three are [Haeran Ryu](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/haeran-ryu) on the R7 Quad Mini, [Céline Boutier](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/celine-boutier) on a PXG Secret Weapon, and [Jennifer Kupcho](https://ifrothgolf.com/witb/jennifer-kupcho) on a Ping Prototype, the same family as Meronk's winner. Ping does not sell a mini driver. Golf Monthly reported in January that the prototype was spotted on the USGA conforming list at 13 degrees and was reportedly for tour players only. By brand, TaylorMade has five of the eleven (two R7 Quads, three BRNRs), Callaway two, and Titleist, PXG and Ping one each. One more worth noticing: Fleetwood, who also finished fourth at the Dunhill, already carried his R7 Quad Mini in July. ## What it replaces This is the part of the count that tells you how to use one. **8 of the 11 mini-driver bags carry no 3-wood.** Fleetwood goes mini, 5-wood, 9-wood. Rose and Gotterup go mini then 7-wood. Min Woo Lee goes mini then a 21-degree utility wood. Scott and Fowler go mini then 5-wood. Ryu and Kupcho carry no fairway wood at all. Only Si Woo Kim (a 15-degree 3-wood), Cameron Young (a 14.5-degree GT1 Tour fairway) and Boutier (a 14.5-degree Ping) carry both. Boutier is the odd one in a useful way. Her 11-degree PXG is listed in place of a driver, not alongside one, so for her the mini is the driver. The LPGA lofts run lower in general: Boutier 11 degrees, Ryu 11.5, Kupcho 13. On the PGA side most are 13 or 13.5, which is the 3-wood-replacement range. Same club name, two different jobs, which is the split our [R7 Quad vs Ai Smoke comparison](https://ifrothgolf.com/read/mini-driver-r7-quad-vs-ai-smoke) was built on. ## Why a links week pushes the number up Our bags sit at 14 to 19 per cent depending on how you cut them; the Dunhill field hit 29. We cannot measure the reason from a bag list, but the players and manufacturers have said it plainly. TaylorMade told GolfWRX before the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush that it had seen an uptick in mini-driver use among its players over the previous weeks overseas, calling it a strong choice off tees where there is trouble that also helps with spin control in windy conditions. At the same Open, the PGA Tour's own coverage described a course where dunes force carries and narrow doglegs threaten to let a driver run through the fairway. Fowler, one of our eleven, put his own case in one line there: he does not hit many drivers in a left-to-right wind, and with the mini he draws it more easily and holds it better. The Dunhill is played across three links (the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns), in Scotland, in October. Wind and fairways that run are the default. A club that flies lower-spinning and straighter than a driver, and further than a 3-wood off a tee, earns its slot on courses like that in a way it may not at a soft, tree-lined stop in August. Meronk's own setup shows the flexibility: Golf Monthly notes that he occasionally swaps the mini out for a 3-wood. ## Should you copy Koepka? Copy him if the 3-wood in your bag is really a tee club. Count how often you hit it off the deck in a round. If the answer is once or never, and you reach for it on tight par 4s and into the wind, you have the same profile as the eight tour bags that dropped the 3-wood. A mini built for the tee, such as the R7 Quad, does that job with a bigger face and a driver's look at address. If you play a windy, firm course most weeks, the case is stronger again. Copy Fleetwood's whole gapping, not just the mini. None of the eight just removed a 3-wood and stopped. They rebuilt below it with a 5-, 7- or 9-wood or a strong utility, because a 13.5-degree mini and a 19-degree club leave a hole a 3-wood used to fill. If you add a mini, check the gap underneath it. Do not copy it if you need a 3-wood off the fairway to reach par 5s in two. That is the shot a tee-first mini gives up, and if it matters to you, either keep a proper fairway like the [Qi4D Tour](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/taylormade-qi4d-tour-fairway) or choose a mini designed to be played off the turf, such as the [Callaway Ai Smoke Ti 340](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/callaway-ai-smoke-mini-driver). And do not buy one to fix a driver that was never fitted. We made that argument at length in [what a mini driver is](https://ifrothgolf.com/read/what-is-a-mini-driver) and