Can this Rory-approved putter get Scottie Scheffler on track?

ORLANDO, Fla. — The final time we noticed Scottie Scheffler, he was wrapping up another top-10 finish on the Genesis Invitational. It’s the form of exhibiting the golf world has come to anticipate from the top-ranked professional on the planet.

Consistency has been good for Scheffler’s checking account, however the lack of journeys to the winner’s circle has led to an elevated curiosity within the putter. By now, you’re in all probability well aware of Scheffler’s struggles with the one membership giving him matches.

Even the 27-year-old has grown bored with speaking concerning the putter. However it continues to be a subject of debate each time he tees it up. Even considered one of Scheffler’s friends, Rory McIlroy, supplied placing recommendation throughout his most up-to-date begin. Following the ultimate spherical at Riviera, CBS’s Amanda Renner requested McIlroy if he had any “perception into when somebody is battling [the putter].”

It was a query that elicited a considerate reply from McIlroy, who has additionally battled a balky putter.

“Yeah, we’ve all been by means of it,” McIlroy stated. “I’ve definitely been by means of my fair proportion of placing woes by means of the years. And I lastly really feel like I’ve damaged by means of and turn out to be a fairly constant putter. 

“For me, going to a mallet was an enormous change. I actually continued with the blade putter for a very long time. However I simply really feel like your stroke needs to be so good to start out the ball on line, the place the mallet simply offers you a bit of bit extra margin for error. That, to me, gave me confidence that I might go ahead with that understanding that even when I don’t put an ideal stroke on it, the ball’s not going to go too far off line. 

“So, I’d like to see Scottie strive a mallet, however selfishly for me, you understand, Scottie does all the things else so nicely that, you understand, he’s giving the remainder of us an opportunity.”

TaylorMade Spider Tour X Putter

$349.99

STABILITY FOR THE WIN

THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION
We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance.
STEEL WIREFRAME
Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location.
HYBRAR ECHO® DAMPENER
HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feel on every putt with the best possible sensation.
DIFFERENT CG LOCATION
Each Spider Tour model features different CG locations for optimal putter fitting.
TSS WEIGHTING
TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths.
GUNMETAL PVD FINISH
The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish.
TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT
The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole.
WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT
Made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel. Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment.
REFINED HOSEL DESIGNS
Spider Tour Series includes two different hosel shapes and designs. The small slant produces toe hang, and the double bend produces a face balanced design.

Buy Now

View Product

Based mostly on the putter Scheffler was wielding on Tuesday morning on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it appears the world No. 1 has taken McIlroy’s recommendation. Tucked inside Scheffler’s bag was a single putter hidden underneath a black cowl: TaylorMade’s Spider Tour X (X1) mallet. (McIlroy can be utilizing TaylorMade’s Spider Tour X in the intervening time.)

The sight of Scheffler rolling putts with a mallet led some on social media to marvel if one elite professional had taken the recommendation from one other elite professional to coronary heart. Scheffler hasn’t commented on the putter change, however greater than possible, it was merely a professional giving one thing else one other shot to see if issues clicked.

With placing coach Phil Kenyon wanting on, Scheffler rolled putts on the observe inexperienced with the mallet that featured a single black sight line and grey Golf Satisfaction Professional Solely Inexperienced Star grip — Inexperienced Star options an oval again form and arched paddle entrance that’s designed for constant thumb placement — earlier than departing for the vary.

Scheffler’s putter search has seen him use a myriad of various choices — most not too long ago a blade crafted by Logan Olson that performed a task in his win at the Hero World Challenge — together with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X Proto that obtained the nod final 12 months in the course of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Suffice to say, this isn’t Scheffler’s first go together with a mallet.

What’s completely different in the case of Scheffler’s newest Spider? Let’s begin with the obvious change: a shift away from a stable, milled face on the Proto to a extra conventional white Pure Roll insert that’s constructed from a mix of Surlyn and aluminum. A change like that may little question alter the texture.

The burden additionally seems to be extra evenly balanced by means of the pinnacle — TSS weights are seen within the sole of his present Spider — which might be a change from the earlier Spider Proto the place the TSS weights have been lacking and mass was located far ahead to permit the pinnacle to carry out extra like a blade.

Except one thing is happening beneath the hood, this might be one of the vital fascinating adjustments to Scheffler’s Spider. As a substitute of getting it to carry out like a blade, he might be making an attempt a full-on mallet to see if the efficiency advantages improve his play on the greens.

“I’ve at all times struggled with putters which have numerous weight within the again facet of it,” Scheffler stated of the forward-weighted mallet again in August on the FedEx St. Jude Championship. “And this one is a bit completely different than numerous the Spiders that they’ve made, and the burden is extra within the entrance so it has the texture of a blade putter that I like however it additionally has numerous that visible on the highest the place it’s simpler for me to line up.”

Ranked 144th in SG: Placing getting into the week, Scheffler will probably be seeking to glean any positives he can with the potential new putter. With the Masters simply over a month away, there’s no higher time to lastly get it again on monitor — even when it means admitting Rory was proper.

Need to overhaul your bag for 2024? Discover a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Journal and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Gear. Previous to becoming a member of the workers on the finish of 2018, he spent 6 years masking tools for the PGA Tour. He will be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.