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Jordan Spieth switches putters at the AT&T Byron Nelson (Updated)

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Update: 5/18/17 at 10:06 a.m.

SpiethNewPutter

It’s official; Jordan Spieth has switched putters. Based on PGA Tour Live coverage, Spieth is using a Scotty Cameron T5W Tour Only mallet during his first round at the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson. For the record, he missed the 8-foot par putt in the screenshot above, and currently sits at even par through his first 5 holes. He birdied his first hole of the day, sticking it to 3 inches from the hole on his approach shot; he would’ve made that 3-inch putt no matter what putter he was using, however.

——-

Say it ain’t so, Jordan!

At the AT&T Byron Nelson on Tuesday, we spotted Jordan Spieth with a new Scotty Cameron T5W Tour Only putter in the bag instead of his familiar, rusted-out Scotty Cameron 009 Prototype. Now this does not necessarily mean he will use the new putter come Thursday, but it certainly implies he’s looking to make a switch. Here’s a reminder of what the 009 looks like:

485627a2116632962600e9770ea9e35c

You probably recognize it because Spieth has used the 009 in just about every round as a professional, including his historical 2015 Masters and 2015 U.S. Open victories. The problem is, there’s been trouble in paradise of late. While he was second on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2016, he’s fallen to 39th in that stat category in 2017. And while PGA Tour wins aren’t easy to come by, he’s recorded just one victory in 2017, coming at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Once the best player in the world, he’s fallen to No. 6 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Coming off a missed cut at last week’s Players Championship, he expressed concerns about his putting performance, specifically on Bermuda-grass greens.

“It’s just been on and around the greens I just haven’t quite figured it out,” Spieth said. “These greens get pretty crusty and, historically, whenever firm Bermuda or greens are crusty to where it’s tough to set the putter down, I just struggle with my alignment and it just kind of throws me off. It happened again here.”

The AT&T Byron Nelson, however, is played at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas, which is listed as having bent grass green surfaces.

Regardless, it seems Spieth is seriously considering switching out his 009 for a new flatstick. Even if it’s not this week, it’s clear he’s not happy with his putting performance and is willing to make a change.

SpiethPutter

Currently the top contender, based on the fact this putter was in his bag on Tuesday, is Scotty Cameron’s T5W Tour Only mallet with a flow neck and a SuperStroke FlatSo 1.0 grip.

SpiethGrip

We’ll be paying close attention on Thursday and throughout the week to see what Spieth ends up using on the greens. Check back here for updates.

See what GolfWRX members are saying about Spieth’s new putter in the forums.

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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.

27 Comments

27 Comments

  1. tlmck1234

    May 23, 2017 at 1:57 am

    And poor me I’m stuck with my 1980 Bullseye Flange model. It has more tech than you’ll ever need to hole a putt. Much better feel than the modern stuff as well.

  2. Moe

    May 21, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    You aim better… You putt better period.
    Mallets our easier to line up. Yes they are more forgiving but these guys so good there not using for forgiveness as much as alignment. You can have greatest stroke ever but you better be able to read a green and (aim) start on your line to even have a chance.. Never mind speed. Spieth aims better you will see instant success on shorter putts

  3. Tazz2293

    May 20, 2017 at 9:32 am

    Maybe it was/is the putter.
    Yesterday it was the Driver
    Until Spieth can hit more fairways and hit the ball closer to the pin Spieth will never win another major

  4. russell platt

    May 19, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    He”s the pro and he knows his weaknesses better than anyone else. I wish him well and I know a lot of us are big Jordan fans. I was really hoping he would be the one to handle the Europeans, but that has changed, go Dustin, and watch the stairs.

  5. Joey

    May 19, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    People always say “it’s not the putters fault” when someone misses a putt.. not the putter that’s good it’s the player! he could use whatever he wants as long as it’s the same set up. Definitely no magic in the putter. Just a whole lot of hard work

  6. Ray Bennett

    May 19, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    If it looks good, feels good and performs good, it probably is good.????

