News
Scotty Cameron releasing Inspired by Justin Thomas Phantom X5.5 putter
Part of what makes Scotty Cameron putters so endearing to golfers is their relationship to the best players in the world and the trust those players place in Cameron putters. To honor one of those trusted relationships, Scotty Cameron is releasing an all-new “Inspired by” Justin Thomas Phantom X5.5 Putter.
The “Inspired by” series dates back to famous Scotty Cameron users like David Duval and Davis Love III, and Justin Thomas’ X5.5 is no exception when it comes to detail and design work. In fact, this newest putter could easily be considered the most ambitious putter ever created for the “Inspired by” series since it features a hand-welded neck—something only ever reserved for Scotty Cameron Circle T putters.
The Justin Thomas X5.5 is designed to the specification specifications of Thomas’s trusted gamer, which he has used to capture 12 of his 13 PGA Tour titles–including the 2017 PGA Championship–and most recently, the 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. We also can’t forget the bomb he made during the Workday Charity Open.
The combination of the high-MOI wingback Phantom X paired with a welded small slant neck promotes an arced putting stroke more commonly associated with blade designs. This blending of styles continues to grow in popularity as plyers with arched stroked look for greater stability.
Scotty Cameron on the new “Inspired by” Phantom X5.5
“Justin Thomas is one of those unique players who only comes around once or twice in a generation. He first visited the Scotty Cameron Putter Studio as a young amateur when he played a Newport 2. JT loved that traditional putter look. But even after getting his first tour win with the blade, he started to consider a change.
“He poked around our putter bag on the Titleist Tour Van and was initially drawn to the Futura X5 – the compact mallet shape really suited his eye. After some back-and-forth discussions, I welded him a small slant neck as a prototype setup and here we are. Twelve PGA Tour wins later and still counting with the same putter – including a major championship, two World Golf Championships and a FedExCup Championship. Players are always asking me for a welded-neck putter like JT’s. It’s a special setup that deserves this kind of treatment.” – Scotty Cameron
Technology and aesthetics
- A hand-welded small slant neck adorns each and every putter—like Justin’s original prototype—to provide greater toe hang and increased flow for the mallet-style head.
- A signature designed “Circle JT” emblem engraved on the face along with Thomas’ signature designed milled into the aluminum sole plate.
- Solid milled stainless steel construction (milled in the United States) to complement the legendary performance and playability with a consistent sound and soft feel.
Justin Thomas on his “Inspired by” Phanton X5.5
“This was an extremely cool project for me to work on with Scotty. When I first saw the 5.5, I immediately noticed how nicely it sits down on the green. The neck just makes it sit so square. In the beginning, I was only thinking it would give me something different to look at for a couple weeks – yet here I am – four-something years later and still gaming it. So, I guess it’s worked out pretty well.”
Price, specs, and availability
The new Scotty Cameron Inspired by Justin Thomas Phantom X5.5 putters will be available beginning Sep. 22 at select Titleist authorized golf shops worldwide and will be limited to only 2020 pieces. The retail price is $850.
To Match the specs of Justin’s personal putter, it is built to 34.5″ inches with 10-gram customizable stainless steel heel and toe weights. The putter is built with a new Pistolero Plus grip in cement gray and comes with a custom embroidered, Inspired by Justin Thomas headcover and a Scotty Cameron Fine Milled Putters Seven-Point Crown shaft band.
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News
Vincenzi’s 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson betting preview: International talent to shine
As anticipation mounts for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a few weeks, the PGA Tour makes a pit stop in McKinney, Texas to play The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Last year was the third time TPC Craig Ranch hosted the Byron Nelson. Prior to 2021, the event was held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
TPC Craig Ranch is a 7,414-yard par-71 that features Bentgrass greens. The event historically plays relatively easy, and that has remained the case in the three editions at TPC Craig Ranch.
