NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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When it comes to Scottie Scheffler shuffling putters, one flatstick stands above the rest.
The former Texas Longhorn used his Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS prototype blade throughout a historic season during which he won four times, including the Masters, on his march to No. 1 in the world. Scheffler had been gaming a Scotty Cameron Tour Super Rat 1 prototype putter before 2022, but he came into the year desiring a different look on the greens. Extensive testing led him to the Special Select Timeless prototype, which he put into play for the first time at the WM Phoenix Open.
It worked, of course, as he ranked No. 2 in strokes gained putting that week and won his first PGA Tour event in a dramatic playoff against Patrick Cantlay. The Special Select Timeless prototype is a custom build that took a long time to construct because it has two 25-gram adjustable weights in the sole, a feature not found in most putters. Scheffler started out his experimentation by liking the more rounded edges of the Newport 2 Timeless putter, and he actually began the year using it before Phoenix. However, he wanted a weight more similar to his Super Rat, which necessitated the addition of adjustable weights and a few subtle alterations to the head.
The move was incredibly helpful. Scheffler had ranked No. 117 in strokes gained putting for the 2019-20 season and was No. 107 in 2020-21. Last season he made the jump to No. 58, which was enough to complement his outstanding ball-striking (No. 4 in strokes gained tee-to-green).
But even with that progress, Scheffler still was willing to make a change this fall. He went to a Scotty Cameron T5.5 mallet at the CJ Cup, a different look from the blade he had been using.
“I think when I see so many putts go up to the cup and not go in, it was like, well, maybe I’ll just make a change and see what happens,” Scheffler said. “This is usually the time of year when I’ll usually experiment with stuff.”
It didn’t work. Scheffler tied for 45th in South Carolina and had an atrocious putting week. He still kept the same putter when he showed up to Mayakoba, but after a mediocre second round, Scheffler had seen enough. He went back to his Special Select Timeless prototype for the final two rounds and shot 68-62 on the weekend to finish in a tie for third.
There is no strokes-gained data available in Mexico, but it was clear Scheffler saw an improvement in his putting. He only needed 25 putts in the final round.
“It's probably something I'll continue to fiddle around with,” Scheffler said. “But I went back to something I'm really comfortable with, and I putted well the last two days.”
Can we expect it to stay in the bag moving forward? It’s a safe bet.
“Yeah, it never goes too far away,” Scheffler said with a grin.
Sean Fairholm