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Rory McIlroy looked to a new but familiar flatstick in hopes of turning around his putting woes before the Masters. After a trip to the semifinals at this past week's WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, it looks like he may have done just that.
A year after ranking among the best putters on the PGA Tour, McIlroy has been among the tour’s worst in the 2022-23 campaign. He came into last week ranked No. 173 in strokes gained putting, a stark departure from his No. 16 standing last season. Those struggles sent him looking for a change in momentum.
Earlier this year, we reported that McIlroy’s updated TaylorMade contract allows for the flexibility of adding a few clubs from other brands. He initially added Titleist Vokey wedges to his bag at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, benching his TaylorMade wedges – and now he is gaming a Scotty Cameron Newport GSS for his putter. McIlroy tested the putter during a recent two-day, 54-hole scouting trip at Augusta National, and he believes the “old flame” could be the answer to his struggles.
This new club is a near-replica of the Scotty Cameron that McIlroy used in his first two major triumphs. He also has experimented with similar versions over the years, including when he used a Scotty Cameron 009 GSS Chromatic prototype at the 2021 Olympics. The 34.5-inch putter is a heavier build (350 grams) than the one he used at the Olympics, and it also has an alignment line on the top of the putter instead of on the flange.
His father, Gerry, has the original version of the Newport GSS that his son used with so much success en route to major titles. Why not go back to that one? McIlroy explained that this nearly identical edition has a couple of tweaks that set up better for his current game.
“(Titleist) made me one back in 2016 when Nike went out of the equipment business, when we all sort of were figuring out what to do, which was an exact replica,” McIlroy said. “I just think what I'm trying to do with lining the ball up, the line on the top instead of on the flange matches up a little bit better for me.”
McIlroy had been playing a TaylorMade Spider Hydro Blast throughout last year and into this year until arriving at Austin (Texas) Country Club. The Spider is a mallet with a fairly large clubhead, whereas this Scotty Cameron is a more traditional blade. Much of McIlroy’s best golf has come with a blade, including when he used a Nike 006 Method prototype during a memorable 2014 performance.
You may also recall that McIlroy has been searching for form with his new TaylorMade Stealth Plus 2 driver, which he implemented mid-tournament at the Genesis Invitational. McIlroy said he moved on from his previous driver, a Stealth Plus, because it was approaching the point of being non-conforming.
That search at the top of his bag continued in Austin. McIlroy inserted a new 44-inch Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X shaft in his driver instead of a 44.5-inch Fujikura Ventus Black 6X, which moved him into a slightly softer shaft that added a touch of spin and workability. McIlroy also added a TaylorMade Stealth 2 5-wood – instead of a Stealth 2 Plus 5-wood he had been using. As if that weren’t enough, McIlroy reintroduced a 54-degree TaylorMade wedge; the club recently had been replaced by a Titleist Vokey SM9. It now appears that he will head to Augusta with only one Titleist wedge in his bag.
Among all of his clubs, McIlroy has prioritized getting the driver right.
“I'm much happier with where I am there,” McIlroy said of his new driver setup. “Obviously off the tee is such an important part of the game for me. … I went to a slightly softer shaft, and it's actually really helped. I feel like I can hit a few more shots with it. It sort of hangs in there a little bit for me.”
As for his equipment changing so much heading into the Masters, McIlroy didn’t seem fazed. He said he played, and putted, extremely well during his scouting trip at Augusta and felt fully prepared for yet another opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam. He barreled through the match play bracket last week — appearing to have both his driver and putter in strong form throughout the event — before losing a late lead to Cameron Young in the semifinals.
During a week in which McIlroy surprisingly voiced adamant support for the potential golf ball rollback – even implying that he would play a rolled-back ball in PGA Tour competition regardless of whether the tour adopts the proposed model local rule – much of the tournament focus revolved around the effects of McIlroy’s tinkering.
“Obviously this part of the season you've got one eye on what you're doing now and one eye on Augusta.”
Sean Fairholm