The course structure may provide some additional intrigue with the par-3 17th featuring a stadium setup called “Ranch 17” which is reminiscent of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The course also has both long and difficult par-4s mixed with drivable par-4s, which should create some exciting moments.
There are 156 golfers in the field this week, and many stars will be taking the week off to prepare for 2023’s second major championship in a few weeks and a “signature event” at Quail Hollow next week. Notable players in the field include Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee, Alex Noren, Adam Scott and Will Zalatoris.
Past Winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson
- 2023: Jason Day (-23 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2022: K.H. Lee (-26 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2021: K.H. Lee (-25 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2019: Sung Kang (-23)
- 2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
- 2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
- 2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
- 2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
Key Stats at TPC Craig Ranch
Let’s take a look at five key metrics for TPC Craig Ranch to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach remains the best measure of current form.
Hot iron play will be at a premium this week. Last year, Jason Day gained 6.4 strokes on approach, which was fourth in the field. In 2022, K.H. Lee was ninth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.2 strokes. In his 2021 victory, he was second in the field and gained 8.3 strokes on the field in the category.
Strokes Gaines: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Tom Hoge (+1.12)
- Keith Mitchell (+1.02)
- Henrik Norlander (+0.99)
- Ryan Moore (+0.98)
- Ben Martin (0.80)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Fairways are wide at TPC Craig Ranch.
Distance will certainly be helpful, and there aren’t too many difficult holes on the course. Golfers who put themselves in position off of the tee this week should have a sizable advantage.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds
- Peter Kuest (+0.93)
- Kevin Daugherty (+0.91)
- Alejandro Tosti (+0.83)
- Keith Mitchell (+0.82)
- Kevin Tway (+0.74)
Birdie or Better %
There aren’t many hazards on the course, and all of the par-5s should be reachable in two for the majority of the players in the field. I am anticipating a birdie fest, and this statistic should be helpful in finding the birdie-makers.
Birdie or Better % Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Wesley Bryan (31%)
- Kelly Kraft (26.2%)
- Peter Kuest (25.9%)
- Matti Schmid (25.7%
- Jimmy Stanger (25.2%)
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)
Many golfers on TOUR have some major putting surface variance in their statistics and prefer Bentgrass to other surfaces.
Bentgrass is common in Texas, and we often see golfers who play well in Texas continue to do so, finding a great feel around the greens.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Maverick McNealy (+0.92)
- Aaron Baddeley (+0.87)
- Callum Tarren (+0.86)
- Harry Hall (+0.81)
- Nick Hardy (+0.69)
Course History
This statistic will tell us which players have performed the best at TPC Craig Ranch over the past three seasons.
Course History Over Past 12 Rounds:
- Jordan Spieth (+2.69)
- K.H. Lee (+2.59)
- Seamus Power (+1.84)
- Ryan Palmer (+1.76)
- Adam Scott (+1.72)
CJ CUP Byron Nelson Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: OTT (24%), Birdie or Better % (18%), Course History (17%) and SG: Putting Bentgrass (16%).
- Alex Noren
- Adam Scott
- Keith Mitchell
- Si Woo Kim
- Stephen Jaeger
- Jordan Spieth
- Jhonnatan Vegas
- Nate Lashley
- Brice Garnett
- Tom Hoge
2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson Picks
Byeong Hun An +3000 (DraftKings)
Byeong Hun put together an excellent performance at The Masters, finishing T16, which ties his best ever finish at a major championship (also T16 at 2019 U.S. Open). The South Korean gained 9.16 strokes from tee to green, which ranked 2nd in the field behind only the champion, Scottie Scheffler.
An’s next start at Harbour Town didn’t go as well (67th), but he still had a fantastic ball striking week. The 32-year-old bled strokes both around and on the greens, which was his eventual undoing. In his past three starts, An has gained significant strokes on the field both off the tee and on approach.
