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Jonathan Wall/GOLF
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As a lot as Scottie Scheffler doesn’t wish to discuss in regards to the putter, he is aware of it’s a subject of debate lately. The 27-year-old has placed on a ball-striking clinic most weeks that’s produced two wins and 15 top-10 finishes in 20 begins. It’s the sort of season most mavens would like to expertise simply as soon as of their profession.
The season appears much more unimaginable whenever you notice Scheffler presently ranks one hundred and fortieth in SG: Placing — and nonetheless leads the Tour in mixed Strokes Gained.
Look again at Scheffler’s gear historical past and also you’ll discover little in the best way of tinkering, significantly with the putter. Previous to 2022, Scheffler loved common success with a Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 1 blade earlier than switching to a Particular Choose Timeless Tourtype GSS Prototype forward of his 2022 Masters victory. However the mojo didn’t final.
He ultimately sought placing recommendation from Steve Stricker, briefly tried out a Scotty Cameron T5.5 mallet on the CJ Cup, went to a Newport 2 with a flatter lie angle, and wielded a wide-body Newport 2 Plus on the U.S. Open. Nothing appeared to stay for very lengthy.
After almost a full 12 months of looking out, Scheffler’s hoping the newest putter within the bag supplies the consistency he’s been craving on the greens. For the primary time since he signed a TaylorMade employees deal final 12 months, Scheffler is strongly contemplating the concept of utilizing one of many firm’s Spider Prototype mallets on the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
On Tuesday, Scheffler was noticed conducting testing with three Spider putters with totally different shafts — two metal shafts and one with LA Golf graphite — alongside along with his previous Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 1 gamer. By the point he left to play a observe spherical with Jon Rahm, Keith Mitchell and Sam Burns, solely the steel-shafted Spiders and Cameron remained.
By Wednesday’s pro-am, Scheffler had pared it all the way down to a single steel-shafted Spider, a sign TaylorMade’s hottest mallet is prone to get the decision at TPC Southwind.
In response to Scheffler, he’s labored with TaylorMade’s Tour workforce previously on Spider, however nothing ever really felt excellent till the model he began testing this week.
“The blokes at TaylorMade have executed quite a lot of work for me with the putter,” he stated. “I’ve at all times appreciated the visible of that Spider putter, however I actually simply didn’t like the texture. That’s one thing we mentioned, sort of the texture.”
Not like the earlier variations of TaylorMade’s Spider that featured a Pure Roll insert, Scheffler’s seems to be a milled product with 4 screws positioned across the fringe of the face. Scheffler famous the addition of extra weight nearer to the face made it simpler to get the ball to the outlet on a constant foundation, one thing he’s struggled with at instances this season.
“I’ve at all times struggled with putters which have quite a lot of weight within the again facet of it, and this one is a bit totally different than quite a lot of the Spiders that they’ve made, and the load is extra within the entrance so it has the texture of a blade putter that I like but it surely additionally has quite a lot of that visible on the highest the place it’s simpler for me to line up,” he stated. “It looks like at instances this 12 months I’ve hit quite a lot of good putts which have gone proper as much as the sting and never gone in. Possibly it may very well be my alignment. In case your alignment is a half inch off, the ball lips out as a substitute of going within the center or lips out as a substitute of lips in. The margins on this recreation are so shut, so it’s one thing that I really feel actually comfy with the place the steadiness level is on this putter. I’m excited to strive it out this week.”
It’s additionally attainable the screws safe the face to the physique — a design TaylorMade has tried previously with the detachable face plate on the xFT wedge — or they may very well be there to easily place extra weight up entrance. (Check out the only real and also you’ll additionally discover the standard heel-toe again weights have been eliminated to get mass out of the rear portion of the top.)
Scheffler received’t make the change official till Thursday, however all indicators level to him placing the Spider Prototype in play as he appears to jumpstart a key membership within the bag and chase the season-long title.
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