A few weeks ago at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy was crouched on the practice range, his eyes fixed on a laptop computer.

On the screen was ball flight data from his fitting session with new Titleist MB (712 Series) irons. The numbers were exciting.

He would soon take the new irons out to the course for further testing, along with his new Vokey Design Spin Milled 4 (SM4) wedges.

A couple days later, Rory arrived at Kingsbarns for Round 1 with both the new MB irons and SM4 wedges in the bag, ready for action.

He would go on to shoot rounds of 70-67-66-65 for a 20-under total and finish second in the Dunhill Links. At the Koren Open the following week, Rory shot a tournament-best 6-under 64 in the final round to rally for another runner-up finish.

And last Sunday in China, Rory got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Shanghai Masters and cap a spectacular opening month for his new Titleist equipment.

For the majority of 2011, Rory gamed Titleist MB irons with Project X 6.5 shafts.

But during the fitting session in Scotland, Titleist Tour Technician Mattias Jelver noticed that Rory was swinging harder and faster than ever, a result of the U.S. Open champ's escalated fitness regimen.

Accordingly, Mattias suggested Rory test a stronger version of his current shaft in the new MB irons, moving from the Project X 6.5 to Project X 7.0.

Rory said he really liked the look and feel of the new MB irons. The Project X 7.0 shafts only gave him more confidence, resulting in a stronger ball flight with slightly reduced spin. The data on the computer showed an increase of 2-3 mph in ball speed and five yards of added distance with each iron.

Rory was just as pleased with his new Vokey Design SM4 wedges, the new tour extreme grooves and additional scorelines providing him with increased spin and control on his scoring shots.

The new Titleist AP1, AP2, CB and MB (712 Series) irons and Vokey Design SM4 wedges begin shipping to golf shops worldwide Nov. 18.

Below are the specs of Rory's new clubs:

Model: MB (712)
Composition: 3-9
Shaft: Project X 7.0
Length: Standard (#6 iron @ 37.5”)
Loft: 1° Strong (#6 iron @ 30°)
Lie: Standard (#6 iron @ 62.5°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Yellow .580 (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D2

Model: Vokey Design SM4 (Raw Finish)
Loft / Bounce: 46•07º, 54•08º, 54•11º, 60•04º
Shaft: Project X 6.5
Length: Standard
Lie: Standard
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Black/Yellow .580 (+1/64”)
Swingweight: D5 (46.07 @ D3)