NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
There are two surprising parts of Cameron Smith’s surge to No. 2 in the world.
The first is that Smith has made this move while being a below-average driver of the ball. He ranked No. 144 in strokes gained off-the-tee this season as of last week, and he has never finished better than No. 119 in seven PGA Tour seasons. Outside of Phil Mickelson last year, Smith is statistically the worst driver of the ball to win a major since Todd Hamilton captured the 2004 Open Championship.
On the flip side, Smith’s sensational putting is also an outlier amongst recent major champions. In the past four completed seasons, only one player has won a major in the same year when he finished in the top 10 of strokes gained putting (Bryson DeChambeau in 2020). Smith ranked No. 12 in that stat as of last week – that doesn’t include his sublime performance at St. Andrews – well ahead of current major champs Matthew Fitzpatrick (No. 34), Scottie Scheffler (No. 38) and Justin Thomas (No. 56).
Winning with the putter despite suspect driver play is a rarity in today’s game. With that said, we probably all should get to know Smith’s magic wand.
The “champion golfer of the year” put his Scotty Cameron 009M Prototype putter in the bag during last year’s Hawaiian swing. The Aussie has tinkered with the same general idea for his putter over the years, but this heel-toe-weighted blade with rounded bumpers, a thin topline and a single black alignment dot has proved to be a keeper.
The 35-inch putter comes with 3 degrees of loft and features a short slant neck that creates three-quarters of the shaft’s width of offset. This allows for more toe hang, which is ideal for Smith because he relies on a more arcing stroke in the backswing.
Stamps on the back of putters are less common and pronounced than wedge stamps, but Smith has three interesting stamps on the back of his Scotty. He had absolutely nothing to do with them being added – you can thank the creative reps at Titleist for that – but they are there regardless.
One stamp is a mouse standing up. The second is some kind of skull with crossbones. The third is what appears to be the outline of a Scottish terrier (perhaps a good omen for winning in Scotland). There are two other traditional Scotty Cameron stamps mixed in with those, making for one very cluttered collection.
The putter may be cluttered, but Smith’s thoughts over the ball are not. Interestingly, Smith does not take a single practice stroke before hitting a putt. Instead, he takes one long look at the hole as he visualizes the ball rolling over his intended line. Don’t be surprised when you see weekend warriors trying this technique on your local club’s practice green.
A few other quick notes on his equipment: Smith used a 10-degree Titleist TSi3 driver with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 6X shaft in his Players Championship victory. Before the PGA Championship, he switched into a Fujikura Ventus Blue TR shaft because it is slightly stiffer and produces a lower ball flight with less spin. He also had Titleist shorten his driver shaft to 44.5 inches to gain some extra control.
After the U.S. Open, Smith started tinkering with the new TSR driver line. He put the TSR2 into his bag at the Genesis Scottish Open and then switched into a TSR3 for the Open. He kept the same shaft, loft and length from his TSi3, but he liked that the TSR3 allowed for better shot-shaping abilities.
Smith also decided to make a tactical change at St. Andrews by removing his Titleist TS2 7-wood. A Mizuno Pro Hi-Fli 3-iron went into the bag in its place. That lower launch gave him more control in windy conditions.
Sean Fairholm