Benny had a strong start at last year’s Byron Nelson, finishing in a tie for 14th. With limited challenges on the course, he shouldn’t have to do much scrambling. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 17th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 17th in the field in birdie or better percentage. The putter is up and down per usual, but his ceiling putting weeks with his LAB Golf putter in 2024 are higher than they’ve been in past seasons.
An is starting to become my “white whale” of the PGA Tour, but I believe in his talent and TPC Craig Ranch is a course that should suit his excellent tee to green play.
Mackenzie Hughes +5500 (FanDuel)
Mackenzie Hughes is quietly putting together a very good season. He finished in a tie for 3rd at the Valspar Championship and followed that up with a T14 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
In his past 36 rounds in Texas, the Canadian ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total. Last year, he finished in a tie for 14th at this event and gained strokes putting and off the tee. Mackenzie played well that week despite being in extremely poor form. He missed two cuts in a row prior to the event, and four consecutive cuts immediately after. His irons were off that week, but in 2024, we’ve seen an improvement in Hughes’ approach game. He now comes to the event playing some steady golf. He’s gained strokes on approach in four of his past five events and is hitting the ball very well from tee to green.
Hughes has two victories on the PGA Tour, both coming in relatively low-scoring affairs (-17 in each). He will need to go a bit deeper to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson but has the type of putter that can keep pace in a birdie barrage.
Seamus Power +7000 (FanDuel)
After struggling over the past few seasons with injuries, Seamus Power seems as if he is rounding back into the form that made him a really consistent player on the PGA Tour.
Power finished T12 in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage, which is encouraging considering it was a “signature event” with a very strong field. For the week, the Irishman gained 4.4 strokes on approach and 2.8 strokes putting, which is the combination he’s used in the past to contend on Tour.
In his three trips to TPC Craig Ranch, Power is yet to finish outside of the top-20, with his best finish being a T9 in 2019. He ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course. The 37-year-old thrives on easy tracks and has won in 2021 (Barbasol Championship) and 2022 (Butterfield Bermuda) on easier layouts with weaker fields.
Power has the game to go extremely low and I believe he can get back in the winner’s circle for the third time in four years.
Chan Kim +10000 (FanDuel)
Chan Kim has been striking the ball beautifully this season and is a proven winner with two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 as well as eight career Japan Tour wins.
At last week’s Zurich Classic, Kim and his partner Doug Ghim finished in a tie for 28th. Prior to that, the South Korean T14 at the Valero Texas Open and T6 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. His success this season in Texas as well as he propensity to play his best golf on the PGA Tour’s easier courses make him and ideal fit for TPC Craig Ranch.
2024 has given plenty of longshot winners on the PGA Tour, and with a birdie fest like this, I believe there’s a strong chance we get another this week in McKinney, Texas.
Alejandro Tosti +10000 (FanDuel)
Alejandro Tosti is one of the most polarizing players on the PGA Tour thus far in the 2024 season. His antics can rub many the wrong way, but he’s shown on a few occasions that he has what it takes to compete in Tour events.
This season, Tosti has been elite off the tee. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The Argentine hits it long and straight, which works at any course on earth. He got a taste of contention a few starts ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, finishing in a tie for 2nd place.
Tosti had a fantastic year in 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour, where going low is a prerequisite to success. If this turns to a shootout, which it likely will, the 27-year-old has the ability to set the pace. Tosti will look to become the second Argentine to win in Texas in the past two seasons after Emiliano Grillo emerged victorious at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
C.T. Pan +15000 (FanDuel)
Outside of a T3 at the Mexico Open, C.T. Pan doesn’t have strong results this season in terms of finishes. However, over his past two starts, Pan’s iron play has come alive. At The Players, he gained 6.6 strokes on approach. At the Valero Texas Open, he gained 3.7. At last week’s Zurich Classic, Pan and his partner Kevin Yu finished T28. For a player who can get extremely hot with his scoring clubs, I believe he’s playing better than the results have shown over the past month or so.
