Equipment

Dustin Johnson decided to putt cross-handed mid-tournament at East Lake

Published

6 years ago

Sep 24, 2018

Dustin Johnson made a weekend charge at the Tour Championship, and it was almost good enough for him to capture the FedEx Cup title (and with it the $10 million jackpot). Although he fell short, the revival gave him a third-place finish at the season finale, after he fired back to back rounds of 67 at East Lake. The most interesting part about his weekend performance? Well, during the sixth hole on Saturday, Johnson decided to putt for the rest of the event cross-handed.

Speaking to the media after the event, Johnson elaborated a little more on the decision (transcript from ASAP Sports)

So how did Johnson perform with the cross-handed technique? Well, the American gained strokes over the field on the greens on both days over the weekend. For the two days of action, Johnson gained 0.63 strokes over the field with the flatstick, which incidentally was more than he managed over the opening two days in Atlanta. However, a missed birdie chance from inside six feet on the 18th hole on Sunday evening doomed his chances of taking home the FedEx Cup.

Johnson is no stranger to making impulsive changes on the golf course. Recently at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Johnson switched his TaylorMade Spider Tour mid-tournament in favor of the Spider-Mini, despite winning the RBC Canadian Open the week previously with the Spider Tour. While earlier in the year, Johnson decided to implement the AimPoint putting technique. A change which didn’t last long, after instructor Butch Harmon told him to stop as he had no idea what he was doing.

With just four days until the Ryder Cup begins, how comfortable do U.S. fans feel about Johnson deciding to putt cross-handed for the biennial event?

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

9 Comments

ButchT

Sep 25, 2018 at 6:50 pm

“Cross-handed?” Really ignorant statement. “Left hand low” is correct in every regard.

Reply Report comment
Steven

Sep 25, 2018 at 12:35 pm

DJ just needs to stick with that Spider putter. He uses it and wins, then the next week he has that Cameron blade an d can’t make anything. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but the proof is in his putting

Reply Report comment
- jack
  
  Sep 26, 2018 at 11:25 pm
  
  Great tip. I will keep this in mind. This might have saved me a lot of frustration had I known this beforehand. Thanks for sharing
  
  Reply Report comment
Hillary For Prison Librarian

Sep 24, 2018 at 8:47 pm

Shawn buys new clubs each yea because he gets more yardage each time.

Reply Report comment
shawn

Sep 24, 2018 at 3:01 pm

DJ should try the Titleist Bullseye putter… with a regular grip. No confusion with that putter design. If you still fail, you are incompetent. Seek help. (Geoff Mangum?!!)

Reply Report comment
- Brad
  
  Sep 24, 2018 at 7:49 pm
  
  Really, the Bullseye putter? Not only is that one of the ugliest putters ever made, it is a very low MOI putter. If the Bullseye worked that well, everyone would be using one and Titleist would still be making them.
  
  I can’t remember the last time I’ve saw someone pull a Bullseye putter from their bag…I don’t believe I ever have, actually.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - ogo
    
    Sep 26, 2018 at 12:45 am
    
    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.. and the current batch of blingy Anser knock-offs, fang back monstrosities and ridiculous Star Trek Enterprises are only for selling to gearheads. BTW, MOI is unnecessary it you can hit on the sweet spot consistently.
    
    Reply Report comment
- CrashTestDummy
  
  Sep 25, 2018 at 11:51 am
  
  Bullseye putters is of the least forgiving putters on par with the Wilson 8802 or 8813. They do have good feel when you pure it. The new putters are definitely more forgiving.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - ogo
    
    Sep 26, 2018 at 12:41 am
    
    You should learn to hit the ball on your putter sweet spot and not depend on MOI to compensate for your rotten mis-hits… over a measly 12″ stroke!!!!
    
    Reply Report comment

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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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