it has not changed. The tour is moving to minis to replace a 3-wood, not to avoid a driver. The heads, lofts and fairway woods behind all eleven are on their WITB pages, and our [best drivers](https://ifrothgolf.com/guides/best-drivers) guide covers the full-size options. ## The takeaway A record 49 mini drivers, 29.2 per cent of the field, were in play at the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links, according to Inside Tour Golf as reported by Golf Monthly. Brooks Koepka replaced his 2017 TaylorMade M2 3-wood with a TaylorMade R7 Quad mini driver and winner Adrian Meronk carried a Ping Prototype mini. Across the 80 tour bags we maintain, 11 carry a mini driver (8 of 42 PGA Tour, 3 of 26 LPGA, none of 12 LIV), and 8 of those 11 carry no 3-wood. TaylorMade is the most common brand with five. The share rises at links events because the mini is a controllable, lower-spinning tee club for wind and running fairways. Amateurs who use their 3-wood mostly off the tee should consider one and check the gap below it; those who need a 3-wood off the deck should keep one. This is our maintained set, not a census. ## FAQ ### How many mini drivers were used at the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links? 49, which was 29.2 per cent of the field and a record for a tournament, according to Inside Tour Golf as reported by Golf Monthly. Brooks Koepka put a TaylorMade R7 Quad mini driver in place of his TaylorMade M2 3-wood, and winner Adrian Meronk carried a Ping Prototype mini driver at 13.5 degrees. ### How many tour pros use a mini driver? In the 80 tour bags we maintain, 11 carry a mini driver: 8 of 42 on the PGA Tour (19 per cent), 3 of 26 on the LPGA (12 per cent) and none of 12 LIV bags. TaylorMade accounts for five, Callaway two, and Titleist, PXG and Ping one each. These are bags we re-verify against named sources, not a census, so the share at any single event can be much higher. ### Does a mini driver replace the 3-wood? Usually, on tour. 8 of the 11 mini-driver bags we track carry no 3-wood, with a 5-, 7- or 9-wood or a utility wood below the mini instead. Only Si Woo Kim, Cameron Young and Céline Boutier carry both, and Boutier's 11-degree mini is listed in place of a driver. ### Why do more pros use mini drivers on links courses? Wind and firm, running fairways. TaylorMade told GolfWRX before the 2025 Open that its players were using more minis because they suit tee shots with trouble and help with spin control in wind, and Rickie Fowler said at Royal Portrush that he draws a mini more easily and holds it better than a driver in a left-to-right wind. ## Products mentioned - [TaylorMade R7 Quad Mini Driver](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/taylormade-r7-quad-mini-driver) · $475 approx — The head Koepka put in at the Dunhill Links, and the mini in Tommy Fleetwood's and Haeran Ryu's bags in our file. **Where to buy:** [Check price at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2BTYL6S?tag=ifrothgolf-20&ascsubtag=md_taylormade-r7-quad-mini-driver) (affiliate link) · also stocked by TaylorMade - [Callaway Ai Smoke Ti 340 Mini Driver](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/callaway-ai-smoke-mini-driver) · $500 approx — Callaway's retail mini: a 340cc titanium head with an adjustable hosel, built to be hit off the deck as well as the tee. **Where to buy:** [Check price at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7Q6B1YS?tag=ifrothgolf-20&ascsubtag=md_callaway-ai-smoke-mini-driver) (affiliate link) - [TaylorMade M2 Tour](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/taylormade-m2-tour) · $325 approx — The 16.5-degree 2017 fairway wood Koepka took out to make room for the mini. **Where to buy:** [Check price at TaylorMade](https://www.taylormadegolf.com/M2-Tour-Fairway/B1230409.html?lang=en_US) - [TaylorMade Qi4D Tour Fairway](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/taylormade-qi4d-tour-fairway) · $325 approx — The current TaylorMade tour 3-wood, and the right club to keep if you hit your fairway wood off the deck more than off the tee. **Where to buy:** [Check price at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2PJ86HD?tag=ifrothgolf-20&ascsubtag=md_taylormade-qi4d-tour-fairway) (affiliate link) · also stocked by TaylorMade --- Source: [ifrothgolf](https://ifrothgolf.com) — independent golf-gear editorial. 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