Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will use NEW putters on PGA Tour this week
Scottie Scheffler is going to try a new TaylorMade Spider putter on the PGA Tour this week, while Rory McIlroy goes the other way!
After enduring his most frustrating PGA Tour season on the greens to date, Scottie Scheffler is finally going to use a new putter at this week's FedEx St Jude Championship, the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Scheffler confirmed in his Wednesday press conference that he will be using a TaylorMade Spider in the first round.
As for whether it stays in the bag for the rest of the week - and season - remains to be seen.
Scheffler told the media:
The World No.1 added:
The World No.1 might be a TaylorMade staff player but he has endured something of a major slump on the greens this season with his Titleist Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour type GSS Prototype putter.
Everything else is firing beautifully with his TaylorMade Stealth Plus Driver, TaylorMade P7TW irons and Vokey Design SM8 wedges.
So much so, Scheffler incredibly ranks first in strokes-gained off the tee, strokes-gained approach to the green, strokes-gained tee to green and strokes-gained total.
But the big issue lies on the greens with Scheffler ranking well down the board for strokes-gained putting at 140th (-0.192 av).
Scheffler ranked 58th (.202) in this category last season, and just outside the top 100 the two previous seasons before that.
The American may have won twice on the PGA Tour this season (Phoenix Open, The Players Championship), but if truth be told, he should have won at least five times given how many tournaments he has found himself in contention in over the weekends.
He's just not been able to close things out on the greens. But Scheffler is finally doing something about it.
On Tuesday, GOLF's equipment editor Jonathan Wall revealed Scheffler was testing out a number of different flatsticks on the practice putting green at TPC Southwind.
The interesting observation was that Scheffler was testing out some TaylorMade Spider mallet putters, which are very different to his traditional Scotty Cameron blade.
But maybe completely different is exactly what Scheffler needs in order to take his putting to the next level.
It's got that bad.
Either way, one thing is certain. If Scheffler can quickly solve his putting woes with a new putter then it could certainly be curtains for everyone else in the FedEx Cup.
It’s three Spiders (two with steel shafts and one with LA Golf graphite) with the same plumbers neck. Cameron has steel shaft and an insert.
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) August 8, 2023
Wall tweeted:
He then added:
Scheffler isn't the only big-name PGA Tour star using a new putter this week.
Rory McIlroy has joined in, too.
Golf Digest's Luke Kerr Dineen provided that update on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
It would appear McIlroy, who currently games a TaylorMade Spider X putter, is going to use a Scotty Cameron mallet that very much looks like a Phantom X 5.5.
McIlroy, who has also won twice this season (CJ Cup, Scottish Open), ranks a little better than Scheffler on the greens this season at 84th in SG-Putting (0.077).
New flat stick for Rory this week pic.twitter.com/dB9OQpg4Fc
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) August 8, 2023
McIlroy confirmed the update when speaking to reporters on Wednesday:
Rory McIlroy will use a Scotty (at least 2 days):
"I just wanted a different look, just wanted to freshen it up. I've got my Spider with me this week if that putter isn't doing what I want it to do over the first couple days. I may go back. I just wanted to freshen it up." pic.twitter.com/F31Kk9dkbj— Andy Roberts (@AndyRobertsGolf) August 9, 2023
So there we have it. Two of the game's greats are tinkering on the greens.
The next time you are struggling with your own putting, you might just want to take heart from the fact the world's best in Scheffler and McIlroy are finding it tough, too.
Scheffler and McIlroy are teeing off the 1st tee with Jon Rahm - and his sandwiches! - at 10.26am local time on Thursday.
Andy first joined the brand on a month's work experience back in April 2011, and he now assumes the Editor role. When Andy joined GolfMagic it was a small site with potential.
