• Northern Irishman will use firm’s clubs, balls and bag for next decade • Deal comes on top of his $200m agreement to wear Nike clothes

Rory McIlroy has signed a $100m (£77m) deal with TaylorMade to use the firm’s clubs, ball and golf bag for the next decade. He had been without an equipment contract since the end of last year, when Nike announced it was to withdraw from that market.

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Confirmation of McIlroy’s new branding – he recently signed a 10-year extension to a Nike apparel agreement worth $200m alone – arrived at the Players Championship, which begins at Sawgrass on Thursday. The figures involved endorse the Northern Irishman’s status as one of the most marketable individuals in global sport with TaylorMade’s deal believed to be their biggest fiscal commitment to any golfer.

“I tested different combinations, a lot of different stuff, and I came to the conclusion that this was the best way forward for me to try and improve, try and win more, try to get back to world No1, try to win more majors,” McIlroy said. “So I’m really excited about that.

“I tested quite a few balls and the one that I landed on was really it; the ball was what led me to this point because this is the best ball I’ve ever hit. Then it was just about trying to match everything up to that.”

McIlroy had spent the early part of this year alternating between TaylorMade and Callaway clubs. He also played with a Titleist ball but that was never a long-term solution after the four-time major champion bemoaned its performance during the Masters in April. An all-in equipment deal was always likely but McIlroy had been adamant he would have to be fully comfortable with the tools at his disposal before putting pen to paper. McIlroy will use TaylorMade M2 woods, prototype blade irons and the TP5x ball.

McIlroy joins high-profile golfers such as Dustin Johnson and Jason Day in using TaylorMade clubs. It may be that TaylorMade is more attractive as a business proposition with such marquee names on its roster, amid reports that Adidas is looking to sell that wing of its operation.

Sawgrass also marks McIlroy’s first start since marriage. “It was obviously the best weekend of my life and hopefully the best weekend of [McIlroy’s wife] Erica’s, as well,” he added. “We tried to keep it as private as possible. It was between our friends and families and we didn’t really want anything else. It was a weekend of celebrations.”

Danny Willett has confirmed a split with his long-time caddie and close friend Jonathan Smart. Willett’s bag man departed after the first round of the RBC Heritage event last month following a row between the pair. Sam Haywood, who was Willett’s best man, will caddie for the 2016 Masters champion this week.

“It was tricky,” said Willett. “It is a shame how things went; we have only spoken in little bits. I think it needs time to settle down. There is almost no point in talking straightaway because you might say something that is irretrievable. We have just kind of left it.”