World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, bothered by a balky putter in recent weeks, could have a new one in his bag when the US Open tees off on Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club.
An equipment change the week of a Major championship may be unusual, but Scheffler, spotted testing a slightly bigger putter at LACC, said he wouldn’t rule it out as he seeks to add another Major title to his 2022 Masters triumph.
“I don’t ever take decisions on switching equipment lightly,” said Scheffler, who finished tied for second behind Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship last month.
“I think it’s strange that I’ve been struggling the past few weeks with my putter … Memorial obviously had an off week on the greens or probably would’ve won that one.”
Scheffler finished last in strokes gained putting at the Memorial and at Colonial, finishing one shot out of a playoff in both.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to bring another putter around there to make the original one scared,” he quipped.
“I’ve never really been one to try and overthink things, so I try and keep things as simple as possible. I looked at that one that’s a little bit bigger, and I still am kind of undecided on what I think of it.”
Scheffler has two wins this season, at the Phoenix Open and the Players Championship, and despite his recent putting problems he’s a favourite heading into the third Major of the year.
Scheffler said he’s not only been looking at a different putter, he’s been trying to think differently about putting in general.
“Putting has that finality attached to it where the ball either goes in or it doesn’t, and you’re kind of judged by that, and I’m trying to get more and more away from that, to where if I hit a really good putt I’m more happy,” he said.
“If I hit like a really good seven-iron into a green and I think it’s going to be two feet and it comes up 25 feet short, I’m not overly pissed off because I’m like, ‘Wow, I hit a great shot.’
“So if I’m sitting on the greens and I can hit really good putts it’s a lot easier to live with the results.”
© Agence France-Presse