  7. M Sizzle

    May 19, 2017 at 12:02 am

    Settle down Francises

  8. Pingback: Look: Spieth makes putter change at Byron Nelson – Sporty Show

  9. DH

    May 18, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    Go back and find as many 714 AP2 heads as possible and use them for the foreseeable instead of the 716, and hit more greens and the ball closer to the pin and you won’t have to switch from the 009.

  10. Blake

    May 18, 2017 at 11:23 am

    Makes absolutely no sense for one of the best if not the best putter to change the putter he has used for 10+ years

  11. moses

    May 18, 2017 at 7:08 am

    Wow one of the best putters I’ve ever seen (outside of 8 feet) is changing putters.

  12. Photo

    May 18, 2017 at 1:05 am

    No surprise. If there is ever a place for forgiveness, it’s the putting green. Why make alignment more difficult? Expect the trend to continue.

  13. MiuraLovechild

    May 17, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    I don’t know why everyone doesn’t play a face balanced high MOI mallet style putter. They’re easy to align and feel great. And no, a blade doesn’t free up your stroke any more either. I’m definitely more financially free with all the money I’m winning with my improved putting.

  14. Guia

    May 17, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    Big mistake.

  15. Tazz2293

    May 17, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    Rich Hunt did a statistical analysis of Speith’s game. From the the date of the article I would say this encompasses the 2014-2015 seasons up to June 30, 2015.
    When putting from 15-25 feet Speith was 3rd in putting on the PGA Tour
    When putting from 25+ feet Speith was 11th on Tour
    10-15 feet he was 82nd
    5-10 feet he was 84th
    3-5 feet he was 178th
    As of late, and for his career, Speith’s approach shots and proximity to the pin is below what should be expected of someone with the talent of Speith. Most of this is due to his driver stats. While Driver stats are not bad, they are not great. To add, since the 2016 masters Speith’s Driving issues are getting worse and not better.
    Speith’s putting from 15 feet and over is what made him great for that short time frame. As I stated earlier, the putting stats on putts of 15 feet or more was a statistical anomaly and that a PGA Tour Pro cannot count on winning on a regular basis with putting metrics like this.

  16. Tazz2293

    May 17, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    Here is a novel idea for Jordan

    Hit more fairways then hit the green a lot closer to the pin in regulation. A player cannot count on sinking 20 to 25 foot putts consistently to win on the PGA tour.

    Yes, you can have the odd year when you make everything from everywhere but those odd years are the statistical anomaly and not the norm.

    • Rex

      May 17, 2017 at 9:06 pm

      I say this about every time I get drunk with my buddies. Wonderful comment

      • The Dude

        May 17, 2017 at 9:55 pm

        your rational when your drunk??….wonderful comment…

  17. Johnnythunders

    May 17, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    Jordann Speith will be on “where are they now” in 5 years. He was all make the 20 footer and he was great, didnt last, he does not have the game anymore. And that constent talking andnwiping the towel like Sergio in his meltdown years. Do no t like watching him play, and that chicken wing swing is so ugly. He needs a brain enema and s total swing iverhaul.

  18. xjohnx

    May 17, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    This is the definitely the affect of the Spider Tour putters on tour right now. It’s crazy

  19. Putt for Dough

    May 17, 2017 at 1:50 pm

    Why is everyone upset that he’s changing putters?? Is it because it’s a mallet, or just because everyone loves his current putter? If he’s struggling and seeing the players pass him in the OWGR using a mallet putter, why not try to find something?

  20. God Shamgod

    May 17, 2017 at 1:39 pm

    Yikes. That is a bad sign coming from a guy who relies so heavily on his putter. He isn’t a terrible ball striker, but he is far from a world #1 with less than top 5 putting.

  21. Johnnylongballz

    May 17, 2017 at 12:47 pm

    He needs to change drivers not putters.

    • Bobbyeggroll

      May 17, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Funny how everybody knows what the former #1 needs. Im sure he will take your advice.

      • Benny

        May 19, 2017 at 8:15 am

        Im with Bobby. You guys are all hacks. I know im a hack and regardless if you have a club deal or in the us am you are still a hack, compared to Jordan. He is doing ecactly what any of us would do and thats search for anything that helps. Like Tiger only change can do that.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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