Last season, Pan finished 4th at TPC Craig Ranch and was spectacular across all the major stat categories. In his past 36 qualifying rounds, he ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total in Texas.
Pan has won on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage and is always a player that I believe has what it takes to win on a Sunday if he finds himself in contention.
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Pingback: Scotty Cameron updates Phantom X series putters for 2021 – GolfWRX
Curt
Sep 9, 2020 at 6:07 pm
Would that be a legal club if it had a bigger face and called it a driver?
Mike
Sep 9, 2020 at 8:26 am
I’m guessing that neck is machined with the putter head like the slant neck putters in the select line… they obviously have that machining capability. Then there is a bead of weld added as a secondary process to give it that look. Still pretty cool, but a bit deceiving. Total guess on my part, but I’d make a wager… you can see the machining marks in the neck.
Matt Smith
Sep 9, 2020 at 11:29 am
Fully agree. No way they are hand welding 2,020 of these. It’s the fastback neck with some added material melted to make it look welded
Tom Newsted
Sep 9, 2020 at 7:01 am
I was interested until I saw the price tag. I agree with some of the previous comments that they will sell and will be on ebay for $1500 but it wont be me. You could probably buy an X5.5 and then go through the Scotty custom shop and still pay less.
Gearbox
Sep 8, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Cry all you want guys. This will be $1500 on eBay and they will get it. Scotty is a genius…
Paulo
Sep 8, 2020 at 11:01 pm
Intelligence is relative. He’s only a genius if idiots spend it.
Paul Runyan
Sep 8, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Who Cares….
Acemandrake
Sep 8, 2020 at 1:36 pm
$850 for a putter? The economy must be doing well. This no recession price.
Paulo
Sep 8, 2020 at 12:35 pm
Honestly I can’t think of a company I have less desire to spend my hard earned cash on than Cameron. Exclusive releases with stupidly inflated price tags only available for the select few is something I can’t condone . Pro’s getting putters for free don’t make Cameron the company it is, the people spending the dollars do.
DB
Sep 8, 2020 at 11:20 am
This putter looks incredible and it’s nice to finally see Scotty giving people what they want. For me though, I don’t want a putter with someone else’s name and initials all over the putter and the headcover. I mean I like Justin, he seems cool, but that’s just weird to me.
BG
Sep 8, 2020 at 12:26 pm
My thoughts exactly!
Gearge
Sep 8, 2020 at 10:37 am
I really like my Scotty Phantom X 5.5, not sure how much different this would play (not that I would buy it).
I don’t use OEM headcovers on my clubs, especially a Scotty. This cover just screams “steal me” and probably also “I’m a poser”. At least they are going back to the grey base color on the cover before adding the JT signature stuff. Rather than the ugly yellow Phantom X ones that I woouldn’t have oin it even if I didn’t want to adsvertise I had a Scotty.
Mark M
Sep 8, 2020 at 9:39 am
I’d like to know what’s special about a welded neck. How is it different from the “standard” way they are attached to the body?
Conor D
Sep 8, 2020 at 10:32 pm
The welded flow neck gives the putter a toe hang, in the way JT’s Newport blade did before he switched to the Futura X5. I have a standard X5 34 inch with the single bend shaft which makes it face balanced, which is my preference.
scott
Sep 10, 2020 at 2:31 am
your answer has nothing to do with Mark’s question. The welded look is for “looks only” .. welding has nothing to do with toe hang…
Tim Armington
Sep 10, 2020 at 7:29 am
Sorry guy, but that is hand welded neck it doe affect toe hang.
Chris
Sep 8, 2020 at 9:39 am
I like the putter, but I don’t want a putter that has a player’s name and initials all over it. That’s kind of cheesy to me. I’ll never understand people wearing clothes with a unique players branding on it and this falls in line with. To each their own though.
TJ
Sep 8, 2020 at 9:29 am
People will cry about the price but this is pretty cool. Lots of people want this putter