Why Men Should Pay Attention to Asterisk Talley's Winning U.S. Women's Am Clubs

Seventeen-year-old Asterisk Talley took home the trophy at this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Honors course. After multiple delays due to storms, the final match came down to Talley and No.1 seed Anna Iwanaga. Talley emerged victorious, winning 8&6 over Iwanaga in the 36-hole final match with nine birdies and an eagle. As often noted in our Fully Equipped Podcast, women's golf equipment can be more relatable to the average golfer, so let's see what we can learn from Talley's winning TaylorMade setup.

For the guys, this is probably one of the more “crafty” women’s setups I’ve seen. It’s a fun bag.

Club Grips: Golf Pride CPX JUMBO (woods), Golf Pride CP2 Pro JUMBO (irons), Golf Pride CP2 Wrap JUMBO (wedges). Yup. Jumbo on all her clubs. I had a chance to hang out with Asterisk for a little bit on the range at Whirlwind Golf Club earlier this year, and it was the first thing I noticed too. I asked her about it, and she had a pretty simple answer: “I was playing with my dad one day and I hit a really nice shot with one of his irons, so I’ve gripped the source author’s clubs that way since then.”

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (Core) 9º w/ Fujikura Ventus Blue Velo+ 6-Stiff (tipped 1″). The TaylorMade Qi4D driver has become the overwhelmingly popular choice for TaylorMade players in 2026, and with the driver now promised to be in the line through 2027, it’s fun to see players so dialed into their gear and imagining what that groove is going to look like moving into 2027. This “core” model from TaylorMade has four adjustable weights, allowing a fitter to really dial in spin and launch characteristics for a player. Asterisk plays 8g weights in the dual rear positions and 7g weights in the dual front positions. This fairly neutral weight setup gives her just enough forgiveness while making sure that she’s in control of the ball flight off the tee.

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (core) 15º w/ Fujikura Ventus Blue Velo+ 7-Stiff (tipped 1″). TaylorMade fairway woods are fantastic. They combine the perfect mixture of launch, speed, and spin. The Qi4D (core) model specifically has found itself in a great sweet spot and has been used to lure players away from “old faithful” options in lots of high-level bags this year. That confidence in launch and speed can really help an amateur player understand what the ball is going to do, which can result in a big boost of confidence.

Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi4D Rescue (3-Hybrid) w/ Mitsubishi Golf Tensei 1k Blue 75-Stiff. Even with a setup like Talley’s that leans more into the irons, she’s still got a trusted hybrid in the bag. The Qi4D Rescue was one of the more impressive hybrids/rescues that we tested this year.

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4&5), TaylorMade P7MC (6-PW) w/ KBS TGI 100 Graphite Iron Shafts. Combo sets help ensure proper gapping and ball flight. The P770 provides more ball speed than the P7MC, which is important for long approaches on Par-4s or aggressive play on Par-5s.

Wedges: TaylorMade MG5 50SB, 54SB, 58LB w/ Fujikura Axiom 105-Stiff Graphite Iron Shafts. For the short game, Talley chooses a full arsenal of TaylorMade MG5 wedges. These wedges have been well received for their shape and feel.

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour V Torched (2026). The winning putt of the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur was dropped with a TaylorMade Spider Tour V. This new shape was developed from direct testing with high-level players.

Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5x (with personal markings). Talley plays the higher-launching, lower-spinning golf ball. She marks her balls with a special symbol related to her name.

Congrats to Asterisk Talley on her win at the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Her bag is not only a choice of TaylorMade but also entirely her own. She knows what gear she needs to bring home the trophies, and I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing her hoist many more in the future, starting in college at Stanford and then, eventually, the LPGA.