Equipment

Jason Dufner gives away his putter, putts with a 3 wood

Published

10 years ago

Aug 4, 2014

If you check out Jason Dufner’s WITB you’ll see a putter, but he didn’t end the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with one in the bag.

According to reports, Dufner gave away his Scotty Cameron Futura X5r putter to a young fan on hole No. 10 on Sunday, meaning he had to play nearly the entire back nine without a putter. He finished T66 for the week, so it didn’t exactly cost him his fourth PGA Tour win. Tournament statistics show that he finished 69th in putting average for the week out of the 72 players that finished the event.

Shane Ryan from Grantland.com spoke with Dufner following the round to confirm:

“Jason,” Ryan said, “I heard a story that you gave your putter away to a kid yesterday. I wanted to make sure it was true.”

“Yup.” Dufner said.

“Was that on No. 12?” Ryan asked.

“Ten.” Dufner answered.

“What did you putt with?” Ryan asked.

“3 wood.” Dufner answered.

Not a ravishing conversational exchange, but we get the point. He was frustrated on the greens, was putting terrible and instead of snapping the putter he decided to make one of his fans very happy. Actually, not a bad move on Dufner’s part.

He shot a final-round 77 after starting with a 4-over par 39. Not too bad considering his “putter” for the last eight holes had about 15 degrees of loft.

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

25 Comments

KCCO

Aug 18, 2015 at 9:49 pm

Classy dude….rather then literally voice frustration, just handing a putter over to a lucky kid, made someone’s day, didn’t make a poor example and WD/Quit.

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Enrique

Aug 4, 2014 at 11:44 pm

Love the guy. Just a plain dude telling it like it is.

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nikkyd

Aug 4, 2014 at 9:40 pm

Thats classy. I alsways though he was arrogant and cocky until his interview with david feherty. It just turns out that hes really awkward and shy

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Greg

Aug 4, 2014 at 9:08 pm

Man thats awesome, Dufner can’t even imagine what he did for that kid. I’ve thought about snapping mine over my knee many times.

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Rich

Aug 4, 2014 at 8:41 pm

The only option for him to not see it again I’d say. Don’t think he could snap a club across his knee like Stenson did at the open – actually, doesn’t look like he could snap a club at all. Don’t think Duf is much of a gym junky. Must be doing something right with a wife as pretty as Amanda. Good luck to him.

Reply Report comment
- MHendon
  
  Aug 5, 2014 at 1:02 am
  
  Doesn’t take much to snap a shaft.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Rich
    
    Aug 5, 2014 at 1:25 am
    
    Still don’t think he could. Actually he probably couldn’t be bothered even if he actually could.
    
    Reply Report comment
- Jack F
  
  Aug 6, 2014 at 5:41 pm
  
  If Woody Austin can break one with his head, I think Dufner would have no problem
  
  Reply Report comment
ams165

Aug 4, 2014 at 8:08 pm

I wonder what Mr. Cameron thinks about him giving away a Hand Made.

Hopefully the kids father isn’t a Club Cameron Member.

But very cool nonetheless…..

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EJ

Aug 4, 2014 at 6:52 pm

Time for Dufner to hit an Odyssey. Come over to the dark side.

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Mike

Aug 4, 2014 at 5:23 pm

What’s this cut thing you referred to during a WGC event?

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MHendon

Aug 4, 2014 at 4:33 pm

Due to the positive reaction this is getting we’ll start seeing other players do it, guaranteed.

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tom frogley

Aug 4, 2014 at 3:35 pm

What a top bloke! I’m sure all he wanted to do was snap that thing over his knee…. But giving it to a kid in the crowd .. thats classy. He may have had a rough day, but for that kid it probably made his summer!

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golfing

Aug 4, 2014 at 3:16 pm

Great to see they are not machines, they have feelings to, and some
deal with it like a Sir, I´m a new Dufner fan to.

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Dakota

Aug 4, 2014 at 2:50 pm

That kid needs to put with that thing the rest of his life, the story alone is awesome probably the only time a professional golfer will give a putter away in the middle of a round.

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- C web
  
  Aug 4, 2014 at 3:02 pm
  
  If Tiger gave away his driver it would be an even bigger story:
  1. He would score better
  2. There’s a chance a happy Golfwrx ‘er finally gets his hands on one of those ellusive nike prototype drivers
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Robeli
    
    Aug 4, 2014 at 4:01 pm
    
    Maybe it’s the Nike driver that’s crap.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - MHendon
      
      Aug 4, 2014 at 4:30 pm
      
      Another Nike hater.
      
      Reply Report comment
    - Eric
      
      Aug 4, 2014 at 4:48 pm
      
      Rory seems to be doing pretty well with his Nike driver.
      
      Reply Report comment
    - bradford
      
      Aug 6, 2014 at 8:02 am
      
      …or maybe his driver stats were never really that good to begin with?
      
      Reply Report comment
Bacon

Aug 4, 2014 at 2:42 pm

Awesome!

Reply Report comment
C web

Aug 4, 2014 at 2:19 pm

Did he belly it ? Or Kuchar’d it ? He is not that tall, guess he could have even broomsticked it

Reply Report comment
- MHendon
  
  Aug 4, 2014 at 4:32 pm
  
  Broomsticked it, come on man he’d have to be like 4’11”. He’s not that short.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - C web
    
    Aug 4, 2014 at 11:14 pm
    
    He could have broomsticked it table top style
    
    Reply Report comment
Nick

Aug 4, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Dufner is one cool dude.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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